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7.9 KiB
HTML
201 lines
7.9 KiB
HTML
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<!DOCTYPE HTML PUBLIC "-//W3C//DTD HTML 3.2//EN">
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<HTML>
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<HEAD>
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<TITLE>Linux Documentation Project Manifesto</TITLE>
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</HEAD>
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<BODY BGCOLOR="White" LEFTMARGIN=16>
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<div align=center>
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<h1>Linux Documentation Project Manifesto</h1>
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Last Revision: 18 October 1999
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</div>
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<hr>
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<div align=center>
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<h4 class="c3">[<A href="index.html" CLASS=".">Home</A>][ <a href="docs.html#guide">Guides</a> | <a href=
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"docs.html#howto">HOWTOs</a> | <a href="docs.html#man">man
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Pages</a> | <a href="docs.html#faq">FAQs</a> | <a href=
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"docs.html#lg">Linux Gazette</a> ]</h4>
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</div>
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<hr>
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<P>
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This file describes the goals and current status of the Linux
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Documentation Project, including names of projects, volunteers, and
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so on.
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<H2>Overview</H2>
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The Linux Documentation Project is working on developing good,
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reliable docs for the Linux operating system. The overall goal of the
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LDP is to collaborate in taking care of all of the issues of Linux
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documentation, ranging from online docs (man pages, texinfo docs, and
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so on) to printed manuals covering topics such as installing, using,
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and running Linux. The LDP is essentially a loose team of volunteers
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with little central organization; anyone who is interested in helping
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is welcome to join in the effort. We feel that working together and
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agreeing on the direction and scope of Linux documentation is the
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best way to go, to reduce problems with conflicting efforts---two
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people writing two books on the same aspect of Linux wastes someone's
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time along the way.
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<P>
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The LDP is set out to produce the canonical set of Linux online
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and printed documentation. Because our docs will be freely available
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(like software licensed under the terms of the GNU GPL) and
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distributed on the net, we are able to easily update the
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documentation to stay on top of the many changes in the Linux world.
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If you are interested in publishing any of the LDP works, see the
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section <A HREF="#pub">Publishing LDP Manuals</a>.
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<H2>Getting Involved</H2>
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Send mail to: <a href="mailto:guylhem@metalab.unc.edu">Guylhem Aznar</a>.
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<P>
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Of course, you'll also need to get in touch with the coordinator
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of whatever LDP projects you're interested in working on; see the next
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section.
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<H2>Current Projects</H2>
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For a list of current projects, see
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the <A HREF="http://www.linuxdoc.org/">LDP Homepage</A>.
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The best way to get involved with one of these projects is
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to pick up the current version of the manual and send revisions, editions,
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or suggestions to the coordinator. You probably want to coordinate with
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the author before sending revisions so that you know you are working
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together.
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<H2>Documentation Conventions</H2>
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Here are the conventions that are currently used by LDP manuals.
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If you are interested in writing another manual using different conventions,
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please let us know of your plans first.
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<P>
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The <b>man pages</b> -- the Unix standard for online manuals -- are created
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with the Unix standard nroff man (or BSD mdoc) macros.
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<P>
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The <b>guides</b> -- full books produced by the LDP -- have historically
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been done in LaTeX, as their primary goal has been to be <b>printed</b>
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documentation. However, guide authors have been moving towards SGML
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with the DocBook DTD, because it allows them to create more different kinds
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of output, both printed and on-line. If you use LaTeX, we have a style
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file you can use to keep your printed look consistent with other LDP
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documents, and we suggest that you use it.
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<p>
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The <b>HOWTO</b> documents are all required to be in SGML format.
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Currently, they use the <b>linuxdoc</b> DTD, which is quite simple.
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There is a move afoot to switch to the DocBook DTD over time.
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<P>
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More information on the DocBook DTD can be found in this online
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text: <a href="http://docbook.org/tdg/">"DocBook: The Definitive Guide"</a>.
