X-Git-Url: https://projects.mako.cc/source/fspm_howto/blobdiff_plain/dbaec554682c83fb414d3198d8ab52fbe8879434..c8c6ab143a26b5b42313fb3197fda5f864a5054d:/FreeSoftwareProjectManagementHOWTO.sgml diff --git a/FreeSoftwareProjectManagementHOWTO.sgml b/FreeSoftwareProjectManagementHOWTO.sgml index cf87473..68f2c7d 100644 --- a/FreeSoftwareProjectManagementHOWTO.sgml +++ b/FreeSoftwareProjectManagementHOWTO.sgml @@ -19,6 +19,12 @@ + + v0.3.2 + 15 April 2002 + bch + + v0.3.1 18 June 2001 @@ -124,7 +130,7 @@ Copyright Information - This document is copyrighted (c) 2000 Benjamin (Mako) Hill and is + This document is copyrighted (c) 2000 Benjamin "Mako" Hill and is distributed under the terms of the GNU Free Documentation License. @@ -184,8 +190,8 @@ The latest version number of this document should always be listed - on the projects - homepage hosted by yukidoke.org. + on the projects + homepage hosted by mako.cc. @@ -198,32 +204,32 @@ - HTML. + HTML. - HTML (single page). + HTML (single page). - plain text. + plain text. - Compressed postscript. + Compressed postscript. - Compressed SGML source. + Compressed SGML source. @@ -239,19 +245,23 @@ In this version I have the pleasure of acknowledging: - - Anyone who gave me an idea for a better name and everyone who - assured me that a Project Management HOWTO - didn't necessary sound corporate. - + Fellow Debian developer Martin Michlmayr and Vivek + Venugopalan who sent me information and links to extremely + interesting articles. I've added both to the bibliography and I've + added information from each into the HOWTO. Thanks to Andrew Shugg + who pointed out several errors in the document. Also, a big thanks + to Sung Wook Her (AKA RedBaron) who is doing the first translation + of the HOWTO into Korean. I've been happy to see that people have + enjoyed and benefited from the HOWTO so far. - Josh Crawford, Andy King, and Jaime Davila who all read through - this in entirety and gave me feedback that has helped me make - changes and improvements to this document. I can't thank you guys - enough for your help. An extra Thank You goes to - Andy King who who read through this several times and submitted - patches to make life easier for me. + Older thanks that I don't want to take out yet include: Josh + Crawford, Andy King, and Jaime Davila who all read through this in + entirety and gave me feedback that has helped me make changes and + improvements to this document. I can't thank you guys enough for + your help. An extra Thank You goes to Andy King who + who read through this several times and submitted patches to make + life easier for me. @@ -282,7 +292,7 @@ Also providing support material, and inspiration for this HOWTO is Eric S. Raymond for his prolific, consistent, and carefully crafted arguments and Lawrence Lessig for reminding me of the - importance of Free Software. Additionaly, I want to thank every + importance of Free Software. Additionally, I want to thank every user and developer involved with the Debian Project. The project has provided me with a home, a place to practice free software @@ -296,7 +306,7 @@ Above all, I want to thank Richard Stallman for his work at the Free Software Foundation and for never giving up. Stallman provides and articulates the philosophical basis that - attracts me to free software and that drives me towards writing a + attracts me to free software and that drives me toward writing a document to make sure it succeeds. RMS can always be emailed at rms (at) gnu (dot) org. @@ -334,12 +344,13 @@ - However, this HOWTO is still young and I have to yet to be - contacted about a translation so English is all that is currently - 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: mako@debian.org. + I've been contacted by a reader who promises a translation into + Korean. However, this HOWTO is still young and other than the + promise of Korean, English is all that is currently 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: mako@debian.org. @@ -357,7 +368,7 @@ With very little argument, the beginning is the most difficult period in a project's life to do successful free software project - managment. Laying a firm foundation will determine whether your + management. Laying a firm foundation 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. @@ -374,7 +385,7 @@ It is in these dangerous initial moments that anyone working to start a free software project must try and strike a balance along these lines. One of the most important ways that someone trying to - start a project can work towards this balance is by establishing a + start a project can work toward this balance is by establishing a solid framework for the development process through some of the suggestions mentioned in this section. @@ -388,7 +399,7 @@ If you are reading this document, there's a good chance you already have an idea for a project in mind. Chances are also - pretty good that it fills a percieved gap by doing something that + pretty good that it fills a perceived gap by doing something that no other free software project does or by doing something in a way that is unique enough to necessitate a brand new piece of software. @@ -575,7 +586,7 @@ For many developers this may be the single most difficult aspect - of free software project managment, but it is an essential one. It is + of free software