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7.9 KiB
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<h1>Linux Documentation Project Manifesto</h1> |
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Last Revision: 18 October 1999 |
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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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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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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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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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<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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