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<h1 class="title"><a name="AEN2"></a>TLDP Weekly News</h1>
<b>Issue Number :</b> 15, 16 and 17<br>
<b>Publication Date :</b> 20030819<br>
<hr></div>
<div class="TOC">
<dl>
<dt class="c1">Table of Contents</dt>
<dt>1. <a href="#AEN9">This Edition...</a></dt>
<dt>2. <a href="#AEN12">New documents</a></dt>
<dd>
<dl>
<dt>2.1. <a href="#AEN14">Proposed new documents</a></dt>
</dl>
</dd>
<dt>3. <a href="#AEN34">Updates</a></dt>
<dd>
<dl>
<dt>3.1. <a href="#AEN36">HOWTOs</a></dt>
</dl>
</dd>
<dt>4. <a href="#AEN89">People - Tabatha Marshall</a></dt>
<dt>5. <a href="#AEN121">Happenings in the LDP world</a></dt>
<dd>
<dl>
<dt>5.1. <a href="#AEN123">We make free documentation</a></dt>
<dt>5.2. <a href="#AEN130">Bibliographies in DocBook XML/SGML</a></dt>
<dt>5.3. <a href="#AEN134">Document Disclaimers</a></dt>
</dl>
</dd>
<dt>6. <a href="#feedback">Feedback and Contributions</a></dt>
</dl>
</div>
<div class="sect1">
<h1 class="sect1"><a name="AEN9"></a>1. This Edition...</h1>
<p>This is a combined edition for issues 15, 16 and 17. We also have an interview with the LDP review coordinator Tabatha Marshall.</p>
</div>
<div class="sect1">
<hr>
<h1 class="sect1"><a name="AEN12"></a>2. New documents</h1>
<div class="sect2">
<h2 class="sect2"><a name="AEN14"></a>2.1. Proposed new documents</h2>
<ul>
<li><span class="rss:item">Saqib Shaikh is the maintainer of a document called the <em>BLinux</em> Software Map, which is a guideline for blind people who want to use Linux. He <a href=
"http://lists.tldp.org/index.cgi?5:mss:5436:200308:pedfgheipkemgjaehgio" target="_top">proposed to submit it</a> and awaits your comments.</span></li>
<li><span class="rss:item">Tobias Reif has a draft for a <a href="http://lists.tldp.org/index.cgi?5:mss:5467:200308:jkcmdfngjbkdlmikmhpk" target="_top">Vim as XML Editor HOWTO</a>.</span></li>
<li><span class="rss:item">We also received a draft from Scot W. Stevenson, for a document which he would like to call the <a href=
"http://lists.tldp.org/index.cgi?5:mss:5471:200308:ohcibkfannekdlhembkb" target="_top">Mock Mainframe mini-HOWTO</a>, describing how to centralize small computer systems in order to save time and
money.</span></li>
<li><span class="rss:item">Mustafa El-Sheikh has a beta version of what he would like to call the <a href="http://elsheikhmh.20m.com/mount-mini-howto/" target="_top">Windows Partitions Mount
mini-HOWTO</a>, and awaits your input.</span></li>
<li><span class="rss:item">Adam <a href="http://lists.tldp.org/index.cgi?1:mss:4909:200308:eocaiogdchaleaemgcmo" target="_top">posted his intent</a> to write a Whole Disk Encryption HOWTO which will
instruct the reader how to encrypt a computer hard disk (such as in a laptop) with an external key (such as on a USB flash drive) using Linux 2.4 and the <a href=
"http://sourceforge.net/projects/loop-aes/" target="_top">loop-AES</a> program.</span></li>
</ul>
</div>
</div>
<div class="sect1">
<hr>
<h1 class="sect1"><a name="AEN34"></a>3. Updates</h1>
<div class="sect2">
<h2 class="sect2"><a name="AEN36"></a>3.1. HOWTOs</h2>
<p>We received updates for a whole bunch of documents:</p>
<ul>
<li><span class="rss:item">The <a href="http://tldp.org/HOWTO/Apache-WebDAV-LDAP-HOWTO/" target="_top">Apache based WebDAV Server with LDAP and SSL</a>, v4.0.1, by Saqib Ali.</span></li>
<li><span class="rss:item">The <a href="http://tldp.org/HOWTO/Linux-Gamers-HOWTO/" target="_top">Linux Gamers' HOWTO</a>, v0.9.34, by Peter Jay Salzman.</span></li>
