163 lines
7.5 KiB
HTML
Executable File
163 lines
7.5 KiB
HTML
Executable File
<!DOCTYPE HTML PUBLIC "-//W3C//DTD HTML 3.2//EN">
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<TITLE>Linux Documentation Project Manifesto</TITLE>
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This is the Linux Documentation Project ``Manifesto''<BR>
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Last Revision 21 September 1998, by Michael K. Johnson
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<P>
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This file describes the goals and current status of the Linux Documentation
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Project, including names of projects, volunteers, FTP sites, and 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 LDP is
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to collaborate in taking care of all of the issues of Linux documentation,
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ranging from online docs (man pages, texinfo docs, and so on) to printed
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manuals covering topics such as installing, using, and running Linux. The LDP
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is essentially a loose team of volunteers with little central organization;
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anyone who is interested in helping is welcome to join in the effort. We feel
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that working together and agreeing on the direction and scope of Linux
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documentation is the best way to go, to reduce problems with conflicting
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efforts---two people writing two books on the same aspect of Linux
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wastes someone's 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 and
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printed documentation. Because our docs will be freely available (like
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software licensed under the terms of the GNU GPL) and distributed on
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the net, we are able to easily update
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the 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 section
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``Publishing LDP Manuals'', below.
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<H2>Getting Involved</H2>
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Send mail to:
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<A HREF="mailto:linux-howto@metalab.unc.edu">linux-howto@metalab.unc.edu</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 the
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<A HREF="http://sunsite.unc.edu/LDP/ldp.html">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>FTP sites for LDP works</H2>
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LDP works can be found on sunsite.unc.edu in the directory
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/pub/Linux/docs. LDP manuals are found in /pub/Linux/docs/LDP, HOWTOs and
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other documentation found in /pub/Linux/docs/HOWTO.
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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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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 of the
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head writer or coordinator 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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<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 review
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it (or your modification of it) for its applicability to your own
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desires. Remember that in order for your document to be part of the
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LDP, you must allow unlimited reproduction and distribution without
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fee.
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<P>
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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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<UL>
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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
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is placed under the GNU General Public License, available via anonymous
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FTP from prep.ai.mit.edu:/pub/gnu/COPYING.
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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 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 royalties,
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or donate a portion of your earnings to the author, the LDP as a whole,
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or to the Linux development community. You may also wish to send one or
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more free copies of the LDP manuals that you are distributing to the authors.
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Your show of support for the LDP and the Linux community will be very much
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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 to
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ldp-l@linux.org.au. It's nice to know who's doing what.
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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 their
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software. The LDP manuals are intended to be used as the "official" Linux
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documentation, and we are glad to see mail-order distributors bundling
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the LDP manuals with the software. As the LDP manuals mature, hopefully
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they will fulfill this goal more and more adequately.
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