This HOWTO is designed for people with experience in programming
and some skills in managing a software project but who are new to
the world of Free Software. This document is meant to act as a
- guide to the non-technical aspects of programming and was written
- to act as a crash course in the people skills that aren't taught
- to commercial coders but that can make or break a free software
- project.
+ guide to the non-technical aspects of free software development
+ and was written to act as a crash course in the people skills
+ that aren't taught to commercial coders but that can make or
+ break a free software project.
</para>
</abstract>
This HOWTO tries to do a lot of thing (probably too many), but it
can't answer that question and won't attempt it. What this HOWTO
will attempt to do is give your Free Software project a fighting
- chance-an edge. If you write a piece of crap that no one is
- interested in, you can read this HOWTO until you recite it in your
- sleep and your project will probably fail. Then again, you can
+ chance--an edge. If you write a piece of crap that no one is
+ interested in, you can read this HOWTO until you can recite it in
+ your sleep and your project will probably fail. Then again, you can
write a beautiful, relevant piece of software and follow every
instruction in this HOWTO and your software may still not make
it. Sometimes life is like that. However, I'll go out a limb and
A lot of the information in this HOWTO is best called common
sense. Of course, as any debate on interfaces will prove, what is
common sense to some programmers proves totally unintuitive to
- others. After explaining bites and pieces of this HOWTO to Free
- Software developers on several occasions, I realized that that
- writing this HOWTO might provide a useful resource and a forum for
+ others. After explaining bits and pieces of this HOWTO to Free
+ Software developers on several occasions, I realized that writing
+ this HOWTO might provide a useful resource and a forum for
programmers to share ideas about what has and has not worked for
- them.
- </para>
-
- <para>
-
+ them.
</para>
<para>
</para>
<para>
- Unless otherwise stated, Linux HOWTO documents are
- copyrighted by their respective authors. Linux HOWTO documents may
- be reproduced and distributed in whole or in part, in any medium
- physical or electronic, as long as this copyright notice is
- retained on all copies. Commercial redistribution is allowed and
- encouraged; however, the author would like to be notified of any
- such distributions.
+ Unless otherwise stated, Linux HOWTO documents are copyrighted by
+ their respective authors. Linux HOWTO documents may be reproduced
+ and distributed in whole or in part, in any medium physical or
+ electronic, as long as this copyright notice is retained on all
+ copies. Commercial redistribution is allowed and encouraged;
+ however, the author would like to be notified of any such
+ distributions.
</para>
<para>
</para>
<para>
- In short, we wish to promote dissemination of this
- information through as many channels as possible. However, we do
- wish to retain copyright on the HOWTO documents, and would like to
- be notified of any plans to redistribute the HOWTOs.
+ In short, we wish to promote dissemination of this information
+ through as many channels as possible. However, we do wish to
+ retain copyright on the HOWTO documents, and would like to be
+ notified of any plans to redistribute the HOWTOs.
</para>
<para>
- If you have any questions, please contact
+ If you have any questions, please contact
<email>linux-howto@metalab.unc.edu</email>
</para>
</sect2>
<para>
No liability for the contents of this documents can be accepted.
- Use the concepts, examples and other content at your own risk.
- As this is a new edition of this document, there may be errors
- and inaccuracies, that may of course be damaging to your system.
- Proceed with caution, and although this is highly unlikely,
- the author(s) do not take any responsibility for that.
+ Use the concepts, examples and other content at your own risk. As
+ this is a new edition of this document, there may be errors and
+ inaccuracies, that may of course be damaging to your system.
+ Proceed with caution, and although this is highly unlikely, the
+ author(s) do not take any responsibility for that.
</para>
<para>
<title>New Versions</title>
<indexterm>
- <primary>(your index root)!news on</primary>
+ <primary>fswd!news on</primary>
</indexterm>
<para>
more. <ulink url="http://cvsbook.red-bean.com">The book's
website</ulink> has information on ordering the book and provides
several translations of the chapters on CVS. I you are seriously
- interested in running a Free Software project, you want this book.
+ interested in running a Free Software project, you want this
+ book. I tried to mention Fogel in sections of this HOWTO where I
+ knew I was borrowing directly from his ideas. If I missed any, I'm
+ sorry, and I'll try and have those fixed in future versions.