<li><span class="rss:item">The <a href="http://tldp.org/HOWTO/Kernel-HOWTO/" target="_top">Linux Kernel HOWTO</a>, v6.7 was sent in by Alavoor Vasudevan.</span></li>
<li><span class="rss:item">David Lawyer is still updating the <a href="http://tldp.org/HOWTO/Modem-HOWTO.html" target="_top">Modem HOWTO</a>, in order to help all those who can't have fast access
yet; it's now at v0.29.</span></li>
<li><span class="rss:item">And H&Atilde;&yen;vard Stranden's <a href="http://tldp.org/HOWTO/XFree86-R200/" target="_top">ATI R200 + XFree86 4.x mini-HOWTO</a> is now available in v1.3.</span></li>
<li><span class="rss:item">Miroslav Skoric updated his <a href="http://tldp.org/HOWTO/FBB.html" target="_top">FBB mini-HOWTO</a>.</span></li>
<li><span class="rss:item">Eric S. Raymond sent in an update for the <a href="http://tldp.org/HOWTO/Linksys-Blue-Box-Router-HOWTO/" target="_top">Linksys Blue Box Router HOWTO</a>.</span></li>
<li><span class="rss:item">Gerardo Arnaez presented v2.2 of the <a href="http://tldp.org/HOWTO/Medicine-HOWTO/" target="_top">Linux Medicine HOWTO</a>.</span></li>
<li><span class="rss:item">The <a href="http://tldp.org/HOWTO/Printing-HOWTO/" target="_top">Printing HOWTO</a> by Grant Taylor is now at v1.8.</span></li>
<li><span class="rss:item">The <a href="http://tldp.org/HOWTO/User-Group-HOWTO.html" target="_top">Linux User Group HOWTO</a> by Rick Moen has been updated twice over the past two weeks and it is now
v1.6.6.</span></li>
<li><span class="rss:item">What with wireless access becoming ever more popular, you might be interested in reading the <a href="http://tldp.org/HOWTO/Wireless-Link-sys-WPC11/" target="_top">Link-sys
WPC11 mini-HOWTO</a>, v2.2.3, updated by Gerardo Arnaez.</span></li>
<li><span class="rss:item">We also got hold of v34 of the <a href="http://tldp.org/HOWTO/BogoMips.html" target="_top">BogoMips mini-HOWTO</a> by Wim van Dorst. From the FAQ: BogoMips is <span class=
"QUOTE">"the number of million times per second a processor can do absolutely nothing."</span></span></li>
<li><span class="rss:item">The Quota mini-HOWTO v0.5, by Ralf van Dooren can be found at <a href="http://tldp.org/HOWTO/Quota.html" target="_top">http://tldp.org/HOWTO/Quota.html</a>.</span></li>
<li><span class="rss:item">Aaron Isotton sent in v1.03 of his <a href="http://tldp.org/HOWTO/C++-dlopen/" target="_top">C++ dlopen mini HOWTO</a>.</span></li>
<li><span class="rss:item">The <a href="http://tldp.org/HOWTO/Vim-HOWTO/" target="_top">Vim Color Editor HOW-TO (Vi Improved with syntax color highlighting)</a> by Al Dev (Alavoor Vasudevan) is at
v19.2.</span></li>
<li><span class="rss:item">David S.Lawyer's <a href="http://tldp.org/HOWTO/Plug-and-Play-HOWTO.html" target="_top">Plug-and-Play-HOWTO</a> has been updated to v1.07.</span></li>
</ul>
</div>
</div>
<div class="sect1">
<hr>
<h1 class="sect1"><a name="AEN89"></a>4. People - Tabatha Marshall</h1>
<p>This is Tabatha Marshall, TLDP Review Coordinator. She describes herself as the proud mother of three sons, registered Linux user 170785, partly Canadian and Italian, but mostly Geek.</p>
<div class="figure"><a name="AEN92"></a>
<p class="c2">Figure 1. Tabatha Marshall, Review Coordinator</p>
<div class="mediaobject">
<p><img src="tabatha.png"></p>
</div>
</div>
<p>Tabatha volunteers for assigning reviewers to newly submitted documents, and when other volunteers are awed because of the size of a guide, she reviews these herself if necessary. She frequently
contributes to discussions on the mailing lists, and while she has a strong opinion of her own, she is always friendly and open to new views.</p>
