<author>
<firstname>Benjamin</firstname>
<othername>Mako</othername>
- <surnamen>Hill</surname>
+ <surname>Hill</surname>
<affiliation>
<address>
<email>mako@debian.org</email>
<revhistory>
<revision>
<revnumber>v0.01</revnumber>
- <date>1 January 2001</date>
+ <date>25 March 2001</date>
<authorinitials>bch</authorinitials>
<revremark>
Initial Release
<title>Copyright Information</title>
<para>
- This document is copyrighted (c) 2000 Stein Gjoen and is
+ This document is copyrighted (c) 2000 Benjamin (Mako) Hill and is
distributed under the terms of the Linux Documentation Project
- (LDP) license, stated below. <emphasis>Replace with your name,
- or supply a new license, when you use this skeleton for a new
- HOWTO.</emphasis>
+ (LDP) license, stated below.
</para>
<para>
</para>
<para>
- The latest version number of this document should always be listed
- at my webpage at<ulink url="http://people.debian.org/~mako/">
- http://people.debian.org/~mako/</unlink> Debian.
+ The latest version number of this document should always be listed
+ on <ulink url="http://people.debian.org/~mako/">my webpage at
+ Debian</ulink>.
</para>
<para>
</listitem>
</itemizedlist>
</para>
+ </sect2>
<!-- Section2: credits -->
development process that it heralds and I think its ultimate
success will be rooted in this fact. Please send your additions,
comments and criticisms to the following email address :
- <email>mako (at) debian (dot) org</email>.
+ <email>mako@debian. org</email>.
</para>
</sect2>
available. If you would like to help with or do a translation, you
will gain my utmost respect and admiration and you'll get to be
part of a cool process. If you are at all interested, please don't
- hesitate to contact me at: <email>mako (at) debian (dot)
- org</email>.
+ hesitate to contact me at: <email>mako@debian.org</email>.
</para>
</sect2>
</sect1>
<indexterm>
<primary>fswd!starting</primary>
</indexterm>
+ <para>
+ With very little argument, starting a project is most difficult
+ part of successful free software development. Laying a firm
+ foundation for your project will determine whether your project
+ flourishes or withers away and dies. It is also the subject that is
+ of most immediate interest to anyone reading this document as a
+ tutorial.
+ </para>
+
+ <para>
+ Starting a project also involves a dilemna that you as a developer
+ must try and deal with. No potential user for your program will be
+ interested by a program that doesn't work. Simultaneously, the
+ development process that you want to employ holds involvement of
+ users as essential to the process of the development that will
+ realize this working software.
+ </para>
+
+ <para>
+ It is in these dangerous initial moments that anyone working to
+ start a free software project must strike a balance. One of the
+ most important ways that omeone trying to start a project can work
+ towards this balance is by establishing a framework for the
+ development process through some of the ways mentioned in this
+ section.
+ </para>
<!-- Section2: chooseproject-->
<sect2 id="chooseproject">
<title>Choosing a Project</title>
- </sect2>
-<!-- Section2: chooselicense-->
+ <para>
+ If you are reading this document, there's a good chance you
+ already have an idea for a project in mind. Chances are pretty
+ good, it fills a gap by doing something that no other free
+ software process does or or does it in a way that is unique
+ enought to necessitate a seperate project.
+ </para>
- <sect2 id="chooselicense">
- <title>Deciding on a License</title>
- </sect2>
+ <sect3 id=identifyidea>
+ <title>Indentify and articulate your idea</title>
+ <para>
+ Eric S. Raymond writes about how free software projects start in
+ his paper, "The Cathedral and the Bazaar" which comes as required
+ reading for any free softare development. You can find it <ulink
+ url="http://www.tuxedo.org/!esr/writings/cathedral-bazaar/">online
+ </ulink>.
+ </para>
-<!-- Section2: chooseversioning-->
+ <para>
+ In "The Cathedral and Bazaar," Raymond tells us that:
+ <emphasis>Every good work of software starts by scratching a
+ developers itch.</emphasis> Raymond now widely accepted
+ hypothesis is that new free software programs are written, first
+ and foremost, to solve a specific problem facing the developer.
+ </para>
- <sect2 id="chooseversioning">
- <title>Choosing a Method of Version Numbering</title>
- </sect2>
+ <para>
+ If you have an idea for a program in mind, chances are good that
+ it it is targetting a specific problem or itch you want to see
+ scratched. <emphasis>This idea is the project. Articulate it
+ clearly. Write it out. Describe the problem you will attack in
+ detail. The success of your project in tackling a particular
+ problem will be tied to your ability to identify that problem
+ early on. Find out exactly what it is that you want your project
+ to do.</emphasis>
+ </para>
+ </sect3>
-<!-- Section2: documentation-->
+ <sect3 id=evalulateidea>
+ <title>Evaluate your idea</title>
- <sect2 id="documentation">
- <title>Documentation</title>
- </sect2>
+ <para>
+ In evaluating your idea, you need to ask yourself questions.
+ Before you move any further into this HOWTO, you need to
+ determine if the free software development model really is the
+ right one for your project. Obviously, since the program
+ scratches your itch, you are definately interested in seeing it
+ implemented in code. But, because one hacker coding alone fails
+ to qualify as a free software development effort, you need to ask
+ yourself the question: <emphasis>Is anybody else
+ interested?</emphasis>
+ </para>
-<!-- Section2: presentation -->
+ <para>
+ Sometimes the answer is <emphasis>no</emphasis>. If you want to
+ write a set of scripts to sort <emphasis>your</emphasis> MP3
+ collection on your machine, maybe the free software development
+ model is not the best one to choose. However, if you want to
+ write a set of scripts to sort <emphasis>anyone's</emphasis>
+ MP3s, a free software project might fill a useful gap.
+ </para>
- <sect2 id="presentation">
- <title>Other Presentation Issues</title>
- </sect2>
+ <para>
+ Luckily, The Internet is a place so big and diverse that, chances
+ are, there is someone, somewhere, who shares your interests and
+ how feels the same itch. It is the fact that there are so many
+ people with so many similar needs and desires that introduces the
+ second major question: <emphasis>Has somebody already had your
+ idea or a reasonably similar one?</emphasis>
+ </para>
+
+ <sect4 id=evalwhere>
+ <title>Finding Similar Projects</title>
+
+ <para>
+ There are places you can go on the web to try and answer this
+ question. If you have experience with the free software
+ community, you are probably already familiar with all of these
+ sites. All of the resources listed bellow offer searching of
+ their databases:
+ </para>
+
+ <para>
+ <variablelist>
+ <varlistentry>
+ <term>freshmeat.net:</term>
+ <listitem>
+ <para><ulink url="http://freshmeat.net">freshmeat</ulink>
+ describes itself as, <quote>the Web's largest index of Linux
+ and Open Source software</quote> and its reputation along
+ these lines remains unquestioned. If you can't find it on
+ freshmeat, its doubtful that you'll find it indexed anywhere
+ else.</para>
+ </listitem>
+ </varlistentry>
+
+ <varlistentry>
+ <term>Slashdot:</term>
+ <listitem>
+ <para><ulink url="http://slashdot.org">Slashdot</ulink>
+ provides <quote>News for Nerds: Stuff that Matters,</quote>
+ which usually includes discussion of free software, open
+ source, technology, and geek culture new and events. It is
+ not unusual for an particularly sexy develpment effort to be
+ announced here so it definately worth checking.</para>
+ </listitem>
+ </varlistentry>
+
+ <varlistentry>
+ <term>SourceForge:</term>
+ <listitem>
+ <para><ulink url="http://sourceforge.net">SourceForge</ulink>
+ houses and facilitates a growning number of open source and
+ free software projects, SourceForge is quickly becoming a
+ nexus and an necessary stop for free software
+ developers. SourceForge's <ulink
+ url="http://sourceforge.net/softwaremap/trove_list.php">software
+ map</ulink> and <ulink url="http://sourceforge.net/new/"> new
+ releases</ulink> pages. should be necessary stops before
+ embarking on a new free software project. SourceForge also
+ provides a at <ulink
+ url="http://sourceforge.net/snippet/">Code Snippet
+ Library</ulink> which contains useful reusuable chunks of
+ code in an array of langauges which can come in useful in any
+ project.</para>
+ </listitem>
+ </varlistentry>
+
+ <varlistentry>
+ <term>Google and Google's Linux Search:</term>
+ <listitem>
+ <para><ulink url="http://www.google.com">Google</ulink> and
+ <ulink url="http://www.google.com/linux"> Google's Linux
+ Search</ulink>, provide powwerful web searches that may
+ reveal people working on similar projects. It is not a
+ catalog of software or news like freshmeat or Slashdot, but
+ it is worth checking before you begin pouring your effort
+ into a redundant project.</para>
+ </listitem>
+ </varlistentry>
+
+ </variablelist>
+ </para>
+ </sect4>
+
+ <sect4 id=evalhow>
+ <title>Deciding to Proceed</title>
+ <para>
+ Once you have successfull charted the terrain and have an idea
+ bout what kinds of similar free software projects exist, every
+ developer needs to decide whether to proceed with their own
+ project. It is rare that a new project seeks to accomplish a
+ goal that is not similar to related to the goal of another
+ project. Anyone starting a new project needs to ask themselves:
+ <emphasis>Will the new project be duplicating work done by
+ another project? Will the new project be competing for
+ developers with an existing project? Can the goals of the new
+ project be accomplished by adding functionality to an existing
+ project?</emphasis>
+ </para>
-<!-- Section2: futuredev -->
+ <para>
+ If the answer to any of these questions is yes, try to contact
+ the developer of the existing project in question and see if he
+ or she might be willing to collaborate with you.