project management, but it is an essential one. It is easy to become fired up by an idea and get caught up in the momentum and excitement of a new project. It is often extremely difficult to do, but it is important that any free software @@ -601,7 +612,7 @@ project is worth giving a bit of thought. Leslie Orchard tackles this issue in an Advogato - article. His article is short and definately worth looking + article. His article is short and definitely worth looking over quickly. @@ -631,8 +642,8 @@ He makes a good point though. There are companies whose only job is to make names for pieces of software. They make ridiculous amount of money doing it and are - supposedly worth it. While you probably can't aford a company like - this, you can afford to learn from their existance and think a + supposedly worth it. While you probably can't afford a company like + this, you can afford to learn from their existence and think a little bit about the name you are giving your project because it does matter. @@ -687,7 +698,12 @@ url="http://www.opensource.org/docs/definition_plain.html">Open Source Definition. Examples of free licenses given by the DFSG are the GPL, the - BSD, and the Artistic License. + BSD, and the Artistic License. As ESR mentions + in his his HOWTO, don't write your own + license if at all possible. The three licenses I mention all have + long interpretive traditions. They are also definitely free + software (and can therefore be distributed as part of Debian and + in other places that permit the transfer of free software). @@ -698,8 +714,12 @@ uphold, users' freedom to run, copy, distribute, study, change and improve the software. There are plenty of other licenses that also conform to the DFSG - but sticking with a more well-known license will offer the advantage - of immediate recognition and understanding. + but sticking with a more well-known license will offer the + advantage of immediate recognition and understanding. Many + people write three or four sentences in a COPYING file and assume + that they have written a free software license--as my long + experience with the debian-legal mailing professes, this is very + often not the case. @@ -723,6 +743,21 @@ some, it is a major drawback. + + Many people write three or four sentences in a COPYING file and + assume that they have written a free software license--as my long + experience with the debian-legal mailing professes, this is very + often not the case. It may not protect you, it may not protect + your software, and it may make things very difficult for people + that want to use your software but who pay a lot of attention to + the subtle legal points of licenses. If you are passionate about + a home-brewed license, run it by either people at OSI or the debian-legal mailing + list first protect yourself from unanticipated + side-effects of your license. + + The three major licenses can be found at the following locations: @@ -766,6 +801,17 @@ + + Make yourself or the FSF the copyright holder for the + work. In a few rare cases, you might want to make a sponsoring + organization (if it's big and powerful enough) the copyright + holder instead. Doing this is as simple as putting the name in + the blank when you modify the notice of copyright + below. Contrary to popular belief, you don't need to file with + any organization. The notice alone is enough to copyright your + work. + + If at all possible, attach and distribute a full copy of the license with the source and binary by including a separate @@ -889,14 +935,14 @@ for details. time. The first number is the major number and it signifies major changes or rewrites. The second number is the minor number and it represents added or tweaked functionality on top of a largely - coherant structure. The third number is the patch number and it + coherent structure. The third number is the patch number and it usually will only refer to releases fixing bugs. The widespread use of this scheme is why I know the nature and relative degree in the differences between a 2.4.12 release of the - Linux kernel and a 2.4.11, 2.2.12, and 1.2.12 without knowning + Linux kernel and a 2.4.11, 2.2.12, and 1.2.12 without knowing anything about any of the releases. @@ -949,7 +995,7 @@ for details. Wine version numbering: Because of the unusual nature of wine's development where - the not-emulator is constantly improving but not working towards + the not-emulator is constantly improving but not working toward any immediately achievable goal, wine is released every three weeks. Wine does this by labeling their releases in Year Month Day format where each release might be labeled @@ -979,7 +1025,7 @@ for details. road maps. Major points and achievements along these road-maps were marked as milestones. Therefore, although - mozilla was built and distributed nightly as nightly + Mozilla was built and distributed nightly as nightly builds, on a day when the goals of a milestone on the road-map had been reached, that particular build was marked as a milestone release. @@ -1192,7 +1238,7 @@ pages for more information and options. A NEWS file and a ChangeLog are similar. Unlike a CHANGELOG, a NEWS file is not typically updated with new versions. Whenever new features are added, the developer - responisble will make a note in the NEWS file. NEWS files + responsible will make a note in the NEWS file. NEWS files should not have to be changed before a release (they should be kept up to date all along) but it's usually a good idea to check first anyway because often developers just forget to @@ -1238,23 +1284,67 @@ pages for more information and options. Other documentation hints - - 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. 