LDP Weekly News

The Linux Documentation Project Weekly News

Issue Number : 33 and 34
Publication Date : 2003-12-17
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Table of Contents
1. New documents @ TLDP
2. New document proposals
3. Updated HOWTOs, FAQs and Guides
4. News in The LDP world
    4.1. Linux Gazette and the LDP
    4.2. HTML/PDF generation from CVS source
    4.3. WHATIS wiki available
    4.4. The LDP HOWTO Generator
   
   
5. Discussions on TLDP lists
    5.1. Sponsorship for The LDP
    5.2. Right to new maintainer
    5.3. DocBook created html may break links but LinuxDoc OK
    5.4. Copyright Infringement of Linux Dictionary
   
   
6. HOWTO contribute to TLDP

1. New documents @ TLDP

Lars Strand is the author of the Mobile IPv6 HOWTO. He describes how to
configure mobile computers, such as laptops and PDAs, for actual mobile use
with IPv6. You need a fully functional IPv6 network; how to set up one is
discussed in the [http://ldp.linux.no/HOWTO/Linux+IPv6-HOWTO/] IPv6 HOWTO.
You'll need to patch kernels. We know the Kernel HOWTO is in review, but! 1.
Lars gives a step-by-step explanation and 2. you may find the same
information in the [http://www.tldp.org/HOWTO/ACPI-HOWTO/] ACPI HOWTO. Our
reviewers are working on the Kernel HOWTO as fast as they can, there's
already [http://lists.tldp.org/index.cgi?1:mss:5812:200312:
becpbdgagpneamchdggc] a draft for the new Kernel HOWTO.
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2. New document proposals

  * Peter Tonev wants to write a document on Linux and ergonomics.
   
  * Feiyun Wang proposes a study guide annex source commentary for the Linux
    i386 boot code, and [http://lists.tldp.org/index.cgi?5:mss:6608:200312:
    eepbbjalleodniadebmk] already has it in XML.
   
  * Adrian Offerman wrote an [http://www.offerman.net/
    MMBase-Installation-HOWTO/] MMBase Installation HOWTO, describing the
    installation of the MMBase content management system on RedHat Linux,
    using the Tomcat application server, integrated with Apache and MySQL.
   
  * Ralf Holzer notes down his experiences with encrypted file systems and
    the 2.6 kernel in this [http://www.ece.cmu.edu/~rholzer/
    cryptoloop_mini_howto.html] Cryptoloop Mini-HOWTO.
   

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3. Updated HOWTOs, FAQs and Guides

  * The Skoric triplet, we'll call them:
   
      + The [http://tldp.org/HOWTO/FBB.html] FBB Packet-radio BBS mini-HOWTO,
        v1.28, covers the installation, configuration and use of the popular
        packet-radio BBS server software FBB.
       
      + While GRUB is a wonderful thing ("uses a Bash-like interface"), LILO
        is the most popular Linux boot loader. The [http://tldp.org/HOWTO/
        LILO.html] LILO mini-HOWTO is a supplement to the [http://
        www-user.tu-chemnitz.de/~mibe/linux/lilo/user/] LILO User Guide, for
        those who want a quick start or a short overview.
       
      + Details for starting Windows NT from LILO can be found in the [http:/
        /tldp.org/HOWTO/Linux+WinNT.html] Linux+WindowsNT mini-HOWTO.
       
   
  * Alex Weeks is updating the Linux System Administrator's Guide or SAG.
    Here are the [http://www.tldp.org/LDP/sag/html/] first results, including
    a new part about NTP, the Network Time Protocol.
   
  * Christopher Devine's [http://tldp.org/HOWTO/
    Encrypted-Root-Filesystem-HOWTO/] Encrypted Root Filesystem HOWTO v1.1
    contains information to support GRUB (the GRand Unified Bootloader).
   
  * The [http://tldp.org/HOWTO/DB2-HOWTO/] DB2 Version 7.1 HOWTO contains
    detailed guidelines for setting up the DB2 Universal Database Version 7.1
    on your Linux machine. Version 1.2.7 of the HOWTO tries to fill the gap
    towards version 8 of DB2, pointing you to some helpful sites while
    waiting for a HOWTO that will cover the newer version.
   
  * The latest developments in logical volume management are covered in AJ
    Lewis's [http://tldp.org/HOWTO/LVM-HOWTO/] LVM HOWTO, v0.6.
   
  * Thomas Marteau published 1.1 of the [http://tldp.org/HOWTO/
    PA-RISC-Linux-Boot-HOWTO/] PA-RISC/Linux Boot HOWTO, in which he
    explains, among other things, how to use PALO, the bootloader for this
    type of hardware. Thomas added a new chapter covering the setup of your
    Microsoft Windows 2000 server for net-booting your PA/RISC machine.
   
  * Daniel Quintiliani added information for Forte Free Agent, Xnews and
    Dialog in v2.1 of the [http://tldp.org/HOWTO/
    Windows-Newsreaders-under-Linux-HOWTO/] Windows Newsreaders under Linux
    HOWTO.
   