+ </para>
+
+ <para>
+ This may be the single most difficult aspect of free software
+ development for many developers but it is essential. It is easy
+ to become fired up by and idea and be caught up in the momentum
+ and excitement of a new project. It is often extremely difficult
+ but it is important that any free software developer rememeber
+ that the best interests of the of the free software community
+ and the quickest way to accomplish ones own project's goals and
+ the goals of similar project can often be accomplished by
+ <emphasis>not</emphasis> starting a new project.
+ </para>
- <sect2 id="futuredev">
- <title>Nuturing Future Development</title>
+ </sect4>
+ </sect3>
</sect2>
- </sect1>
+<!-- Section2: licensing-->
-<!-- Section1: starting: END -->
+ <sect2 id="licensing">
+ <title>Licensing your Software</title>
+
+ <para>
+ On one level, the difference between a piece of free software and
+ a piece of propriety software is the license. A license helps both
+ you as the developer by protecting your legal rights to your
+ software and helps demonstrate to those who wish to help you or
+ your project that they are encouraged to join.
+ </para>
+
+ <sect3 id="chooselicense">
+ <title>Choosing a license</title>
-<!-- Section1: developers -->
+ <para>
+ Any discussion of licenses is also sure to generate at least a
+ small flamewar as there are strong feelings that some free
+ software licenses are better than other free software
+ licenses. This discussion also brings up the question of
+ <quote>Open Source Software</quote> and the debate around
+ <quote>Open Source Software</quote> and <quote>Free
+ Software</quote>. However, because I've written the Free Software
+ Development HOWTO and not the Open Source Development HOWTO, my
+ own allegiences in this argument are out in the open.
+ </para>
- <sect1 id="developers">
- <title>Maintaining a Project: Interacting with Developers</title>
+ <para>
+ In attempting to reach a middle ground, I recommend picking any
+ license that conforms to the <ulink
+ url="http://www.debian.org/social_contract">Debian Free Software
+ Guidlines</ulink>. Examples of these licenses are the
+ <acronym>GPL</acronym>, the <acronym>BSD</acronym>, and the
+ Artistic License. Conforming to the definition of Free Software
+ offered by Richard Stallman in <ulink
+ url="http://www.gnu.org/philosophy/free-sw.html">The Free
+ Software Definition</ulink>, any of these licenses will
+ uphold,<quote> users' freedom to run, copy, distribute, study,
+ change and improve the software.</quote> There are other licenses
+ as well but sticking with a more common license will offer the
+ advantage of immediate recognition and undestanding.
+ </para>
- <indexterm>
- <primary>fswd!developers</primary>
- </indexterm>
+ <para>
+ In attempting a more in-depth analysis, I agree with Karl Fogel's
+ description of licenses as falling into two groups: those that
+ are the <acronym>GPL</acronym> and those that are not the
+ <acronym>GPL</acronym>.
+ </para>
-<!-- Section2: delegation -->
+ <para>
+ Personally, I license all my software under the
+ <acronym>GPL</acronym>. Created and protected by the Free
+ Software Foundation and the GNU Project, the
+ <acronym>GPL</acronym> is the license for the Linux kernel,
+ GNOME, Emacs, and the majority of Linux software. Its an easy
+ choice but I believe it is a good one. <emphasis>However, there
+ is a viral aspect to the <acronym>GPL</acronym>that prevents the
+ mixture of <acronym>GPL</acronym>'ed code with
+ non-<acronym>GPL</acronym>'ed code. To many people (myself
+ included), this is a benefit, but to some, it is a major
+ drawback.</emphasis>
+ </para>
- <sect2 id="delegation">
- <title>Delegating Work</title>
- </sect2>
+ <para>
+ The three major license can be found at the following locations:
+ </para>
-<!-- Section2: branches -->
+ <para>
+ <itemizedlist>
+ <listitem>
+ <para><ulink url="http://www.gnu.org/copyleft/gpl.html">The GNU
+ General Public License</ulink></para>
+ </listitem>
+ <listitem>
+ <para><ulink url="http://www.debian.org/misc/bsd.license">The
+ BSD License</ulink></para>
+ </listitem>
+ <listitem>
+ <para><ulink
+ url="http://language.perl.com/misc/Artistic.html">The Artistic
+ License</ulink></para>
+ </listitem>
+ </itemizedlist>
+ </para>
- <sect2 id="branches">
- <title>Stable and Development Branches</title>
- </sect2>
+ <para>
+ <emphasis>In all cases, please read through any license before
+ your release your software. As the developer, you can't afford
+ any license surprises.</emphasis>
+ </para>
+ </sect3>
-<!-- Section2: freezing -->
+ <sect3 id="licensechoose">
+ <title>The mechanics of licensing</title>
- <sect2 id="freezing">
- <title>Freezing</title>
- </sect2>
+ <para>
+ The text of the <acronym>GPL</acronym> offers <ulink
+ url="http://www.gnu.org/copyleft/gpl.html#SEC4">a good
+ description</ulink> of mechanics of applying a license to a piece
+ of software. A checklist for applying a license would include:
+ </para>
-<!-- Section2: codecram -->
+ <para>
+ <orderedlist>
+ <listitem>
- <sect2 id="codecram">
- <title>Avoiding the Code Cram Effect</title>
- </sect2>
+ <para>If at all possible, attach and distribute a full copy of
+ the license with the source and binary in a seperate
+ file.</para>
-<!-- Section2: patching -->
+ </listitem>
+ <listitem>
- <sect2 id="patching">
- <title>Accepting and Rejecting Patches</title>
- </sect2>
- </sect1>
+ <para>At the top of each source file in your program, attach a
+ notice of copyright and information on where the full license
+ can be found. The <acronym>GPL</acronym> recommends that each
+ file begin with:</para>
-<!-- Section1: users -->
+ <screen>
+<emphasis>one line to give the program's name and an idea of what it does.</emphasis>
+Copyright (C) yyyy name of author
- <sect1 id="users">
- <title>Maintaining a Project: Interacting with Users</title>
+This program is free software; you can redistribute it and/or
+modify it under the terms of the GNU General Public License
+as published by the Free Software Foundation; either version 2
+of the License, or (at your option) any later version.
- <indexterm>
- <primary>fswd!users</primary>
- </indexterm>
+This program is distributed in the hope that it will be useful,
+but WITHOUT ANY WARRANTY; without even the implied warranty of
+MERCHANTABILITY or FITNESS FOR A PARTICULAR PURPOSE. See the
+GNU General Public License for more details.
+You should have received a copy of the GNU General Public License
+along with this program; if not, write to the Free Software
+Foundation, Inc., 59 Temple Place - Suite 330, Boston, MA 02111-1307, USA.
+ </screen>
-<!-- Section2: announcing -->
+ <para>
+ The <acronym>GPL</acronym> goes on to recommend attaching
+ information on contacting you (the author) via email or
+ physical mail.