</para>
<para>
com</email>
</para>
<para>
- Also providing support and material, and inspiration for this
- HOWTO is Eric S. Raymond for his prolific, consistent, and
- carefully crafted arguments, to Lawrence Lessig for reminding me
- of the importance of Free Software and to every user and developer
+ Also providing support material, and inspiration for this HOWTO is
+ Eric S. Raymond for his prolific, consistent, and carefully
+ crafted arguments, Lawrence Lessig for reminding me of the
+ importance of Free Software and finally, every user and developer
involved with the <ulink url="http://www.debian.org">Debian
Project</ulink>. The project has provided me with a home, a place
- to practice Free Software advocacy and to make a difference, a
- place to learn from those how have been involved with the movement
- much longer than I, and an proof of a Free Software project that
- <emphasis>definitely, definitely works</emphasis>.
+ to practice Free Software advocacy, a place to make a difference,
+ a place to learn from those how have been involved with the
+ movement much longer than I, and proof of a Free Software project
+ that definitely, definitely works.
</para>
<para>
Above all, I want to thank <emphasis>Richard Stallman</emphasis>
for his work at the Free Software Foundation and for never giving
- up. Stallman provided the philosophical basis that attracts me to
- Free Software and that drives me towards writing a document to
- make sure it succeeds. RMS can always be emailed at <email>rms
- (at) gnu (dot) org</email>.
+ up. Stallman provides and articulates the philosophical basis that
+ attracts me to Free Software and that drives me towards writing a
+ document to make sure it succeeds. RMS can always be emailed at
+ <email>rms (at) gnu (dot) org</email>.
</para>
</sect2>
<para>
Feedback is most certainly welcome for this document. Without your
submissions and input, this document wouldn't exist. Something
- missing? Don't hesitate to contact me and to write a chapter. I
- want this document to be as much a product of the Free Software
- 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@debian. org</email>.
+ missing? Don't hesitate to contact me and to write a chapter or
+ section, or subsection. I want this document to be a product of
+ the Free Software 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@debian. org</email>.
</para>
</sect2>
</para>
<para>
However, this HOWTO is still young and I have to yet to be
- contacted about a translation so English is all that is
+ 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
This HOWTO is designed for people with experience in programming
and some skills in managing a software project but who are new to
the world of Free Software. This document is meant to act as a
- guide to the non-technical aspects of programming and was written
- to act as a crash course in the people skills that aren't taught
- to commercial coders but that can make or break a free software
- project.
+ guide to the non-technical aspects of free software development
+ and was written to act as a crash course in the people skills
+ that aren't taught to commercial coders but that can make or
+ break a free software project.
</para>
</abstract>
This HOWTO tries to do a lot of thing (probably too many), but it
can't answer that question and won't attempt it. What this HOWTO
will attempt to do is give your Free Software project a fighting
- chance-an edge. If you write a piece of crap that no one is
- interested in, you can read this HOWTO until you recite it in your
- sleep and your project will probably fail. Then again, you can
+ chance--an edge. If you write a piece of crap that no one is
+ interested in, you can read this HOWTO until you can recite it in
+ your sleep and your project will probably fail. Then again, you can
write a beautiful, relevant piece of software and follow every
instruction in this HOWTO and your software may still not make
it. Sometimes life is like that. However, I'll go out a limb and
A lot of the information in this HOWTO is best called common
sense. Of course, as any debate on interfaces will prove, what is
common sense to some programmers proves totally unintuitive to
- others. After explaining bites and pieces of this HOWTO to Free
- Software developers on several occasions, I realized that that
- writing this HOWTO might provide a useful resource and a forum for
+ others. After explaining bits and pieces of this HOWTO to Free
+ Software developers on several occasions, I realized that writing
+ this HOWTO might provide a useful resource and a forum for
programmers to share ideas about what has and has not worked for
- them.
- </para>
-
- <para>
-
+ them.
</para>
<para>
</para>
<para>
- Unless otherwise stated, Linux HOWTO documents are
- copyrighted by their respective authors. Linux HOWTO documents may
- be reproduced and distributed in whole or in part, in any medium
- physical or electronic, as long as this copyright notice is
- retained on all copies. Commercial redistribution is allowed and
- encouraged; however, the author would like to be notified of any
- such distributions.
