Re: Progeny Debian Manual Project - Let's Talk Content

[Bruce Byfield <bbyfield@axionet.com>]

Hi, everyone:

First, my apologies for being fairly quiet the last couple of weeks. One 
of the realities of being a contractor is that sometimes you're 
over-booked. Since, at other times, you're under-booked, you take the 
work while you can. So, as much as I would like to make this project my 
full-time work, for the last little while, financial realities dictated 
otherwise.


Second, I wanted to mention that what has been down on the project in 
the last few weeks has been formatting, largely due to the efforts of 
Osamu Aoki. I'm very glad that someone took the lead in this effort, 
especially so we can start to get away from the embarrassment of an open 
source project that's dealing in proprietary formats. Also, while this 
work is very necessary, it can drag on, so the earlier it's started, the 
better.

However, I am also concerned that some people might lose interest from 
too much talk about formatting, so I wanted to raise the issue of content.


As I see things, here are some of the areas where work needs to be done, 
and decisions need to be made:

1. The introduction - While some reference to Progeny is appropriate 
here, the section needs to be rewritten to give more information about 
Debian, and less about Progeny. In particular, an explanation of stable, 
testing and unstable would be useful here. This is a relatively small job.

2. Installation - The Debian installation guide is very thorough, and 
Osamu Aoki has suggested using the Progeny manual as a post-install 
guide. However, while this section isn't a large priority because of the 
install guide's existence, I'm in favour of the Progeny manual being 
complete in itself . For one thing, the install guide's material would 
be more useful if restructured in the form of the Progeny manual, with 
enumerated steps and (format permitting) screen shots.

3. KDE references - The manual was originally written explaining how to 
do things from the command line and from the GNOME desktop (the default 
for Progeny). However, KDE is the preferred desktop by a ratio of about 
3:1, so it deservers some mention. Either the desktop sections could be 
rewritten to refer to KDE, or KDE sections could be added.

4. Software installation - The package system is basically documented. 
However, more advanced information could be added here. Progeny 
references also need to be deleted.

5. Installation and configuration - A lot of Progeny-specific material 
needs to be replaced. Additions should include dial-up and ISDN connections.

Of course, everybody is free to select other areas to work in, but these 
are the places where content needs to be added to complete the 
transition from Progeny to Debian in the manual.

By now, I hope that everyone has had a chance to look through the manual 
and think about where they would like to make a contribution. So, when 
you know what section you would like to work on, could you post to the 
Debian doc-list or else let me know? That way, those of us working on 
the same section can coordinate our efforts and avoid duplication. In 
addition, I've had several e-mails asking where a contribution could be 
made, so it would be nice to be able to answer these queries with some 
intelligence.

Finally, for those new to all this: Besides an installed copy of Debian 
(obviously), it would be useful for you to know something about CVS and 
SGML/XML. If you are unfamiliar with these markup languages, or don't 
have time to learn them, you might want to consider teaming up with 
someone who can help you. Also, if any veterans can suggest good 
references on these subjects, please post them.

--
Bruce Byfield 604.421.7177 bbyfield@axionet.com

"Never eat at a dinner called 'Mom's,' never play cards with a guy named 'Doc,' and never get involved with a woman who's got bigger troubles than you."
- Nelson Algren, The Man with the Golden Arm




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