+ </para>
- <sect2 id="announcing">
- <title>Announcing Your Project</title>
- </sect2>
+ </listitem>
+ <listitem>
-<!-- Section2: testing -->
+ <para>
+ The <acronym>GPL</acronym> continues and suggests that if your
+ program runs in an interactive mode, you should have the
+ program output a notice each time it enters interactive mode
+ that includes a message like this one that points to more
+ information about the programs licensing:
+ </para>
- <sect2 id="testing">
- <title>Testing and Testers</title>
- </sect2>
-</sect1>
+ <screen>
+Gnomovision version 69, Copyright (C) year name of author
+Gnomovision comes with ABSOLUTELY NO WARRANTY; for details
+type `show w'. This is free software, and you are welcome
+to redistribute it under certain conditions; type `show c'
+for details.
+ </screen>
-<!-- Section1: samples -->
+ </listitem>
+ <listitem>
+ <para>Finally, it might be helpful to include a
+ <quote>copyright disclaimer</quote> with the program from an
+ employer or a school if you work as a programmer or if it seems
+ like your employer or school might be able to make an argument
+ for ownership of your code.</para>
+ </listitem>
- <sect1 id="samples">
- <title>Samples</title>
+ </orderedlist>
+ </para>
+ </sect3>
- <para>
- <emphasis>This section gives some simple SGML examples you could
- use. Read the SGML source to see how it was done.</emphasis>
- </para>
+ <sect3 id="licensewarning">
+ <title>Final license warning</title>
- <para>
- Further information and examples can be obtained from the publication
- <ulink url="http://docbook.org/tdg/html/">DocBook: The Definitive
- Guide</ulink>. Written by <emphasis>Norman Walsh</emphasis>
- and <emphasis>Leonard Muellner</emphasis>; 1st Edition, October 1999.
- </para>
-
-<!-- Section2: lists -->
+ <para>
+ Please, please, please, place your software under some
+ license. It may not seem important, and to you, it may not be,
+ but licenses are important. For a piece of software to be
+ included in the Debian GNU/Linux distrobution, it must have a
+ license that fits the <ulink
+ url="http://www.debian.org/social_contract">Debian Free Software
+ Guidelines</ulink>. If you have no license, your program can be
+ distributed in part of Debian until you rerelease it under a free
+ license. Please save yourself and others trouble by releasing the
+ first version of your software with a clear license.
+ </para>
- <sect2 id="lists">
- <title>Lists</title>
+ </sect3>
+
+ </sect2>
+
+<!-- Section2: chooseversioning-->
+ <sect2 id="chooseversioning">
+ <title>Choosing a Method of Version Numbering</title>
<para>
- <emphasis>Lists are used frequently, and are available in a number
- of formats shown below.</emphasis>
+ <emphasis>The most important thing about a system of numbering is
+ that there is one.</emphasis> It may seem pedantic to emphasize
+ this point but you'd be surprised at the number of scripts and
+ small programs that pop up without any version number.
</para>
<para>
- A list in which each entry is marked with a bullet or other dingbat:
+ <emphasis>The second most important thing about a system of
+ numbering is that the numbers always go up.</emphasis> Automatic
+ versioning systems and people's sense of order in the universe
+ will fall apart if version numbers don't rise. It doesn't
+ <emphasis>really</emphasis> matter if 2.1 is a big jump and
+ 2.0.005 is a small jump but it does matter that 2.1 is more recent
+ than 2.0.005.
</para>
<para>
- <itemizedlist>
+ Follow these two rules and you will not go wrong. Still there are
+ several versioning system that are well known, useful, and that
+ might be worth looking into before you release your first version.
+ </para>
+ <variablelist>
+ <varlistentry>
+ <term>Linux kernel version numbering:</term>
<listitem>
- <para>Apples</para>
- </listitem>
+ <para>The Linux kernel uses a versioning system where the any
+ minor odd minor version number refers to an development or
+ testing release and any even minor version number refers to a
+ stable version. Under this system, 2.1 and 2.3 kernels were and
+ always will be development and testing kernels and 2.0, 2.2. and
+ 2.4 kernels are all production code with a higher degree of
+ stability.
+ </para>
- <listitem>
- <para>Oranges</para>
- </listitem>
+ <para>
+ Whether you plan on having a split development model (as
+ described in <xref linkend="branches">) or only one version
+ released at a time, my experience with several free software
+ projects and with the Debian project has taught me taht use of
+ Linux's version numbering system is worth taking into
+ consideration. In Debian, all minor versions are stable
+ distributions (2.0, 2.1, etc). However, many people assume that
+ 2.1 is an unstable or development version and continue to use
+ an older version until they get so frusterated with the lack of
+ development and progress that they complain. If you never
+ release an odd minor version but only release even ones, nobody
+ is hurt, and less people are confused.
+ </para>
- <listitem>
- <para>Bananas</para>
</listitem>
+ </varlistentry>
+ <varlistentry>
+ <term>Wine version numbering:</term>
+ <listitem>
+ <para>Because of the unusual nature of wine's development where
+ it constantly improving but not working towards any immediately
+ achievable goal, wine is released every three weeks. Wine does
+ this by versioning their releases in Year Month Day format where
+ each release might be labeled <quote>wine-XXXXXXXX</quote> where
+ the version from Janurary 04, 2000 would be
+ <quote>wine-20000104</quote>. For certain projects, Year Month
+ Day format can make a lot of sense.
+ </para>
- </itemizedlist>
- </para>
+ </listitem>
+ </varlistentry>
+ <varlistentry>
+ <term>Mozilla milestones:</term>
+ <listitem>
+ <para>When one considers Netscape 6 and verdor versions, the
+ mozilla's project development structure is one of the most
+ complex free software model available. Their version numbering
+ has reflected the unique situation in which it is
+ developed.
+ </para>
- <para>
- A list in which each entry is composed of a set of one or more
- terms and an associated description:
- </para>
+ <para>
+ Mozilla's development structure has historically been made up
+ of milestones. From teh beginning of the mozilla project, the
+ goals of the project in the order and degree to which they were
+ to be achieved were charted out on a series of <ulink
+ url="http://www.mozilla.org/roadmap.html">road
+ maps</ulink>. Major points and achievements along this roadmaps
+ were marked as milestones. Therefore, mozilla was built and
+ distributed nightly as "nightly builds" but on a day when the
+ goals of a milestone on the roadmap had been reached, that
+ particular build was marked as a milstone release.
+ </para>
- <para>
- <variablelist>
+ <para>
+ While I haven't seen this method employed in any other projects
+ to date, I like the idea and think that it might have value in
+ any testing or development branch of a large free application
+ under heavy development.
+ </para>
- <varlistentry>
- <term>Fruits</term>
- <listitem>
- <para>such as apples, oranges, and more.</para>
- </listitem>
- </varlistentry>
+ </listitem>
+ </varlistentry>
+ </variablelist>
+ </sect2>
- <varlistentry>
- <term>Nuts</term>
- <listitem>
- <para>Don't eat too many; you are what you eat.</para>
- </listitem>
- </varlistentry>
+<!-- Section2: documentation-->
- <varlistentry>
- <term>Vegetables</term>
- <listitem>
- <para>Potatos are spelled with care.</para>
- </listitem>
- </varlistentry>
+ <sect2 id="documentation">
+ <title>Documentation</title>
- </variablelist>
+ <para>
+ A huge number of otherwise fantastic free software applications
+ have withered because their author was the only person who knew
+ how to use them well. Even if your program is written primarily
+ for a techno-savvy group of users, documentation is helpful and
+ necessary for the survival of your project. You will learn later
+ in <xref linkend="releasing"> that you must always release
+ something that is usable. <emphasis>A piece of software without
+ documentation is not usuable.</emphasis>
</para>
<para>
- A list in which each entry is marked with a sequentially
- incremented label:
+ There are lots of ways to document your project and lots of
+ different people to document for. The idea of documentation the
+ code itself to help facilitate development by a large community is
+ vital but is outside the scope of this HOWTO. This being the case,
+ this section deals mostly useful tactics for user-directed
+ documentation.