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<P>
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LDP documents must be freely redistributable without fees paid to the
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authors. It is not required that the text be modifiable, but it is
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encouraged. You can come up with your own license terms that satisfy
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this constraint, or you can use a previously prepared license. The
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LDP provides a boilerplate license that you can use, some people like
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to use the GPL, and others write their own.
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<P>
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The copyright for each manual should be in the name(s) of the
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contributing author(s) for the project. ``The Linux Documentation
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Project'' isn't a formal entity and shouldn't be used to copyright the docs.
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<P><A NAME="sampcr"></A></P>
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<H2>Copyright and License</H2>
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Here is a ``boilerplate'' license you may apply to your work. It has
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not been reviewed by a lawyer; feel free to have your own lawyer
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review it (or your modification of it) for its applicability to your
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own desires. Remember that in order for your document to be part of
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the LDP, you must allow unlimited reproduction and distribution
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without fee.
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<P>
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<DL><DT></DT>
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<DD>
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This manual may be reproduced and distributed
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in whole or in part, without fee, subject to the following conditions:
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<BR><BR>
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<UL TYPE="disc">
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<LI> The copyright notice above and this permission notice must be
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preserved complete on all complete or partial copies.
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<LI> Any translation or derived work must be approved by the
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author in writing before distribution.
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<LI> If you distribute this work in
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part, instructions for obtaining the complete version of this
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manual must be included, and a means for obtaining a complete
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version provided.
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<LI> Small portions may be reproduced as illustrations for reviews or
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quotes in other works without this permission notice if proper
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citation is given.
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</UL>
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<P>
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Exceptions to these rules may be granted for academic purposes: Write
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to the author and ask. These restrictions are here to protect us as
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authors, not to restrict you as learners and educators.
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<P>
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All source code in this document is placed under the GNU General
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Public License, available via anonymous FTP
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from <a href="ftp://prep.ai.mit.edu:/pub/gnu/COPYING">the GNU archive
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site</a>.
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</DD></DL>
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</P>
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<P><A NAME="pub"></A></P>
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<H2>Publishing LDP Manuals</H2>
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If you're a publishing company interested in distributing any
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of the LDP manuals, read on.
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<P>
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By the license requirements given previously, anyone is allowed
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to publish and distribute verbatim copies of the Linux Documentation Project
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manuals. You don't need our explicit permission for this. However, if you
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would like to distribute a translation or derivative work based on any of
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the LDP manuals, you may need to obtain permission from the author, in writing,
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before doing so (if the license applied to the work requires that).
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<P>
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You may, of course, sell the LDP manuals for profit. We encourage
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you to do so. Keep in mind, however, that because the LDP manuals are
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freely distributable, anyone may photocopy or distribute printed copies
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free of charge, if they wish to do so.
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<P>
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We do not require to be paid royalties for any profit earned from
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selling LDP manuals. However, we would like to suggest that if you do
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sell LDP manuals for profit, that you either offer the author
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royalties, or donate a portion of your earnings to the author, the
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LDP as a whole, or to the Linux development community. You may also
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wish to send one or more free copies of the LDP manual(s) that you
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are distributing to the author(s). Your show of support for the LDP
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and the Linux community will be very much appreciated.
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<P>
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We would like to be informed of any plans to publish or distribute
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LDP manuals, just so we know how they're becoming available. If you are
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publishing or planning to publish any LDP manuals, please send mail
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to <a href="mailto:guylhem@metalab.unc.edu">Guylhem Aznar</a>.
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<P>
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We encourage Linux software distributors to distribute the LDP
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manuals (such as the Installation and Getting Started Guide) with
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their software. The LDP manuals are intended to be used as the
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"official" Linux documentation, and we'd like to see mail-order
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distributors bundling the LDP manuals with the software. As the LDP
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manuals mature, hopefully they will fulfill this goal more
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adequately.
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<p><hr>
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</BODY>
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</HTML>
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