Congrats on the new WordPress site!
I double checked and found that SemPress is indeed in the main repository: https://wordpress.org/themes/sempress/ Interestingly, because SenPress is a child theme, by installing it, WordPress is smart enough to find the parent theme and download it for you automatically--thus the reason it was waiting for you when you looked to activate it.
For future reference, if you want to install themes from Git or another non-WordPress repo, you can download them (preferably as zip files) and then go to http://www.mysite.com/wp-admin/theme-install.php and click the "Upload Theme" button at the top of the page. Then just choose the file you downloaded and click "Install Now". Then from the Appearance >> Themes menu you can activate and customize it if necessary.
I'm curious if you had the benefit of knowing pages like
Getting Started on WordPress: https://indieweb.org/Getting_Started_on_WordPress
Advanced WordPress set up: https://indieweb.org/Advanced_WordPress_Set_Up
WordPress with Brid.gy: https://indieweb.org/WordPress_with_Bridgy
existed?
Hey Chris, thanks. Phew - lot to unpack there.
Yes, Sempress is in the main repo, however it did not appear on a search for themes in the WP Dashboard. It is awesome that the child theme was able to download it -- but there was no user interaction to let me know this was being done or to approve it. That's not Indieweb-specific, but it is a failing of the WP ecosystem.
I understand how to install themes/plugins from Git -- My position remains unchanged: User-friendly documentation requires a thorough approach; if there is an accepted method to accomplish something outside the usual 'marketplace' approach, then at the very least the documentation should link to a resource giving details of that method.
Finally, yes, I have been reading the wiki--however I was looking at this as the 'onboarding' experience delivered by the supplied resources. There is a lot of good information given, there is more information unstated. Those wiki pages, for example, are _not_ linked to directly in the Indieweb Plugin Menu, perhaps that needs to be changed?
PS: this is fun! My presentation of mentions however, is not.
Daniel Goldsmith, Mar 31 2017 on hylozoist.ascraeus.org