</para>
<para>
- <orderedlist>
+ A combination of tradition and necessity has resulted in a
+ semi-regular system method of documentation in most free software
+ projects that is worth following. Both users and developers expect
+ to be able to get documentation in several ways and its essential
+ that you provide the information they are seeking in a form they
+ can read if your project is ever going to get off the
+ ground. People have come to expect:
+ </para>
- <listitem>
- <para>Step one</para>
- </listitem>
+ <sect3>
+ <title>Man pages</title>
- <listitem>
- <para>Step two</para>
- </listitem>
+ <para>Your users will want to be able to type <quote>man
+ foo</quote> end up with a nicely formatted man page highlighting
+ the basic use of their application. Make sure that before you
+ release your program, you've planned for this.
+ </para>
- </orderedlist>
- </para>
- </sect2>
+ <para>
+ Man pages are not difficult to write. There is excellent
+ documentation on the man page process available through the
+ <quote>The Linux Man-Page-HOWTO</quote> available through the
+ Linux Documentation project <acronym>(LDP)</acronym> written by
+ Jens Schweikhardt. It is available <ulink
+ url="http://www.schweikhardt.net/man_page_howto.html">from
+ Schweikhardt's site</ulink> or <ulink
+ url="http://www.linuxdoc.org/HOWTO/mini/Man-Page.html">from the
+ <acronym>LDP</acronym></ulink>.
+ </para>
-<!-- Section2: links -->
+ <para>
+ It is also possible to write man pages using DocBook SGML and
+ convert them into man pages. Because manpages are so simple, I
+ have not been able to follow this up but would love help from
+ anyone who can give me more information on how exactly this is
+ done.
+ </para>
+ </sect3>
- <sect2 id="links">
- <title>Links</title>
+ <sect3>
+ <title>Command line accessable documentation</title>
- <para>
- <emphasis>Links can be used within your documents to refer to
- different sections and chapters or to refer to documents external
- to yours.</emphasis>
- </para>
+ <para>
+ Most users will expect the most basic amount of documentation to
+ be easily availabe from the command line. For few programs should
+ then documentation extend for more than one screen (24 or 25
+ lines) but it should cover the basic usage, a brief (one or two
+ sentance) description of the program, a list of commands, all the
+ major options, and a pointer to more in-depth documentation for
+ those who need it. The command line documentation for Debian's
+ apt-get serves as an excellent example and a useful model:
+ </para>
- <sect3 id="int-links">
- <title>Internal links</title>
+ <screen>
+apt 0.3.19 for i386 compiled on May 12 2000 21:17:27
+Usage: apt-get [options] command
+ apt-get [options] install pkg1 [pkg2 ...]
+
+apt-get is a simple command line interface for downloading and
+installing packages. The most frequently used commands are update
+and install.
+
+Commands:
+ update - Retrieve new lists of packages
+ upgrade - Perform an upgrade
+ install - Install new packages (pkg is libc6 not libc6.deb)
+ remove - Remove packages
+ source - Download source archives
+ dist-upgrade - Distribution upgrade, see apt-get(8)
+ dselect-upgrade - Follow dselect selections
+ clean - Erase downloaded archive files
+ autoclean - Erase old downloaded archive files
+ check - Verify that there are no broken dependencies
+
+Options:
+ -h This help text.
+ -q Loggable output - no progress indicator
+ -qq No output except for errors
+ -d Download only - do NOT install or unpack archives
+ -s No-act. Perform ordering simulation
+ -y Assume Yes to all queries and do not prompt
+ -f Attempt to continue if the integrity check fails
+ -m Attempt to continue if archives are unlocatable
+ -u Show a list of upgraded packages as well
+ -b Build the source package after fetching it
+ -c=? Read this configuration file
+ -o=? Set an arbitary configuration option, eg -o dir::cache=/tmp
+See the apt-get(8), sources.list(5) and apt.conf(5) manual
+pages for more information and options.
+ </screen>
<para>
- Click on the <xref LinkEnd="samples"> link to jump to the top of
- this chapter. Note the anchor at the section tag.
+ It has become a GNU convention to make this information
+ accessable with the <quote>-h</quote> and the
+ <quote>--help</quote> options. Most GNU/Linux users will expect
+ to be able to retrieve basic documentation these ways so if you
+ choose to use different method, be prepared for the flames and
+ for the fallout that may result.
+ </para>
+ </sect3>
+ <sect3>
+ <title>Files users will expect</title>
+ <para>
+ In addition to man pages and online help, there are certain files
+ where people will look to documentation, especially in any
+ package containing source code. In a source distribution, most of
+ these files can be stored in a the root directery of the source
+ distribution or in a subdirectory of the root called
+ <quote>doc</quote> or <quote>Documentation</quote>. These files include:
+ </para>
+ <para>
+ <variablelist>
+ <varlistentry>
+ <term>README or Readme</term>
+
+ <listitem>
+ <para>
+ A document containing all the basic installation,
+ compiliation, and even basic use instructions that make up
+ the bare minimum information needed to get the program up and
+ running. A README is not your chance to be verbose but needs
+ to be concise and effective. An ideal README is at least 30
+ lines long and more no more than 250.
+ </para>
+ </listitem>
+
+ </varlistentry>
+ <varlistentry>
+ <term>INSTALL or Install</term>
+
+ <listitem>
+ <para>
+ The INSTALL file should be much shorter than the INSTALL file
+ and should quicly and concisely describe how to build and
+ install the program. Usually an install simply instructs the
+ user to run ./configure; make; make install and touches on
+ any unusual options that may be necessary. More advanced
+ users can usually avoid them but it's good practice to at
+ least glance at the file to understand what can be
+ expected. For most relatively standard install procedures and
+ for most programs, INSTALL files are as short as possible are
+ rarely over 100 lines.
+ </para>
+ </listitem>
+
+ </varlistentry>
+ <varlistentry>
+ <term>Changelog, ChangeLog, CHANGELOG, or changelog</term>
+
+ <listitem>
+ <para>
+ A changelog is a simple file that every well-managed free
+ software project should include. A changelog is simple the
+ file that, as its name would imply, logs or documents the
+ changes to a program. The most simple way to do a changelog
+ is to simply keep a file with teh source code for your
+ program and add a section to the top of the changelog with
+ each release describing what has been, changed, fixed, or
+ added to the program. It's a good idea to post the changelog
+ onto the website as well because it can help people decide
+ whether they want or need to upgrade to a newer version or
+ wait for a more signifigant upgrade.
+ </para>
+ </listitem>
+
+ </varlistentry>
+ <varlistentry>
+ <term><acronym>FAQ</acronym></term>
+
+ <listitem>
+ <para>
+ For those of you that don't already
+ know. <acronym>FAQ</acronym> stands for Frequently Asked
+ Questions and the file is a collection of exactly that. FAQs
+ are not difficult to make. Simply make a policy that if you
+ are asked a question or see a question on a mailing list two
+ or more times, add it the question (and its answer) to your
+ FAQs. FAQs are more optional than the files listed above but
+ they can save your time, increase useability, and decrease
+ headaches on all sides.
+ </para>
+ </listitem>
+
+ </varlistentry>
+ </variablelist>
</para>
</sect3>
- <sect3 id="ext-links">
- <title>External links</title>
-
+ <sect3>
+ <title>Website</title>
<para>
- Click on <ulink url="http://www.linuxdoc.org/">this</ulink> link
- to jump to the LDP site. Note you can use http, ftp, news and
- other protocols in the locator if required.
+ It's only a sort of an issue of documentation but a good website
+ is quickly becoming an essential part of any free software
+ project. Your website should provide access to documentation (in
+ <acronym>HTML</acronym> if possible). It should also include a
+ section for news and events around your program and a section
+ that details the process of getting involved with development or
+ testing and creates an open invitation. It should also supply
+ links to any mailing lists, similar websites, and directly to all
+ the available ways of downloading your software.