+ Unless otherwise stated, Linux HOWTO documents are copyrighted by
+ their respective authors. Linux HOWTO documents may be reproduced
+ and distributed in whole or in part, in any medium physical or
+ electronic, as long as this copyright notice is retained on all
+ copies. Commercial redistribution is allowed and encouraged;
+ however, the author would like to be notified of any such
+ distributions.
</para>
<para>
</para>
<para>
- In short, we wish to promote dissemination of this
- information through as many channels as possible. However, we do
- wish to retain copyright on the HOWTO documents, and would like to
- be notified of any plans to redistribute the HOWTOs.
+ In short, we wish to promote dissemination of this information
+ through as many channels as possible. However, we do wish to
+ retain copyright on the HOWTO documents, and would like to be
+ notified of any plans to redistribute the HOWTOs.
</para>
<para>
- If you have any questions, please contact
+ If you have any questions, please contact
<email>linux-howto@metalab.unc.edu</email>
</para>
</sect2>
<para>
No liability for the contents of this documents can be accepted.
- Use the concepts, examples and other content at your own risk.
- As this is a new edition of this document, there may be errors
- and inaccuracies, that may of course be damaging to your system.
- Proceed with caution, and although this is highly unlikely,
- the author(s) do not take any responsibility for that.
+ Use the concepts, examples and other content at your own risk. As
+ this is a new edition of this document, there may be errors and
+ inaccuracies, that may of course be damaging to your system.
+ Proceed with caution, and although this is highly unlikely, the
+ author(s) do not take any responsibility for that.
</para>
<para>
<title>New Versions</title>
<indexterm>
- <primary>(your index root)!news on</primary>
+ <primary>fswd!news on</primary>
</indexterm>
<para>
more. <ulink url="http://cvsbook.red-bean.com">The book's
website</ulink> has information on ordering the book and provides
several translations of the chapters on CVS. I you are seriously
- interested in running a Free Software project, you want this book.
+ interested in running a Free Software project, you want this
+ book. I tried to mention Fogel in sections of this HOWTO where I
+ knew I was borrowing directly from his ideas. If I missed any, I'm
+ sorry, and I'll try and have those fixed in future versions.
</para>
<para>
com</email>
</para>
<para>
- Also providing support and material, and inspiration for this
- HOWTO is Eric S. Raymond for his prolific, consistent, and
- carefully crafted arguments, to Lawrence Lessig for reminding me
- of the importance of Free Software and to every user and developer
+ Also providing support material, and inspiration for this HOWTO is
+ Eric S. Raymond for his prolific, consistent, and carefully
+ crafted arguments, Lawrence Lessig for reminding me of the
+ importance of Free Software and finally, every user and developer
involved with the <ulink url="http://www.debian.org">Debian
Project</ulink>. The project has provided me with a home, a place
- to practice Free Software advocacy and to make a difference, a
- place to learn from those how have been involved with the movement
- much longer than I, and an proof of a Free Software project that
- <emphasis>definitely, definitely works</emphasis>.
+ to practice Free Software advocacy, a place to make a difference,
+ a place to learn from those how have been involved with the
+ movement much longer than I, and proof of a Free Software project
+ that definitely, definitely works.
</para>
<para>
Above all, I want to thank <emphasis>Richard Stallman</emphasis>
for his work at the Free Software Foundation and for never giving
- up. Stallman provided the philosophical basis that attracts me to
- Free Software and that drives me towards writing a document to
- make sure it succeeds. RMS can always be emailed at <email>rms
- (at) gnu (dot) org</email>.
+ up. Stallman provides and articulates the philosophical basis that
+ attracts me to Free Software and that drives me towards writing a
+ document to make sure it succeeds. RMS can always be emailed at
+ <email>rms (at) gnu (dot) org</email>.
</para>
</sect2>
<para>
Feedback is most certainly welcome for this document. Without your
submissions and input, this document wouldn't exist. Something
- missing? Don't hesitate to contact me and to write a chapter. I
- want this document to be as much a product of the Free Software
- 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@debian. org</email>.
+ missing? Don't hesitate to contact me and to write a chapter or
+ section, or subsection. I want this document to be a product of
+ the Free Software 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@debian. org</email>.
</para>
</sect2>
</para>
<para>
However, this HOWTO is still young and I have to yet to be
- contacted about a translation so English is all that is
+ 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