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. - + + + + 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. 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. In my opinion, info falls into this category + as well. There is plenty of great GNU documentation that + people simply don't read because it only in info. And this + does make people angry. It's not a + question of superior formats; it is a question of + accessability and the status quo plays a huge role in this + determination. + + + + + + It doesn't hurt to distribute any documentation for your + program from your website (FAQs etc) with your program. Don't + hesitate to throw any of this in the program's tarball. If + people don't need it, they will delete it. I can repeat it over + and over: Too much documentation is not a + sin. + + + + + Unless your software is particular to a non-English + language (a Japanese language editor for example), please + distribute it with English language documentation. If you don't + speak English or not not confident in your skills, ask a friend + for help. Like it or not, fair or unfair, English is + the language of free software. However, this does not + mean you should limit your documentation to only English. If you + speak another language, distribute translations of documentation + with your software if you have the time and energy to do + so. They will invariably be useful to someone. + + + + + Finally, please spell-check your + documentation. Misspellings in documentation are + bugs. I'm very guilty of committing this error and it's + extremely easy to do. If English is not your first language, + have a native speaker look over or edit your documentation or + web pages. Poor spelling or grammar goes a long way to making + your code look unprofessional. In code comments, this type of + thing is less important but in man pages and web pages these + mistakes are not acceptable. + + + + + - - It doesn't hurt to distribute any documentation for your program - from your website (FAQs etc) with your program. Don't hesitate to - throw any of this in the program's tarball. If people don't need - it, they will delete it. I can repeat it over and over: - Too much documentation is not a sin. - @@ -1271,6 +1361,20 @@ pages for more information and options. may remind a developer of something they may have forgotten. + + Package File Names + + I agree with ESR when he says that: It's helpful to + everybody if your archive files all have GNU-like names -- + all-lower-case alphanumeric stem prefix, followed by a dash, + followed by a version number, extension, and other + suffixes. There is more info (including lots of examples + of what not to do in his Software + Release Practices HOWTO which is included in this + HOWTO's bibliography and can be found through the LDP. + + + Package formats @@ -1318,7 +1422,7 @@ pages for more information and options. about a version control system because it provides an automated way of solving many of the problems described by this HOWTO. I am not aware of any free version control systems for Windows or - MacOS but I know that CVS clients exist for both + Mac OS but I know that CVS clients exist for both platforms. Websites like SourceForge do a great job as well with a nice, easy-to-use web interface to CVS. @@ -1327,8 +1431,10 @@ pages for more information and options. I'd love to devote more space in this HOWTO to CVS because I love it (I even use CVS to keep versions straight on this HOWTO!) but - I think it falls outside the scope of this document and should have - (already has) its own HOWTO. + I think it falls outside the scope of this document and already + has its own HOWTOs. Most notably is the CVS Best + Practices HOWTO + which I've included in the attached bibliography. @@ -1353,7 +1459,7 @@ pages for more information and options. yourprojectname-latest that is always pointing to the most recent released or development version of your free software application. Keep in mind that this location - will recieve many requests for downloads around releases so + will receive many requests for downloads around releases so make sure that the server you choose has adequate bandwidth. @@ -1468,7 +1574,7 @@ pages for more information and options. In a bit of a disclaimer, delegation need not mean rule by - comittee. In many cases it does and this has been proven to + committee. In many cases it does and this has been proven to work. In other cases this has created problems. Managing Projects the Open Source Way argues that OSS @@ -1498,13 +1604,13 @@ pages for more information and options. yourself. In a sentence: 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. The following ideas might be good places + toward them. The following ideas might be good places to start or good sources of inspiration: Allow a larger group of people to have write access to your CVS - repository and make real efforts towards rule by a + repository and make real