Re: Caution: Newbie online.

[Mark Komarinski <markk@cgipc.com>]

Gregory Leblanc wrote:
> 
> Mark Komarinski wrote:
> >
> > David Lawyer wrote:
> >
> > Once we have a working process, we will need to do a few things:
> > 1) Get the conversion process started (either by hand or automagically).
> 
> Automagically shouldn't be hard, once some people have tried it a
> couple of times.
>
> > 2) Have some way for those with older systems to verify DocBook
> > LDP documents.  Web page, volunteers with faster machines, stripped
> > down sgmltools?  Someone can think about that.
> 
> I'm thinking.  :)  Perhaps somebody who has a reasonable server can
> mash the sgml-tools v2 into some CGI/BIN stuff, for a web page that
> will report errors and such?  I don't know all that much about it.
> The other option might be to set up a relatively fast server with a
> VERY restricted shell, only allowing people to convert documents.
> They could upload them via ftp, then sglm tools them, though this
> would have a lot of administrative work.

Yes, but one better suited to someone rather fresh to the LDP, yes? :) 

> > 3) While we're converting, or even before, give everyone the chance to
> > polish their docs and release new versions.
> 
> Is there a list that goes out to all HOWTO maintainers for this
> purpose?

Until a few months ago, much of the ldp-discuss (and it's ancestors) went
in one bitstream and out the other.  Some discussions since then I'll
admit to doing that.

> > 4) Of course, find out what docs are no longer being maintained
> > and get new maintainers.
> 
> This is ongoing, happening all of the time, I'd thinkg.

Who is coordinating this?

> >
> > There's always adding newbies to the QC group, let them get their
> > feet wet reviewing docs and then let them loose with their own docs.
> > This would probably require some stricter guidelines and QC docs so
> > newbies would know what is and is not correct for LDP use.
> 
> Are you thinking about copy-editing here (spelling, grammar, etc) or
> something else?  This sort of thing would just about require a CVS or
> RCS server, so that the QC people could store works and things, it
> would be REALLY dificult to try to maintain things any other way.
> Anyway, just chiming in, to see how much I can help the LDP, since I
> use it almost every day (there's always something left that I haven't
> learned).

Well, we've been hashing around the idea for an FTP/CVS server for a while now.
Much of the resistance to it that I have seen (correct me if I'm wrong) is lack
of easy documentation.  A newbie with CVS knowledge would be nice.

Spell and grammar checking is always nice, especially if English isn't the
author's language.

If we're going to make the LDP *THE* source of Linux information, we have to
become an organization that can handle a lot of documents, loads of hits, and
lots of authors (plus some patience ;).  I'm proposing we put the effort in now
and get things ready.  If we have volunteers who want to are itching to do something,
even if they're not good writers, we can always find something for them to do.

I'm sure if I volunteered to help KDE or GNOME, I'd be given a job real quick.

-Mark


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