<p>The Weekly News team had the occasion of asking this marvelous woman a couple of questions.</p>
<p>Q: We did our homework, and read that you started volunteering for TLDP about a year and a half ago, and that you started experimenting with Linux twice as long ago. This leaves us wondering: how
do you rise from Linux Newbie to coordinator of one of the main Open Source initiatives in such a short time?</p>
<p>A: <span class="QUOTE">"Persistence! (grin)...When I first learned about Linux, I relied on the LDP to learn how to do everything. In early 2002 I decided to jump back into fiction-writing with
both feet, and sought volunteer work that would help me hone my skills. I remembered the LDP, and by March 2002 I was reviewing, thanks to the initial help of Joy Goodreau and Dave Merrill. I stayed
active, always accepting new documents for review, and in November 2002, Joy asked if I would accept the position of Review Coordinator. I did, and I'm grateful, because I think it's made me a better
writer, and a heck of a lot of friends!"</span></p>
<p>Q: What was the most remarkable event at TLDP while you have been contributing?</p>
<p>A: <span class="QUOTE">"You mean besides being offered the position of Review Coordinator? That was MOST exciting for me! Actually, the best thing so far was seeing the pictures from the recent
Metz trip. It's wonderful to put faces to the names of the people I work with, and I wish we had pictures of everybody! "</span></p>
<p>Q: Do you think that you will still be Review Coordinator in 5 years? In 10 years?</p>
<p>A: <span class="QUOTE">"Wow, good question! Well, as I mentioned, I recently made a leap of faith with my writing, and my goal is to become America's answer to JK Rowling. I completed my first
manuscript on July 15. The novel is a middle-grade/young adult adventure which I plan on developing into a series of books, hopefully extending them to film or television. I'm in the editing stages
right now (you can imagine how much I must love that part!), and will begin writing the next book in the fall, when the kids start school."</span></p>
<p><span class="QUOTE">"In the meantime though, I do plan on continuing my work with the LDP, and I do see myself doing it for some time to come. I believe wholeheartedly that I'm a stronger writer
for it, so why stop now? :D "</span></p>
<p>Q: What do you think is the single most needed improvement for TLDP?</p>
<p>A: <span class="QUOTE">"I'll stand my ground and say it would have to be an online editor for authors. It should provide a simple way for authors to choose the version of markup they wish to use,
and help them progress through creation of their document in a logical format, based on the LDP documentation templates. Ideally, this system would parse and validate, provide suggestions for errors,
and allow for a browser preview no matter how much of the document has been created. "</span></p>
<p><span class="QUOTE">"Why? Right now there are numerous Linux distributions, various types of markup and output formats, and far too many editing programs that just don't quite cut it for the new
user. It is difficult for many people to put the tools together on their machine. This system would encourage more authors to write. Just think - if a new author can create a document online without
having to worry about all the other issues, she is able to give much more focus to the content, now isn't she? "</span></p>
<p><span class="QUOTE">"Though this idea has been brought to the table, there has been some resistance...concerns that this means yet another system to learn. But I believe if it was designed with