efforts toward rule by a committee @@ -1599,6 +1705,29 @@ pages for more information and options. to you by other developers. + + Encouraging Good Patching + + As the person managing or maintaining the project, you + aren't the person who is going to be making a lot of + patches. However, it's worth knowing about ESR's section on + Good Patching Practice in the + Software Release Practices HOWTO. I don't agree with ESR's claim that most ugly + or undocumented patches are probably worth throwing out at first + sight--this just hasn't been my experience, especially when + dealing with bug fixes that often don't come in the form of + patches at all. Of course, this doesn't mean that I + like getting poorly done patches. If you get + ugly -e patches, if you get totally undocumented patches, and + especially if they are anything more than trivial bug-fixes, it + might be worth judging the patch by some of the criteria in ESR's + HOWTO and then throwing people the link to the document so they + can do it the right way. + + + + Technical judgment @@ -1626,7 +1755,7 @@ pages for more information and options. The necessity to avoid digressions that might expand the scope of the program too much and result and push the project - towards an early death under its own weight and + toward an early death under its own weight and unwieldiness. @@ -1697,8 +1826,8 @@ pages for more information and options. difficult decisions to a development mailing list where they can be discussed and debated. There will be some patches (bug fixes, etc.) which will definitely be accepted and some that you feel - are so offbase that they do not even merit further - discussion. It is those that fall into the grey area between + are so off base that they do not even merit further + discussion. It is those that fall into the gray area between these two groups that might merit a quick forward to a mailing list. @@ -1717,7 +1846,7 @@ pages for more information and options. Technical issues are not always good justification - Especially towards the beginning of your project's life, you + Especially toward the beginning of your project's life, you will find that many changes are difficult to implement, introduce new bugs, or have other technical problems. Try to see past these. Especially with added functionality, good ideas do @@ -2073,7 +2202,7 @@ pages for more information and options. In addition to your users being your developers, they are also (and perhaps more commonly) your testers. Before I get flamed, I should rephrase my sentence: some of your - users (those who explicityly volunteer) are your + users (those who explicitly volunteer) are your testers. @@ -2082,7 +2211,7 @@ pages for more information and options. all of your users want to be testers. Many users want to use stable software and don't care if they don't have the newest, greatest software with the latest, greatest features. These users - except a stable, tested piece of software without major or obvious + expect a stable, tested piece of software without major or obvious bugs and will be angry if they find themselves testing. This is yet another way in which a split development model (as mentioned in ) might come in handy. @@ -2157,7 +2286,7 @@ pages for more information and options. - CVS comes with a bourne shell script called sanity.sh that is + CVS comes with a Bourne shell script called sanity.sh that is worth looking at. Debian uses a program called lintian that checks Debian packages for all of the most common errors. While use of these scripts may not be helpful, there is a host of other @@ -2192,7 +2321,7 @@ pages for more information and options. The second most difficult part of testing is keeping your testers and keeping them actively involved in the testing process. Fortunately, there are - some tried and true tactics that can applied towards this end: + some tried and true tactics that can applied toward this end: @@ -2269,7 +2398,7 @@ pages for more information and options. - + Mailing lists Aside from documentation, effective mailing lists will be your @@ -2322,7 +2451,7 @@ pages for more information and options. There are other things you want to take into consideration in setting up your list. If it is possible to gate your mailing - lists to USENET and provide it in digest form as well as + lists to Usenet and provide it in digest form as well as making them accessible on the web, you will please some users and work to make the support infrastructure slightly more accessible. @@ -2361,7 +2490,7 @@ pages for more information and options. url="http://bugs.debian.org">Debian Bug Tracking System (BTS) although it may not be best choice for every project (it seems to currently be buckling under its own - weight) As well as a damn good web browser, the mozilla project + weight) As well as a damn good web browser, the Mozilla project has spawned a sub-project resulting in a bug tracking system called bugzilla @@ -2578,26 +2707,35 @@ pages for more information and options. - Mailing lists and USENET + Mailing lists and Usenet + + Announce your software on Usenet's comp.os.linux.announce. If + you only announce your software in two places, have it be c.o.l.a + and freshmeat. + - Email is still the way that most people on the Internet get their - information. Its a good idea to send a message announcing your - program to any relevant mailing list you know of and any relevant - USENET discussion group. Karl Fogel recommends that use you - simple subject describing the fact that the message is an - announcement, the name of the program, the version, and a - half-line long description of its functionality. This way, any - interested user or developer will be immediately attracted to - your announcement. Fogel's example looks like: + However, email is still the way that most people on the Internet + get their information. Its a good idea to send a message + announcing your program to any relevant mailing list you know of + and any other relevant Usenet discussion groups. + + Karl Fogel recommends that use you simple subject + describing the fact that the message is an announcement, the name + of the program, the version, and a half-line long description of + its functionality. This way, any interested user or developer + will be immediately attracted to your announcement. Fogel's + example looks like: - Subject: ANN: aub 1.0, a program to assemble USENET binaries + Subject: ANN: aub 1.0, a program to assemble Usenet binaries The rest of the email should describe the programs functionality quickly and concisely in no more than two paragraphs and should provide links to the projects webpage and direct links to - downloads for those that want to try it right away. + downloads for those that want to try it right away. This form + will work for both Usenet and mailing list posts. @@ -2625,6 +2763,20 @@ pages for more information and options. interesting new releases). + + + Project Mailing List + + If you've gone ahead and created mailing lists for your + project, you should always announce new versions on these + lists. I've found that for many projects, users request a very + low-volume announce only mailing list to be notified when new + versions are released. freshmeat.net now allows users to subscribe + to a particular project so they receive emails every time a new + version is announced through their system. It's free and it can + stand in for an announce-only mailing list. In my opinion, it + can't hurt. + @@ -2652,7 +2804,7 @@ pages for more information and options. Fogel's guide to using CVS in the free software - world is much more than its subitle. In the publisher's + world is much more than its subtitle. In the publisher's own words: Open Source Development with CVS is one of the first books available that teaches you development and implementation of Open Source @@ -2663,6 +2815,10 @@ pages for more information and options. important and useful. Please check it or buy it if you can and are seriously interested in running a free software project. + + In May of 2003, the entire book under the GPL. You can + find the full text of the book here. @@ -2688,7 +2844,7 @@ pages for more information and options. While it only briefly talks about free software (and does it by tiptoeing around the free software/open source issue with the spineless use of the term open code that only a - laywer could coin), Lessig's book is brilliant. Written by a + lawyer could coin), Lessig's book is brilliant. Written by a lawyer, it talks about how regulation on the Internet is not done with law, but with the code itself and how the nature of the code will determine the nature of future freedoms. In @@ -2738,7 +2894,7 @@ pages for more information and options. - Web-Accessable Resources + Web-Accessible Resources This is a list of the web resources pertaining to this HOWTO that @@ -2750,9 +2906,90 @@ pages for more information and options. I'd recommend that any free software developer (or potential one) - skim through these sites becaue they have each have a lot to say. + skim through these sites because they have each have a lot to say. + + + + + Dafermos + George + N + + + <ulink url="http://firstmonday.org/issues/issue6_11/dafermos/">Management and Virtual Decentralized Networks: The Linux Project</ulink> + + + Since the paper includes its own abstract, I thought I + would include it here verbatim: + +
This paper examines the latest of + paradigms - the Virtual Network(ed) Organisation - and whether + geographically dispersed knowledge workers can virtually + collaborate for a project under no central + planning. Co-ordination, management and the role of knowledge + arise as the central areas of focus. The Linux Project and its + development model are selected as a case of analysis and the + critical success factors of this organisational design are + identified. The study proceeds to the formulation of a + framework that can be applied to all kinds of virtual + decentralised work and concludes that value creation is + maximized when there is intense interaction and uninhibited + sharing of information between the organisation and the + surrounding community. Therefore, the potential success or + failure of this organisational paradigm depends on the degree + of dedication and involvement by the surrounding + community.