</para>
</sect3>
- </sect2>
+ <sect3>
+ <title>Other documentation hints</title>
-<!-- Section2: images -->
+ <para>
+ It doesn't hurt to distribute any documentation for your program
+ from your website or anywhere else (FAQs etc) with the
+ program. Make a FAQ by cutting and posting common questions and
+ answers from a mailing list or your own email. Then, don't
+ hesitate through this in the programs tarball. If people don't
+ need it, they will delete it. I can repeat it over and over:
+ <emphasis>Too much documentation is not a sin.</emphasis>
+ </para>
- <sect2 id="images">
- <title>Images</title>
+ <para>
+ All your documentation should be in plaintext, or, in cases where
+ it is on your website primarily, in HTML. Everyone can cat a
+ file, everyone has a pager, (almost) everyone can render
+ HTML. <emphasis>You are welcome to distribute information in PDF,
+ PostScript, RTF, or any number of other widely used formats but
+ this information must also be available in plaintext or HTML or
+ people will be very angry at you.</emphasis>
+ </para>
+ </sect3>
+ </sect2>
- <para>
- <emphasis>Avoid diagrams if possible as this cannot be rendered
- in the ASCII outputs which are still needed by many around the
- world.</emphasis>
- </para>
+<!-- Section2: presentation -->
+ <sect2 id="presentation">
+ <title>Other Presentation Issues</title>
<para>
- <figure>
- <title>Graphics Test Image</title>
- <graphic FileRef="red.gif"></graphic>
- </figure>
+ Many of the remaining issues surrounding the creation of a new
+ free software program fall under what most people describe as
+ common sense actions. Still, they are worth noting briefly in
+ hopes that they may remind a developer of something they may have
+ forgotten.
</para>
- <para>
- Here is another variation which allows for ALT text:
- </para>
+ <sect3>
+ <title>Package formats</title>
+ <para>
+ Package formats may differ depending on the system you are
+ developing for. For windows based software, Zip archives (.zip)
+ usually serve as the package format of choice. If you are
+ developing for GNU/Linux, *BSD, or any UN*X, make sure that your
+ source code is always available in tar'ed and gzip'ed format
+ (.tar.gz). UNIX compress (.Z) has gone out of style and
+ usefulness and faster computers have brought bzip2 (.bz2) into
+ the spotlit as a more effective compression medium. I now make
+ all my releases available in both gzip'ed and bzip2'ed formats.
+ </para>
- <para>
- <mediaobject>
+ <para>
+ Binary packages are largely distribution specific. You can build
+ binary packages against a current version of a major
+ distribution, you will only make your users happy. Try to foster
+ relationships with users or developers of large distribution to
+ develop a system for consistent binary packages. It's often a
+ good idea to provide RedHat <acronym>RPM</acronym>'s (.rpm),
+ Debian deb's (.deb) and source <acronym>RPM</acronym>'s
+ <acronym>SRPM</acronym>'s. Binary packages can also be compiled
+ against a specified system with specificed libraries and
+ distributed in tar.gz format as well. <emphasis>Remember: While
+ these binaries packages are nice, geting the source packaged and
+ released should always be your priority. Other can and will do
+ the the binary packages for you.</emphasis>
+ </para>
+ </sect3>
- <imageobject>
- <imagedata fileref="green.gif" format="gif">
- </imageobject>
+ <sect3>
+ <title>Useful tidbits and presentation hints</title>
- <textobject>
- <phrase>
- ALT text to be used: Green Ball
- </phrase>
- </textobject>
+ <para>
+ <itemizedlist>
- <caption>
+ <listitem>
<para>
- Caption for the graphic goes here: This is a Green Ball.
+ <emphasis>Make sure that your program can always be found in a
+ single location.</emphasis> Often this means that you have a
+ single directory accessable via <acronym>FTP</acronym> or
+ <acronym>HTTP</acronym> where the newest version will be
+ quickly recognized. One effective technique is a provide a
+ symlink called <quote>projectname-latest</quote> that is
+ always pointing to the most recent released or development
+ version of your free software project.
</para>
- </caption>
- </mediaobject>
- </para>
- </sect2>
+ </listitem>
- </sect1>
+ <listitem>
+ <para>
+ <emphasis>Make sure that there is a consistent email address
+ for bug reports.</emphasis> It's usually a good idea to make
+ this something that is NOT your primary email address like
+ projectname@host or projectname-bugs@host. This way if you
+ ever decide to hand over maintainership or if your email
+ address changes, you simply need to change where this email
+ address forwards to. It also will allow for more than one
+ person to deal with the influx of mail that is created if your
+ project becomes as huge as you hope it will.
+ </para>
+ </listitem>
+
+ </itemizedlist>
+ </para>
-<!-- Section1: samples: END -->
+ </sect3>
+ </sect2>
+ </sect1>
+<!-- Section1: starting: END -->
-<!-- Section1: structure -->
+<!-- Section1: developers -->
- <sect1 id="structure">
- <title>Structure</title>
+ <sect1 id="developers">
+ <title>Maintaining a Project: Interacting with Developers</title>
+ <indexterm>
+ <primary>fswd!developers</primary>
+ </indexterm>
<para>
- <emphasis>A quick overview on how all parts fit together in the overall
- structure. An example from the Multi Disk HOWTO is used.</emphasis>
- </para>
+ Once you have gotten the project started, you have gotten over the
+ most difficult hurdles in the development process of your
+ program. Laying a firm foundation is essential, but the development
+ process itself is equally important and provides an equal number of
+ opportunities for failure. In the next two sections, I will and
+ cover running a project by discussing how to maintain a project
+ rhough interactions with developers and with users.
+ </para>
<para>
- As this type of document is supposed to be as much for learning as
- a technical reference document I have rearranged the structure to
- this end. For the designer of a system it is more useful to have
- the information presented in terms of the goals of this exercise
- than from the point of view of the logical layer structure of the
- devices themselves. Nevertheless this document would not be
- complete without such a layer structure the computer field is so
- full of, so I will include it here as an introduction to how it
- works.
+ The difference between free software development and propriety
+ software development is th developer base. As the leader of a free
+ software project, you need to attract and keep developers in a way
+ that leaders of proprietary software projects sipmly don't have to
+ worry about. <emphasis>As the person leading development of a free
+ software project, you must harness the work of fellow developers by
+ making responsible decisions and by and by choosing not to make
+ decisions responsibly. You have to direct developers without being
+ overbearing or bossy. You need to strive to earn respect and never
+ forget to give it.</emphasis>
</para>
-<!-- Section2: logical-struct -->
-
- <sect2 id="logical-struct">
- <title>Logical structure</title>
-
- <indexterm>
- <primary>disk!structure, I/O subsystem</primary>
- </indexterm>
-
- <para>
- This is based on how each layer access each other, traditionally
- with the application on top and the physical layer on the bottom.
- It is quite useful to show the interrelationship between each of
- the layers used in controlling drives.
-
- <screen>
- ___________________________________________________________
- |__ File structure ( /usr /tmp etc) __|
- |__ File system (ext2fs, vfat etc) __|
- |__ Volume management (AFS) __|
- |__ RAID, concatenation (md) __|
- |__ Device driver (SCSI, IDE etc) __|
- |__ Controller (chip, card) __|
- |__ Connection (cable, network) __|
- |__ Drive (magnetic, optical etc) __|
- -----------------------------------------------------------
- </screen>
- </para>
-
- <para>
- In the above diagram both volume management and RAID and
- concatenation are optional layers. The 3 lower layers are in
- hardware. All parts are discussed at length later on in this
- document.
- </para>
- </sect2>
-
-<!-- Section2: doc-struct -->
-
- <sect2 id="doc-struct">
- <title>Document structure</title>
-
- <para>
- Most users start out with a given set of hardware and some plans
- on what they wish to achieve and how big the system should be.
- This is the point of view I will adopt in this document in
- presenting the material, starting out with hardware, continuing
- with design constraints before detailing the design strategy that
- I have found to work well. I have used this both for my own
- personal computer at home, a multi purpose server at work and
- found it worked quite well. In addition my Japanese co-worker in
- this project have applied the same strategy on a server in an
- academic setting with similar success.
- </para>
-
- <para>
- Finally at the end I have detailed some configuration tables for
- use in your own design. If you have any comments regarding this
- or notes from your own design work I would like to hear from you
- so this document can be upgraded.
- </para>
- </sect2>
-
-<!-- Section2: reading-plan -->
-
- <sect2 id="reading-plan">
- <title>Reading plan</title>
-
- <para>
- <emphasis>As you go beyond 50 pages or so there will be a lot of
- text that experts and even the experienced do not need to read.
