1. Documents submitted for review
- Devin Watson sent in a short but informative introduction into writing daemons in Linux. The SGML (LinuxDoc) file can be found at http://www.linuxprofilm.com/articles/linux-daemon-howto.sgml.
2. New document proposals
- SPICE is a simulator for electronic circuits for use in the gEDA (GPL'ed Electronic Design Automation tool suite) environment. Stuart Brorson wrote a SPICE on gEDA HOWTO, describing TclSpice and argues thus for including it into the TLDP collection: "The whole area of Linux as an engineering workstation is currently taking off, and I think it valuable to have HOWTOs in place for the arriving hordes."
3. Updated HOWTOs, FAQs and Guides
- The Kickstart HOWTO will be moved to the Unmaintained directory upon request of the author, Martin Hamilton, who reasons that RedHat now provides enough documentation in their manual and on this Kickstart mailinglist.
- Emma Jane Hogbin's ACPI HOWTO v1.4 contains info about power management with the 2.6.5 kernel. The update includes information on battery monitoring applications causing touchpad lockup problems.
4. News in The LDP world
- Copyright of the Linux Dictionary
Binh Nguyen found a listening ear for linuxdig.com potentially violating the copyright on his work. After contacting Scott Baust, the technical and administrative responsible for the linuxdig.com domain, he was able to resolve the issue.
5. Discussions on The LDP lists
- Beautifying XML
Gerardo Arnaez doesn't like the standard xmlto-generated HTML, but was at a loss as to how to make it more agreeable to the eye. Emma Jane suggested the use of style sheets, and pointed to a couple of freely available ones. You might have problems reading her explanations for including a stylesheet, because she mentions some HTML tags which are lost in the HTML conversion. So here is (once again) how you include a stylesheet:
Add a line like the following between the <head> and </head> tags:
<link rel="stylesheet" type="text/css" href="your_stylesheet.css" />
- LDAP related HOWTOs
In response to Machtelt Garrels mail about the maintenance of the LDAP HOWTOs hosted by TLDP, Glen Turner wanted to be a contributor said that the two LDAP HOWTOs did not illustrate current best practices. He gave pointers to A Recipe for Configuring and Operating LDAP Directories by Michael R Gettes and a general directory issues resource.
6. Interview with Mark Komarinski
Mark Komarinski, former event coordinator, is not as active any more as he used to be, at least not for the TLDP project, but certainly has some interesting things to say. "My secret goal in life is to be one of those people who gets quoted all the time in articles", he laughingly admits.
Q: You've seen some people, docs and distros pass the review. What was the most remarkable moment for you (having to do with TLDP, of-course)?
A: The response to the HOWTO-HOWTO (now the LDP Author Guide) was really impressive. I get frequent emails from people who say how much it's helped them.
The sad thing (but one I've come to accept) is that writing documentation isn't the most exciting thing in the world. Having worked previously as a technical support person, there are similarities. It's one of those things that everyone needs, but is left to someone else to do.
Q: You've written for LinuxJournal, already in the very first issue, you've published quite some books about RedHat and other system administration, you just told me you are working on a CUPS HOWTO, ... You're a very prolific author. Is there one subject that you haven't written about, but that you would like to cover one day or if you would only have the time?
A: There are two reasons I write - either I know a bit about the subject and want to document it, or I know little about the subject and want to figure it out along the way. In order to write about something you do need a good understanding of what you're writing about, which is the logic I used when writing the LDP Author Guide - I had a great reference guide in the ORA DocBook book, but nothing that showed how to use the tools. So I started writing and learned the hard way.
In the case of the Remote Serial Console HOWTO (note: not to be confused with David Lawyer's Serial HOWTO), I had a bit of working knowledge of the subject already, so it was easier for me to write.
In terms of things I want to see, some of my started-but-stalled projects include a book covering the history of Linux, the CUPS HOWTO which I may just donate to another HOWTO depending on how far I get, and a Linux Tuning Guide project I started on two years ago and is very much out of date.
Q: I bet a lot of authors and authors-to-be admire you. Do you have any good advice for them, apart from the "you'll need a lot of coffee" one?
A: How do you get your start? Write and take chances. I got started writing for my college newspaper (a bi-weekly column where I was extolling the virtues of Linux in 1992!). When I heard that a Linux magazine was going to start up (Linux Journal) I sent an email and asked if they were looking for authors. They said yes, and all I asked for was a free subscription. That publicity got me noticed by my publisher and it went from there.
Coffee isn't that necessary, but it does help when you have 5 days left to submit your manuscript and you have 100 pages to go.
Q: We took a look at your web site, in the process of researching your background a bit. Why does it look like it has been made with a typewriter and then scanned in?
A: Well, strangely enough, while I do a lot of writing, some coding, and a lot of sysadmin-type work, I have no eye for web design. Hence the reason why all the pages look like they came from gopher. If anyone reading this wants to help me out, I'd appreciate it :)
Later, Mark added this remark:
Ha. Your criticism of my web site has prompted me to install bloxsom. Which doesn't look like the web circa 1993.
;-)
7. HOWTO contribute to The LDP
The Linux Documentation Project (TLDP) is working on developing free, high quality documentation for the GNU/Linux operating system. If you want to help TLDP, consider joining <[email protected]>.
Help us create this newsletter. We need volunteers who follow the community (mailing lists, newsgroups, web channels) and report events related to free software documentation. Write to us at <[email protected]>.
The LDP Weekly News is compiled and edited by Machtelt Garrels and Y Giridhar Appaji Nag with help from several other people.