 + + This paper was referred to me in my capacity as author of + this HOWTO and I was very impressed. It's written by a graduate + student in management and I think it succeeds at evaluating the + Linux project as an example of a new paradigm in management--one + that you will be be placing yourself at the + center of in your capacity as maintainer of a free software + project. + + As a developer trying to control an application and guide + it to success in the free software world, I'm not sure how + useful Dafermos's argument is. It does however, provide a + theoretical justification for my HOWTO--free software project + management is a different creature than + proprietary software project management. If you are interested + in the conceptual and theoretical ways that free software + project management differs from other types of management, this + is a great paper to read. If this paper answers questions of + how?, Dafermos answers the (more difficult to + defend) questions of why? and does a very good + job. + + + + + + + + + + Gabriel + Richard + + + <ulink + url="http://www.jwz.org/doc/worse-is-better.html">The Rise of + <quote>Worse is Better</quote></ulink> + + + + A well written article although I think the title may have + confused as many people as the rest of the essay helped. It + offers a good description of how to design programs that will + succeed and stay maintainable as they grow. + + + + + @@ -2775,8 +3012,8 @@ pages for more information and options. In one of the better articles on the subject that I've read, Monty sums up some of the major points I touch on including: - starting a project, testing, documenation, organizing a team and - leadership, and several other topics. While more opiniated that + starting a project, testing, documentation, organizing a team and + leadership, and several other topics. While more opinionated that I try to be, I think its an important article that I found very helpful in writing this HOWTO. I've tried to cite him in the places where I borrowed from him most. @@ -2791,27 +3028,69 @@ pages for more information and options. - + - Gabriel - Richard + Raymond + Eric + Steven - - <ulink - url="http://www.jwz.org/doc/worse-is-better.html">The Rise of - <quote>Worse is Better</quote></ulink> + + <ulink url="http://www.tldp.org/HOWTO/Software-Release-Practice-HOWTO/index.html">Software Release Practice HOWTO</ulink> - - A well written article although I think the title may have - confused as many people as the rest of the essay helped. It - offers a good description of how to design programs that will - succeed and stay maintainable as they grow. - + + At first glance, ESR's release practice HOWTO seems to + share a lot of terrain with this document. Upon closer + examination, the differences become apparent but they are + closely related. His document, read in conjunction with mine, + will give a reader a good picture of how to go about managing a + project. ESR's HOWTO goes into a bit more detail on how to write + and what languages to write in. He tends to give more specific + instructions and checklists (name this file this, not + this) while this HOWTO speaks more conceptually. There + are several sections that are extremely similar. It's also + much shorter. + + My favorite quote from his HOWTO is: "Managing a + project well when all the participants are volunteers presents + some unique challenges. This is too large a topic to cover in a + HOWTO. Oh really? Perhaps I just do a poor job. + + + + + + + Venugopalan + Vivek + + + <ulink url="http://www.magic-cauldron.com/cm/cvs-bestpractices/index.html">CVS Best Practices</ulink> + + + + Venugopalan provides one of the best essays on + effective use of CVS that I've come across. It is written for + people who already have a good knowledge of CVS. In the chapter + on branching, he describes when and how to branch but gives no + information on what CVS commands you should use to do this. This + is fine (technical CVS HOWTO have been written) but CVS newbies + will want to spend some time with Fogel's reference before they + will find this one very useful. + + Venugopalan creates checklists of things to do before, + after, and around releases. It's definitely worth a read through + as most of his ideas will save tons of developer head aches over + any longer period of time. + + + + + @@ -2825,10 +3104,10 @@ pages for more information and options. - I have spent a huge amount of time on advogato and I've gone + I have spent a huge amount of time on Advogato and I've gone through and provided links to the articles that I think might be of particular interest to anyone reading this HOWTO. I think that - skimming through these links can be helfpul and I promise that if + skimming through these links can be helpful and I promise that if you do, you'll learn a lot. You will learn that my idea of how a free software project should be run is not the only idea. I think that's important. @@ -2838,7 +3117,7 @@ pages for more information and options. If nothing else, there is way more information on that website than I could ever fit into, or reference from this HOWTO. I have listed what I think are the most - relavant articles here with short descriptions that I've written. + relevant articles here with short descriptions that I've written. @@ -2860,7 +3139,7 @@ pages for more information and options. Touching mostly on programming practice (as most articles on the subject usually do), the article talks a little about - project managment (Use it!) and a bit about + project management (Use it!) and a bit about communication within a free software project. @@ -2943,7 +3222,7 @@ pages for more information and