Re: date formats

[David Merrill <dmerrill@lupercalia.net>]

On Fri, Dec 08, 2000 at 01:21:26AM +0800, Gregory Leblanc wrote:
> > A recommendation is outlined below; I've extended this as to what
> > I think would comprise a good/valid MINIMUM set of elements for
> > a header area for LDP documents:
> 
> 
> Couple of things I'd like to harp on are below.
> 
> > ---
> > 
> > if linuxdoc:
> > 
> >    <title>title of HOWTO, include "HOWTO" or "mini HOWTO"</title>
> 
> 
> <title>Title of HOWTO, include "HOWTO"</title>

I agree. Did we ever come to a really final decision on whether or not
mini is going away? I'm *really*, ***REALLY*** not trying to restart a
flamefest here; I don't remember. I'll abide by the majority opinion
once I know what the hell it is. :-)

> >    <revhistory>
> >      <revision>
> >        <revnumber>v2.0</revnumber>
> >        <date>DD MMM YYYY</date>
> >      </revision>
> > 
> >      <!-- Additional, *earlier* revision histories go here -->
> 
> 
> I've taken to NOT keeping a complete revision history, but instead just
> the last few <revision>s.  The complete log is stored in CVS, so I can
> see the entire history. 

This seems reasonable to me. The LAG is on about its tenth revision
already.

Maybe we should recommend that the revision hierarchy be occasionally
pruned? Leave major (X.0) revisions and remove .X revisions at some
point.

> > More tags *could* be used (<othercredit>, <titleabbrev>, <orgname>,
> > <copyright>, <authorinitials>, <revremark>, etc.) and perhaps
> > more should be used, but I see this as being a *minimum*  set of
> > tags that constitute a valid header area.
> > 
> > Please provide comments. As David says, we should get these
> > guidelines into the style section of the LAG.
> 
> 
> Perhaps we could add the rest of the tags inside of comments <!-- -->,
> so that they're available, but authors don't feel obligated to use all
> of those tags?

I see this as a question of which path we make the "default" and
therefore the easiest for authors. I think your suggestion makes
leaving those tags out the path of least resistance, and mine makes
including them the path of least resistance. IMHO, including them
should be easier than taking them out. We want them to be used. Of
course, this depends somewhat on where you draw the line. Tags that
are really rarely used could go in comments, while the rest do not.

-- 
Dr. David C. Merrill                     http://www.lupercalia.net
Linux Documentation Project                dmerrill@lupercalia.net
Collection Editor & Coordinator            http://www.linuxdoc.org

I used to be a rebel in my youth.

This cause... that cause... (chuckle) I backed 'em ALL!  But I learned.
Rebellion is simply a device used by the immature to hide from his own
problems.  So I lost interest in politics.  Now when I feel aroused by
a civil rights case or a passport hearing... I realize it's just a device.
I go to my analyst and we work it out.  You have no idea how much better
I feel these days.
		-- J. Feiffer


--  
To UNSUBSCRIBE, email to ldp-discuss-request@lists.debian.org
with a subject of "unsubscribe". Trouble? Contact listmaster@lists.debian.org