the author's needs first, it would be valuable to everyone. Dream big!"</span></p>
<p>And right she is... Read more at <a href="http://www.merlinmonroe.com" target="_top">http://www.merlinmonroe.com</a>, Tabatha's home site.</p>
</div>
<div class="sect1">
<hr>
<h1 class="sect1"><a name="AEN121"></a>5. Happenings in the LDP world</h1>
<div class="sect2">
<h2 class="sect2"><a name="AEN123"></a>5.1. We make free documentation</h2>
<p>A very long and at times tiresome discussion about (1) SCO servers storing the LDP documents with <span class="QUOTE">"extra"</span> clauses (2) Who can or can not use TLDP documents dominated the
past two weeks. You can read the entire thread <a href="http://lists.tldp.org/index.cgi?1:mss:4905:200308:nndilkkmnocimdnhjmkm" target="_top">here</a>. Summarized, it comes down to this: everybody
can read our docs and store them on their servers, in accordance with the license of the document. This includes also people we don't like. Guylhem Aznar <a href=
"http://lists.tldp.org/index.cgi?1:mss:4906:200308:fjghdeinimkjhbapdmej" target="_top">said that</a> license violations of the documents released under a free license by the LDP can not be tolerated.
He later posted <a href="http://lists.tldp.org/index.cgi?1:mss:4920:200308:hghecligfeoadbjiedal" target="_top">RMS response to SCO use of our documents</a>.</p>
</div>
<div class="sect2">
<hr>
<h2 class="sect2"><a name="AEN130"></a>5.2. Bibliographies in DocBook XML/SGML</h2>
<p>If like Martin A. Brown, you are searching for information on how to do Bibliographies in DocBook XML/SGML, <a href="http://lists.tldp.org/index.cgi?2:mss:508:200308:ojenlikbehfnljafjfmh" target=
"_top">here</a> is a piece of information from Tabatha.</p>
</div>
<div class="sect2">
<hr>
<h2 class="sect2"><a name="AEN134"></a>5.3. Document Disclaimers</h2>
<p>Adam <a href="http://lists.tldp.org/index.cgi?1:mss:4909:200308:eocaiogdchaleaemgcmo" target="_top">posted his intent</a> to write a Whole Disk Encryption HOWTO and <a href=
"http://lists.tldp.org/index.cgi?1:mss:4916:200308:eocaiogdchaleaemgcmo" target="_top">wanted</a> a disclaimer boilerplate. David Lawyer, however, <a href=
"http://lists.tldp.org/index.cgi?1:mss:4917:200308:claiepedajakajhoajgg" target="_top">doubted</a> if there was any case law for a document provided for <span class="QUOTE">"free"</span>.</p>
</div>
</div>
<div class="sect1">
<hr>
<h1 class="sect1"><a name="feedback"></a>6. Feedback and Contributions</h1>
<p>You can help The Linux Documentation Project by:</p>
<ul>
<li><span class="rss:item">Reviewing one of the draft versions of the <a href="http://www.tldp.org/authors/inprogress.html" target="_top">documents in progress</a>.</span></li>
<li><span class="rss:item">Picking up one of the <a href="http://www.tldp.org/authors/unmaint.html" target="_top">unmaintained documents</a>.</span></li>
<li><span class="rss:item">Providing assistance with <a href="http://www.tldp.org/authors/markup.html" target="_top">markup</a>.</span></li>
</ul>
<p>Please help us create this weekly newsletter. Seen a site putting in a story with a link to the LDP? Completed the translation of any HOWTO? Know of any articles about the LDP published in
newspapers or magazines? You can update us by sending in links and information at <tt class="email">&lt;<a href="mailto:feedback@en.tldp.org">feedback@en.tldp.org</a>&gt;</tt>.</p>
<p>LDP Weekly News is edited by Machtelt Garrels, Torsten Schlabach and Y Giridhar Appaji Nag with help from several other people.</p>
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