Linux Documentation Project status
Lars Wirzenius
Project. Contact lars.wi...@helsinki.fi for more information.
About the time table: don't hold your breath. People are working on
it, but it takes some time. If you want more speed, you can help by
writing something.
* Short outline of Linux docs
** Getting Started
The be-all and end-all of Linux installation instructions.
Covers installation and has brief tutorials on using and
administering Linux. This book is all that a novice should
have to read in order to get going.
** User's Guide
The full story of how to use Linux, except for individual
program usage. (That is, the UG covers usage in general, not
specific program in particular. The Reference Manual is for
that.)
** Administrator's Guide
How to keep Linux up and running after it has been first
installed. Installing new software, doing backups, etc.
** Programmer's Guide
How to write programs under Linux. Not urgent.
** Local Guide
This is mostly for systems with many users. Similar to the
LaTeX Local Guide. Summarizes differences between the real
system and the "generic" systems described in the rest of the
documentation. Things like lists of hardware, local hacks,
installed software, etc.
** FAQ
This one everybody is hopefully at least vaguely familiar
with.
Idea: In addition to the Linux FAQ, include other FAQs as
well, like those for Unix, C, PC hardware, UUCP, news, etc.
** Reference Manual
Manuals for programs and so on. Man pages, texinfo documents,
etc.
** Linux Kernel Hackers' Guide
Kernel documentation. Essentially tells how the kernel works
so that hackers can hack it easier.
** Linux Readings
Miscellaneous other Linux related documents that don't fit
into other books. Things like my interview with Linus in
Linux News #3, a history of Linux (everybody urge Linus to
write it, my urgings aren't working :), Who's Who of Linux, a
Linux bibliography.
** Glossary
Definitions of Unix/Linux related words.
** Global Index
An index that covers all other manuals, to make it easier to
find things that are covered by many manuals.
* Format of documents
It seems that LaTeX is what most people favor. However, each
writer should use whatever format he finds comfortable,
although using the same thing everybody else uses creates less
confusion. The important thing is not to flame about the
format, but to get things done. Once we have good text in
some format, we can convert it.
Michael Johnson has a set of typesetting guidelines that
writers are encouraged to follow.
* Slaves (a.k.a. volunteers)
The e-mail address and full name are followed by a list of the
tasks the person has done, is doing, is committed to do,
and/or has expressed an interest in doing.
If somebody is mentioned as a coordinator for a document, that
usually means they will probably write much of it as well.
Except that I'm not going to write most the doc project as a
whole :). For those parts that do not have their own
coordinator, I will serve as one, but this probably means only
that I'm looking for volunteers to take over that part of the
job.
Note: this version only has the coordinators. I left out
people volunteering to do proof reading and such.
** lars.wi...@helsinki.fi (Lars Wirzenius)
Coordinator of the doc project in whole.
Intro to sysadmin in Getting Started
Administrator's Guide
** m...@tc.cornell.edu (Matt Welsh)
Coordinator of Getting Started
INFO-SHEET
** gree...@gauss.rutgers.edu (Larry Greenfield)
Coordinator of User's Guide.
Tutorial on using Linux in Getting Started.
** john...@stolaf.edu (Michael K Johnson)
Editor and co-author of the Kernel Hackers' Guide
Style guide and LaTeX .sty file for typesetting the docs
** dmi...@cs.umr.edu (Dan Miner)
Co-ordinator of the Kernel Hackers' Guide
** ni...@nsis.cl.nec.co.jp (Gavin Thomas Nicol)
Coordinator of the Reference Manual.
Man page to Texinfo conversion program.
--
Lars.Wi...@helsinki.fi (finger wirz...@klaava.helsinki.fi)
MS-DOS, you can't live with it, you can live without it.
--
Send submissions for comp.os.linux.announce to: linux-a...@tc.cornell.edu