This is a list of conventions that I follow when writing the HOWTO. Use Docbook XML V4.1.2 Single space after a period. xrefs have linkend and endterm attributes. bilioentries have their title's id attribute filled in so that xrefs can refer to the title with the endterm attribute. All sect1 elements have the id attribute filled in with the filename of the HTML version of the HOWTO. Whenever suggesting that the reader try a command, tag it with command, parameter tags, as appropriate. All commands or series of commands get their own paragraph. Tag the applications with the application tags. When talking about my personal experience, use a sidebar element. Tag directories and files with the filename element. Tag keystrokes appropriately. (keycap, keycombo, keysym, shortcut, accel) Precede commands with a prompt that mimicks the real prompt. Use a "$" as the user's shell prompt and "#" as the root shell prompt. Also name the application that generates the prompt. Tag them with <prompt>. Biblios will have a URL to the document. Put it inside of releaseinfo. Standard licensing text will be put into an sect1. Use these terms: Gbyte, Mbyte, Kbyte, byte. Use this spelling : dependant, not dependent make a note to merge/remove the .rpmsave files. GNU wants the sections catorgorized as 'invarient', backmatter, frontmatter, etc Bibilo. entries should have : title, author, copyright date, publish date, version, ulink. There are some fixes that the SGML needs after it's processed. Corrections to the processing bugs. Make sure that punctionation and words which follow a tag don't get extra spaces added by tidy, where they don't belong. This is true of tags before periods and all the other punctuation tidy screws up the text in the <screen> from the kernel's Changes file. tidy screws up the text in the <literallayout> from the package order lists. tidy incorrectly converts the numerical entity references back to symbolic ones (&#62 to &gt and &#60 to &lt). &GFDLDOC; gets reformatted as &amp;GFDLDOC; by tidy. Remove all of the extra white space at the "FIXME" notes.