- Keeping in mind that we wish to care for all kinds of people in
- the Linux world we might have to make a reading plan. Again,
- an example follows from the Multi Disk HOWTO.</emphasis>
- </para>
-
- <para>
- Although not the biggest HOWTO it is nevertheless rather big
- already and I have been requested to make a reading plan to make
- it possible to cut down on the volume.
- </para>
-
- <para>
- <variablelist>
-
- <varlistentry>
- <term>Expert</term>
- <listitem>
- <para>
- (aka the elite). If you are familiar with Linux as well as
- disk drive technologies you will find most of what you need in
- the appendices. Additionally you are recommended to read the
- FAQ and the <XRef LinkEnd="bits-n-pieces">chapter.
- </para>
- </listitem>
- </varlistentry>
-
- <varlistentry>
- <term>Experienced</term>
- <listitem>
- <para>
- (aka Competent). If you are familiar with computers in
- general you can go straight to the chapters on
- <XRef LinkEnd="technologies"> and continue from there on.
- </para>
- </listitem>
- </varlistentry>
-
- <varlistentry>
- <term>Newbie</term>
- <listitem>
- <para>
- (mostly harmless). You just have to read the whole thing.
- Sorry. In addition you are also recommended to read all the
- other disk related HOWTOs.
- </para>
- </listitem>
- </varlistentry>
-
- </variablelist>
- </para>
- </sect2>
-
- </sect1>
-
-<!-- Section1: structure: END -->
-
-
-<!-- Section1: technologies -->
-
- <sect1 id="technologies">
- <title>Technologies</title>
-
- <indexterm>
- <primary>(your index root)!technologies</primary>
- </indexterm>
-
- <para>
- <emphasis>Introduction of technology for the newbie with a few
- references to detailed works. Remember that not everyone has
- Internet access so you have to explain in sufficient details so
- even the newbie can get by.</emphasis>
- </para>
-
- </sect1>
-
-<!-- Section1: technologies: END -->
-
-
-<!-- Section1: implement -->
-
- <sect1 id="implement">
- <title>Implementation</title>
-
- <indexterm>
- <primary>(your index root)!implementation</primary>
- </indexterm>
-
- <para>
- <emphasis>Now your readers should have a sufficient knowledge of
- what this is about and now we come to the hands on of implementing
- your clever scheme.</emphasis>
- </para>
-
- </sect1>
-
-<!-- Section1: implement: END -->
-
-
-<!-- Section1: maint -->
-
- <sect1 id="maint">
- <title>Maintenance</title>
-
- <indexterm>
- <primary>(your index root)!maintenance</primary>
- </indexterm>
-
- <para>
- <emphasis>Few systems and designs are maintenance free, here you
- explain how to keep the system running.</emphasis>
- </para>
-
- </sect1>
-
-<!-- Section1: maint: END -->
-
-
-<!-- Section1: adv-issues -->
-
- <sect1 id="adv-issues">
- <title>Advanced Issues</title>
-
- <indexterm>
- <primary>(your index root)!advanced topics</primary>
- </indexterm>
-
- <para>
- <emphasis>You can get most things up and running in a quick and
- dirty fashion, useful for testing and getting used to how things
- work. For more serious use you would need to be a little more
- advanced. This is the place to explain it all, if applicable.</emphasis>
- </para>
-
- </sect1>
-
-<!-- Section1: adv-issues: END -->
-
-
-<!-- Section1: moreinfo -->
-
- <sect1 id="moreinfo">
- <title>Further Information</title>
-
- <indexterm>
- <primary>(your index root)!information resources</primary>
- </indexterm>
-
- <para>
- <emphasis>A HOWTO cannot describe everything, some times the user
- has to venture out on th enet to get more information or just
- updates. Here is the place to tell where and how. Again examples
- from the Multi Disk HOWTO, replace as needed.</emphasis> There is wealth
- of information one should go through when setting up a major system,
- for instance for a news or general Internet service provider. The
- FAQs in the following groups are useful:
- </para>
-
-<!-- Section2: newsgroups -->
-
- <sect2 id="newsgroups">
- <title>News groups</title>
-
- <indexterm>
- <primary>disk!information resources!news groups</primary>
- </indexterm>
-
- <para>Some of the most interesting news groups are:
-
- <itemizedlist>
-
- <listitem>
- <para>
- <ulink url="news:comp.arch.storage">Storage</ulink>.
- </para>
- </listitem>
-
- <listitem>
- <para>
- <ulink url="news:comp.sys.ibm.pc.hardware.storage">PC storage</ulink>.
- </para>
- </listitem>
-
- <listitem>
- <para>
- <ulink url="news:alt.filesystems.afs">AFS</ulink>.
- </para>
- </listitem>
-
- <listitem>
- <para>
- <ulink url="news:comp.periphs.scsi">SCSI</ulink>.
- </para>
- </listitem>
-
- <listitem>
- <para>
- <ulink url="news:comp.os.linux.setup">Linux setup</ulink>.
- </para>
- </listitem>
-
- </itemizedlist>
- </para>
-
- <para>
- Most newsgroups have their own FAQ that are designed to answer most
- of your questions, as the name Frequently Asked Questions indicate.
- Fresh versions should be posted regularly to the relevant newsgroups.
- If you cannot find it in your news spool you could go directly to the
- <ulink url="ftp://rtfm.mit.edu/">FAQ main archive FTP site</ulink>.
- The WWW versions can be browsed at the
- <ulink url="http://www.cis.ohio-state.edu/hypertext/faq/usenet/FAQ-List.html">FAQ
- main archive WWW site</ulink>.
- </para>
-
- <para>
- Some FAQs have their own home site, of particular interest:
-
- <itemizedlist>
-
- <listitem>
- <para>
- <ulink url="http://www.paranoia.com/~filipg/HTML/LINK/F_SCSI.html">SCSI FAQ</ulink>
- and
- </para>
- </listitem>
-
- <listitem>
- <para>
- <ulink url="http://alumni.caltech.edu/~rdv/comp_arch_storage/FAQ-1.html">comp.arch.storage FAQ</ulink>.
- </para>
- </listitem>
-
- </itemizedlist>
- </para>
- </sect2>
-
-<!-- Section2: maillists -->
-
- <sect2 id="maillists">
- <title>Mailing Lists</title>
-
- <indexterm>
- <primary>disk!information resources!mailing lists</primary>
- </indexterm>
-
- <para>
- These are low-noise channels mainly for developers. Think twice
- before asking questions there as noise delays the development.
- Some relevant lists are <email>linux-raid</email>,
- <email>linux-scsi</email> and <email>linux-ext2fs</email>. Many
- of the most useful mailing lists run on the <Literal
- remap="tt">vger.rutgers.edu</Literal> server but this is
- notoriously overloaded, so try to find a mirror. There are some
- lists mirrored at <ulink url="http://www.redhat.com">The Redhat
- Home Page</ulink>. Many lists are also accessible at <ulink
- url="http://www.linuxhq.com/lnxlists">linuxhq</ulink>, and the
- rest of the web site contains useful information as well.
- </para>
-
- <para>
- If you want to find out more about the lists available you can send
- a message with the line <command>lists</command> to the list server
- at <email>majordomo@vger.rutgers.edu</email>.
- If you need help on how to use the mail server just send the line
- <command>help</command> to the same address. Due to the
- popularity of this server it is likely it takes a bit to time before
- you get a reply or even get messages after you send a
- <command>subscribe</command> command.
- </para>
-
- <para>
- There is also a number of other majordomo list servers that can
- be of interest such as the EATA driver list
- (<email>linux-eata@mail.uni-mainz.de</email>)
- and the Intelligent IO list <email>linux-i2o@dpt.com</email>.
- </para>
-
- <para>
- Mailing lists are in a state of flux but you can find links to a
- number of interesting lists from the
- <ulink url="http://www.linuxdoc.org/">Linux Documentation
- Homepage</ulink>.
- </para>
- </sect2>
-
-<!-- Section2: howto -->
-
- <sect2 id="howto">
- <title>HOWTO</title>
-
- <indexterm>
- <primary>disk!information resources!HOWTOs</primary>
- </indexterm>
-
- <para>
- These are intended as the primary starting points to get the
- background information as well as show you how to solve a
- specific problem. Some relevant HOWTOs are
- <Literal remap="tt">Bootdisk</Literal>,
- <Literal remap="tt">Installation</Literal>,
- <Literal remap="tt">SCSI</Literal> and
- <Literal remap="tt">UMSDOS</Literal>. The main site for these is the
- <ulink url="http://www.linuxdoc.org/">LDP archive</ulink>at
- Metalab (formerly known as Sunsite).