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4. News in The LDP world

4.1. Linux Gazette and the LDP

Guylhem Aznar [http://lists.tldp.org/index.cgi?1:mss:6191:200312:
ekhigcbgkmfeialfacih] wrote to the editors of Linux Gazette asking if it
would be possible for LG.net to submit documents to TLDP in a format that the
TLDP could use to redistribute on its website under a free license. He
indicated that a clear source format with semantic tags (such as docbook or
linuxdoc) is preferable and that mirroring the documents would be a better
opportunity to support LG.net than simply mirroring the website.
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4.2. HTML/PDF generation from CVS source

Saqib Ali created a [http://www.xml-dev.com/blog/index.php#88] website that
can convert the XML Documents stored in the CVS to HTML/PDF on-the-fly. The
idea is to to let the HOWTO authors to view the HTML/PDF output of their XML
source once they commit the source to the CVS. Using the converter is as
simple as going to something like [http://www.xml-dev.com:8080/tldp/http://
cvsview.tldp.org/index.cgi/*checkout*/LDP/howto/docbook/
DocBook-OpenJade-SGML-XML-HOWTO.xml] http://www.xml-dev.com:8080/tldp/http://
cvsview.tldp.org/index.cgi/*checkout*/LDP/howto/docbook/
DocBook-OpenJade-SGML-XML-HOWTO.xml.
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4.3. WHATIS wiki available

Even thought David Lawyer's concerns regarding the volume of work associated
with a WHATIS series were valid, John R. Daily was reluctant to forestall a
possibly valuable change for years without at least conducting an experiment.
He set up a WHATIS wiki at [http://geekhavoc.com/whatis/] http://
geekhavoc.com/whatis/. Feel free to contribute. The WHATIS wiki would be a
valuable resource for reference of certain often used terms within the LDP
HOWTOs.
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4.4. The LDP HOWTO Generator

Stein Gjoen [http://lists.tldp.org/index.cgi?1:mss:6016:200312:
jbdbakjaacfndkmflfhi] announced that the LDP HOWTO Generator was ready for
use. The current version is 0.40 at [http://www.nyx.net/~sgjoen/
The_LDP_HOWTO_Generator.html] http://www.nyx.net/~sgjoen/
The_LDP_HOWTO_Generator.html. A link to this resource has been added to the
revised LDP author guide.
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5. Discussions on TLDP lists

5.1. Sponsorship for The LDP

Rahul Sundaram initiated a [http://lists.tldp.org/index.cgi?1:mss:5875:
200312:ihpahginmljdgbhooeje] thread for discussing getting sponsorship for
the LDP and a reward program like that of Gnome and Mozilla. During the
thread, Saqib Ali said that a HOWTO about the product of a company could be
reviewed by them and the LDP could place an ad acknowledging the same. David
Lawyer however, was in [http://lists.tldp.org/index.cgi?1:mss:5966:200312:
claiepedajakajhoajgg] disagreement with him.
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5.2. Right to new maintainer

During the discussion on The LDP document licenses, Guylhem Aznar [http://
lists.tldp.org/index.cgi?1:mss:6192:200312:nfnlmplgcedgajjaphdf] suggested
that we should require authors to automatically grant the right to TLDP to
appoint a new maintainer for their documents when they can no longer be
reached for some time.
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5.3. DocBook created html may break links but LinuxDoc OK

In his continued advocacy for LinuxDoc because of its ease of use, David
Lawyer [http://lists.tldp.org/index.cgi?1:mss:6164:200312:
claiepedajakajhoajgg] discovered that the conversion of LinuxDoc to HTML and
of DocBook to HTML result in a different naming scheme for chunks. For
DocBook, the chunk names are the same as the label name. For LinuxDoc, the
chunk names are the same as the title of the doc with a numeric prefix.
However, Mark Komarinski [http://lists.tldp.org/index.cgi?1:mss:6171:200312:
nhcmlpmaiihhjanmmgma] said that, reformatting the document will lead to
incorrect links even though the links themselves exist and that the solution
(for both formats) is to make sure your section names make sense and there
will be little reason to rename them.
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5.4. Copyright Infringement of Linux Dictionary

Binh Nguyen [http://lists.tldp.org/index.cgi?1:mss:6091:200312:
kdlafegngoikhcpbhlid] complained that a certain PearL Linux Limited created a
[http://www.swpearl.com/eng/scripts/dictionary/] database based entirely on
the definitions from the Linux Dictionary and did not acknowledge the
original source.
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6. HOWTO contribute to TLDP

The Linux Documentation Project (TLDP) is working on developing free, high
quality documentation for the GNU/Linux operating system. If you want to help
TLDP, consider joining <discuss-subscribe@en.tldp.org>.

Help us create this newsletter. We need volunteers who follow the community
(mailing lists, newsgroups, web channels) and report events related to free
software documentation. Write to us at <feedback@en.tldp.org>.

LDP Weekly News is compiled and edited by Machtelt Garrels and Y Giridhar
Appaji Nag with help from several other people.