options. While the article is little more than a question, reading the - answers to this question offered by advogato's readers can + answers to this question offered by Advogato's readers can help. In a lot of ways, this HOWTO acts as my answer to the questions posed in this article but there are others, many of which might take issue with whats is in this HOWTO. It's worth @@ -2972,7 +3251,7 @@ pages for more information and options. This document was written as a response to another advogato + url="http://www.advogato.org/article/72.html">another Advogato article. Although not about running a project, this describes some of the ways that you can get started with free software development without starting a project. I think this @@ -2992,11 +3271,10 @@ pages for more information and options. Moorman Jacob - - <ulink - url="http://www.advogato.org/article/72.html"></ulink>Importance - of Non-Developer Supporters in Free Software - + + <ulink url="http://www.advogato.org/article/72.html">Importance of + Non-Developer Supporters in Free Software</ulink><title> + Advogato @@ -3049,16 +3327,16 @@ pages for more information and options. Advogato - Februrary 28, 2000 + February 28, 2000 - In this article, David Allen challengs the whole + In this article, David Allen challenges the whole Major.Minor.Patch version numbering scheme. Its good to read this as you read . I liked the article and it describes some of the projects that I bring up in my discussion - of verion numbering. + of version numbering. @@ -3096,14 +3374,14 @@ pages for more information and options. GNU Free Documentation License - + 0. PREAMBLE The purpose of this License is to make a manual, textbook, or other written document free in the sense of freedom: to assure everyone the effective freedom to copy and redistribute it, with or without modifying it, either - commercially or noncommercially. Secondarily, this License + commercially or non-commercially. Secondarily, this License preserves for the author and publisher a way to get credit for their work, while not being considered responsible for modifications made by others. @@ -3126,8 +3404,8 @@ pages for more information and options. printed book. We recommend this License principally for works whose purpose is instruction or reference. - - + + 1. APPLICABILITY AND DEFINITIONS This License applies to any manual or other work that contains a @@ -3216,14 +3494,14 @@ pages for more information and options. most prominent appearance of the work's title, preceding the beginning of the body of the text. - + - + 2. VERBATIM COPYING You may copy and distribute the Document in any medium, either - commercially or noncommercially, provided that this License, the + commercially or non-commercially, provided that this License, the copyright notices, and the license notice saying this License applies to the Document are reproduced in all copies, and that you add no other conditions whatsoever to those of this @@ -3239,9 +3517,9 @@ pages for more information and options. You may also lend copies, under the same conditions stated above, and you may publicly display copies. - + - + 3. COPYING IN QUANTITY If you publish printed copies of the - + - + 4. MODIFICATIONS You may copy and distribute a Modified Version . - + - + 5. COMBINING DOCUMENTS You may combine the Document @@ -3579,9 +3857,9 @@ pages for more information and options. and any sections entitled Dedications. You must delete all sections entitled Endorsements. - + - + 6. COLLECTIONS OF DOCUMENTS You may make a collection consisting of the - + - + 7. AGGREGATION WITH INDEPENDENT WORKS A compilation of the - + - + 8. TRANSLATION Translation is considered a kind of modification, so you may @@ -3643,9 +3921,9 @@ pages for more information and options. translation and the original English version of this License, the original English version will prevail. - + - + 9. TERMINATION You may not copy, modify, sublicense, or distribute the - + - + 10. FUTURE REVISIONS OF THIS LICENSE The - - - - Addendum - - To use this License in a document you have written, include a copy of - the License in the document and put the following copyright and - license notices just after the title page: - - -
- - Copyright © YEAR YOUR NAME. - - - Permission is granted to copy, distribute and/or modify this - document under the terms of the GNU Free Documentation - License, Version 1.1 or any later version published by the - Free Software Foundation; with the Invariant Sections being LIST - THEIR TITLES, with the Front-Cover Texts being LIST, - and with the Back-Cover - Texts being LIST. A copy of the license is included in - the section entitled GNU Free Documentation - License. - -
- - - If you have no Invariant - Sections, write with no Invariant Sections - instead of saying which ones are invariant. If you have no - Front-Cover Texts, write - no Front-Cover Texts instead of - Front-Cover Texts being LIST; likewise for Back-Cover Texts. - - - - If your document contains nontrivial examples of program code, - we recommend releasing these examples in parallel under your - choice of free software license, such as the GNU General Public - License, to permit their use in free software. - - + @@ -3751,4 +3983,4 @@ sgml-exposed-tags:nil sgml-local-catalogs:nil sgml-local-ecat-files:nil End: ---> \ No newline at end of file +-->