- </para>
-
- <para>
- There is a a new HOWTO out that deals with setting up a DPT RAID
- system, check out the
- <ulink url="http://www.ram.org/computing/linux/dpt_raid.html">DPT RAID
- HOWTO homepage</ulink>.
- </para>
- </sect2>
-
-<!-- Section2: local-res -->
-
- <sect2 id="local-res">
- <title>Local Resources</title>
-
- <indexterm>
- <primary>disk!information resources!local</primary>
- </indexterm>
-
- <para>
- In most distributions of Linux there is a document directory
- installed, have a look in the <filename>/usr/doc</filename>
- directory. where most packages store their main documentation and
- README files etc. Also you will here find the HOWTO archive
- (<filename>/usr/doc/HOWTO</filename>) of ready formatted HOWTOs
- and also the mini-HOWTO archive
- (<filename>/usr/doc/HOWTO/mini</filename>) of plain text
- documents.
- </para>
-
- <para>
- Many of the configuration files mentioned earlier can be found in
- the <filename>/etc</filename> directory. In particular you will
- want to work with the <filename>/etc/fstab</filename> file that
- sets up the mounting of partitions and possibly also
- <filename>/etc/raidtab</filename> file that is used for the
- <Literal remap="tt">md</Literal> system to set up RAID.
- </para>
-
- <para>
- The kernel source in <filename>/usr/src/linux</filename> is, of
- course, the ultimate documentation. In other words, <quote>use
- the source, Luke</quote>. It should also be pointed out that the
- kernel comes not only with source code which is even commented
- (well, partially at least) but also an informative
- <filename>/usr/src/linux/Documentation</filename>. If you are
- about to ask any questions about the kernel you should read this
- first, it will save you and many others a lot of time and
- possibly embarrassment.
- </para>
+<!-- Section2: delegation -->
- <para>
- Also have a look in your system log file
- (<filename>/var/log/messages</filename>) to see what is going on
- and in particular how the booting went if too much scrolled off
- your screen. Using <command>tail -f /var/log/messages</command>
- in a separate window or screen will give you a continuous update
- of what is going on in your system.
- </para>
+ <sect2 id="delegation">
+ <title>Delegating Work</title>
<para>
- You can also take advantage of the <filename>/proc</filename>
- file system that is a window into the inner workings of your
- system. Use <command>cat</command> rather than
- <command>more</command> to view the files as they are reported as
- being zero length. Reports are that <command>less</command> works
- well here.
+ By now, you've hypothetically followed me through the early
+ writing of a piece of software, the creation of a website and
+ system of documentation and and we've gone ahead and (as will be
+ discussed in <xref linkend="releasing">) released it to the rest
+ of the world. Times passes, and if things go well, people become
+ interested and want to help. The patches begin flowing in.
</para>
- </sect2>
-
-<!-- Section2: web -->
-
- <sect2 id="web">
- <title>Web Sites</title>
-
- <indexterm>
- <primary>disk!information resources!WWW</primary>
- </indexterm>
- <indexterm>
- <primary>disk!information resources!web pages</primary>
- </indexterm>
<para>
- There are a huge number of informative web sites available. By
- their very nature they change quickly so do not be surprised
- if these links become quickly outdated.
+ <emphasis>Like the parent of any child who grows up, it's now time
+ to wince and smile and do most difficult thing in any parents
+ life: It's time to let go.</emphasis>
</para>
<para>
- A good starting point is of course the
- <ulink url="http://www.linuxdoc.org/">Linux Documentation
- Project</ulink> home page, an information central for
- documentation, project pages and much more.
+ Delegation is the politcal way of describing this process of
+ <quote>letting go.</quote> It is the process of handing some of
+ the responsibility and power over your project to other reponsible
+ and involved developers. It is difficult for anyone who has
+ invested a large deal of time and energy into a project but it
+ essential for the growth of any free software project. One person
+ can only do so much. <emphasis>A free software project is nothing
+ without the involvement of a group of developers. A group of
+ developers can only be maintained through respectful and
+ responsible leadership and delegation.</emphasis>
</para>
<para>
- Please let me know if you have any other leads that can be
- of interest.
+ As your project progresses, you will notice people who are putting
+ signfigant amounts of time and effort into your project. These
+ will be the people submitting the most patches, posting most on
+ the mailing lists, engaging in long email discussions. It is your
+ responsiblity to contact these people and to try and shift some of
+ the power and responsiblity of your position as the project's
+ maintainer onto them (if they want it). There are several easy
+ weays you can do this:
</para>
- </sect2>
-
- </sect1>
-<!-- Section1: moreinfo: END -->
-
-
-<!-- Section1: help -->
-
- <sect1 id="help">
- <title>Getting Help</title>
-
- <indexterm>
- <primary>(your index root)!assistance, obtaining</primary>
- </indexterm>
-
- <para>
- In the end you might find yourself unable to solve your problems
- and need help from someone else. The most efficient way is either
- to ask someone local or in your nearest Linux user group, search
- the web for the nearest one.
- </para>
-
- <para>
- Another possibility is to ask on Usenet News in one of the many,
- many newsgroups available. The problem is that these have such a
- high volume and noise (called low signal-to-noise ratio) that your
- question can easily fall through unanswered.
- </para>
-
- <para>
- No matter where you ask it is important to ask well or you will
- not be taken seriously. Saying just <emphasis remap="it">my disk
- does not work</emphasis> is not going to help you and instead the
- noise level is increased even further and if you are lucky someone
- will ask you to clarify.
- </para>
-
- <para>
- Instead describe your problems in some detail that will enable
- people to help you. The problem could lie somewhere you did not
- expect. Therefore you are advised to list the following information
- about your system:
- </para>
-
- <para>
- <variablelist>
-
- <varlistentry>
- <term>Hardware</Term>
- <listitem>
- <para>
- <itemizedlist>
- <listitem>
- <para>Processor</para>
- </listitem>
-
- <listitem>
- <para>DMA</para>
- </listitem>
-
- <listitem>
- <para>IRQ</para>
- </listitem>
-
- <listitem>
- <para>Chip set (LX, BX etc)</para>
- </listitem>
-
- <listitem>
- <para>Bus (ISA, VESA, PCI etc)</para>
- </listitem>
-
- <listitem>
- <para>
- Expansion cards used (Disk controllers, video, IO
- etc.)
- </para>
- </listitem>
-
- </itemizedlist>
- </para>
- </listitem>
- </varlistentry>
-
- <varlistentry>
- <term>Software</term>
- <listitem>
- <para>
- <itemizedlist>
-
- <listitem>
- <para>BIOS (On motherboard and possibly SCSI host adapters)</para>
- </listitem>
-
- <listitem>
- <para>LILO, if used</para>
- </listitem>
-
- <listitem>
- <para>
- Linux kernel version as well as possible modifications
- and patches
- </para>
- </listitem>
-
- <listitem>
- <para>Kernel parameters, if any</para>
- </listitem>
-
- <listitem>
- <para>
- Software that shows the error (with version number
- or date)
- </para>
- </listitem>
-
- </itemizedlist>
- </para>
-
- </listitem>
- </varlistentry>
-
- <varlistentry>
- <term>Peripherals</term>
- <listitem>
- <para>
- <itemizedlist>
-
- <listitem>
- <para>
- Type of disk drives with manufacturer name, version and type
- </para>
- </listitem>
-
- <listitem>
- <para>Other relevant peripherals</para>
- </listitem>
-
- </itemizedlist>
- </para>
- </listitem>
- </varlistentry>
-
- </variablelist>
- </para>
-
- <para>
- Remember that booting text is logged to
- <filename>/var/log/messages</filename> which can answer most of
- the questions above. Obviously if the drives fail you might not be
- able to get the log saved to disk but you can at least scroll
- back up the screen using the <keycap>SHIFT</keycap> and
- <keycap>PAGE UP</keycap> keys. It may also be useful to include
- part of this in your request for help but do not go overboard,
- keep it <emphasis>brief</emphasis> as a complete log file dumped
- to Usenet News is more than a little annoying.
- </para>
-
- </sect1>
-
-<!-- Section1: help: END -->
-
-
-<!-- Section1: remarks -->
-
- <sect1 id="remarks">
- <title>Concluding Remarks</title>
-
- <indexterm>
- <primary>(your index root)!conclusion</primary>
- </indexterm>
-
- <para>
- <emphasis>Just summing up... Also a place for general
- recommendations.</emphasis>
- </para>
-
- </sect1>
-
-<!-- Section1: remarks: END -->
-
-
-<!-- Section1: faq -->
-
- <sect1 id="faq">
- <title>Questions and Answers</title>
-
- <indexterm>
- <primary>(your index root)!FAQ</primary>
- </indexterm>
- <indexterm>
- <primary>(your index root)!frequently asked questions</primary>
- </indexterm>
-
- <para>
- <emphasis>Check the newsgroups and try to determine some frequent
- problems and cover them here. Again an example from the Multi Disk
- HOWTO.</emphasis>
- </para>
+ <sect3>
+ <title>How to delegate</title>
+
+ <para>
+ Like anything, its easier to see how others delegate than to do
+ it yourself. In a sentance: <emphasis>Keep an eye out for other
+ qualified developers who show an interest and sustained
+ involvement with your project and try and shift responsibility
+ towards them.</emphasis> The following ideas might be good places
+ to start or good sources of inspiriation:
+ </para>
+
+ <sect4>
+ <title>Allow a larger group of people write access to your CVS
+ reponsitory and make real efforts towards rule by a
+ committee</title>
- <para>
- This is just a collection of what I believe are the most common
- questions people might have. Give me more feedback and I will turn
- this section into a proper FAQ.
- </para>
+ <para>
+ <ulink url="http://httpd.apache.org/">Apache</ulink> is an
+ example of a project that is run by small group of developers
+ who vote on major technical issues and the admission of new
+ members and all have write access to the main source
+ repository. Their process is detailed <ulink
+ url="http://httpd.apache.org/ABOUT_APACHE.html">online.</ulink>
+ </para>
- <para>
- <itemizedlist>
- <listitem>
<para>
- Q:How many physical disk drives (spindles) does a Linux system need?
+ The <ulink url="http://www.debian.org/"> Debian Project</ulink>
+ is an extreme example of rule by committee. At current count,
+ more than 700 developers have full responsibility for certain
+ aspects of the projects. All these developers can upload into
+ the main ftp servers, and vote on major issues. Direction for
+ the project is determined by the project <ulink
+ url="http://www.debian.org/social_contract">social
+ contract</ulink> and a <ulink
+ url="http://www.debian.org/devel/constitution">constitution</ulink>. To
+ facilitate this system, there are special teams (i.e. the
+ install team, the Japanese language team) and a technical
+ committee and a project lead. There is a project lead as well
+ but the lead's main responsiblity is to, <quote>Appoint
+ Delegates or delegate decisions to the Technical
+ Committee.</quote>
</para>
<para>
- A: Linux can run just fine on one drive (spindle). Having
- enough RAM (around 32 MB, and up to 64 MB) to support swapping
- is a better price/performance choice than getting a second
- disk. (E)IDE disk is usually cheaper (but a little slower) than
- SCSI.
+ While both of these projects operate on a scale that your
+ project will not (at least initially), their example is
+ helpful. Debian's idea of a project who lead who can do
+ <emphasis>nothing</emphasis> but delegate can serve as a
+ charicature of how a project can involve and empower a huge
+ number of developers and grow to a huge size.
</para>
- </listitem>
- <listitem>
+ </sect4>
+
+ <sect4>
+ <title>Publicly appoint someone as the release manager for a
+ specific release.</title>
+
<para>
- Q: Are there any disadvantages in this scheme?
+ A relase manager is usually responsible for coordinating
+ testing, encforcing a code freeze, being responsible for
+ stability and quality control, packaging up the software, and
+ placing it in the approrpriate places to be downloaded.
</para>
<para>
- A: There is only a minor snag: if even a single partition
- overflows the system might stop working properly. The severity
- depends of course on what partition is affected. Still this is
- not hard to monitor, the command <command>df</command> gives
- you a good overview of the situation. Also check the swap
- partition(s) using <command>free</command> to make sure you are
- not about to run out of virtual memory.
+ This use of the release manager is a good way to give yourself a
+ break and to shift the responsibility for accepting and
+ rejecting patches to somenoe else. It is a good way of very
+ clearly defining a chunk of work on the project as belonging to
+ a certain person and its a great way of giving yourself a break.
</para>
- </listitem>
+ </sect4>
- <listitem>
+ <sect4>
+ <title>Delegate control of an entire branch.</title>
<para>
- Q: OK, so should I split the system into as many partitions as
- possible for a single drive?
+ If your project chooses to have branches (as described in <xref
+ linkend="branches">), it might be a good idea to appoint someone
+ else to be the the head of a branch. If you like focusing your
+ energy on development releases and the implementation of new
+ features, had total control over the stable releases to a
+ well-suiteded developer.
</para>
<para>
- A: No, there are several disadvantages to that. First of all
- maintenance becomes needlessly complex and you gain very little
- in this. In fact if your partitions are too big you will seek
- across larger areas than needed. This is a balance and
- dependent on the number of physical drives you have.
+ The author of linux, Linus Torvalds, came out and crowned Alan
+ Cox as <quote>the man for stable kernels.</quote> All patches
+ for stable kernels go to Alan and, if Linus were to be taken
+ away from work on linux for any reason, Alan Cox would be more
+ than suited to fill his role as the acknowledged heir to the
+ linux maintainership.
</para>
- </listitem>
+ </sect4>
+ </sect3>
+ </sect2>
- </itemizedlist>
+<!-- Section2: patching -->
- <comment>
- Greg Leblanc: Depending on how big this FAQ gets, perhaps it
- would be worthwhile to have, say, the 5 most FAQ, and put the
- rest into an external FAQ. Dunno. Comments?
- </comment>
+ <sect2 id="patching">
+ <title>Accepting and Rejecting Patches</title>
+ <para></para>
+ </sect2>
- <emphasis>(rest deleted.)</emphasis>
- </para>
- </sect1>
+<!-- Section2: branches -->
-<!-- Section1: faq: END -->
+ <sect2 id="branches">
+ <title>Stable and Development Branches</title>
+ <para></para>
+ </sect2>
+<!-- Section2: otherdev -->
-<!-- Section1: bits-n-pieces -->
+ <sect2 id="otherdev">
+ <title>Other Development issues</title>
+ <para></para>
+ </sect2>
+
+
+ </sect1>
+
+<!-- Section1: users -->
- <sect1 id="bits-n-pieces">
- <title>Bits and Pieces </title>
+ <sect1 id="users">
+ <title>Maintaining a Project: Interacting with Users</title>
<indexterm>
- <primary>disk!miscellaneous</primary>
+ <primary>fswd!users</primary>
</indexterm>
- <para>
- This is basically a section where I stuff all the bits I have not
- yet decided where should go, yet that I feel is worth knowing
- about. It is a kind of transient area.
- </para>
+<!-- Section2: testing -->
- </sect1>
+ <sect2 id="testing">
+ <title>Testing and Testers</title>
+ <para></para>
+ </sect2>
-<!-- Section1: bits-n-pieces: END -->
+<!-- Section2: support -->
+ <sect2 id="support">
+ <title>Setting up a Support Infrastructure</title>
+ <para></para>
+ </sect2>
-<!-- Section1: examples -->
+<!-- Section2: releasing -->
- <sect1 id="examples">
- <title>Examples</title>
+ <sect2 id="releasing">
+ <title>Releasing Your Program</title>
+ <para></para>
+ </sect2>
- <indexterm>
- <primary>(your index root)!examples</primary>
- </indexterm>
+<!-- Section2: announcing -->
- <para>
- <emphasis>Example designs and sample configuration files and other
- relevant details is always handy</emphasis>
- </para>
+ <sect2 id="announcing">
+ <title>Announcing Your Project</title>
+ <para></para>
+ </sect2>
- </sect1>
-<!-- Section1: examples: END -->
+</sect1>
</article>
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