doc/en/docproj/current.sgml
Nik Clayton 45dcea77f7 Remove the "Write the 'How the Handbook is made' document", since
that's what the docproj-primer is/will be.
1999-04-26 21:47:42 +00:00

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<!ENTITY title "FreeBSD Documentation Project: Current projects">
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<p>Here are the projects currently under way (or being actively
contemplated on the freebsd-doc mailing list). I have also included some
that have not really been talked about, but would probably be a
good idea. Each project lists the contact person for that
project (if I know who it is).</p>
<p>If you think you can contribute to any of these, please do not
hesitate to stand up and be counted. You should talk to the
person responsible for that particular project, who can then bring you
up to speed on what is happening.</p>
<p>Any ommissions in this list are entirely my fault (Nik Clayton,
&lt;<a href="mailto:nik@FreeBSD.ORG">nik@FreeBSD.ORG</a>&gt;), sorry
in advance to anyone whose project I have missed.</p>
<ul>
<li><a href="#pr">Open documentation problem reports</a></li>
<li><a href="#freebsd4linux">FreeBSD for Linux users</a></li>
<li><a href="#fixup">Fixup the FOO.TXT files</a></li>
<li><a href="#handbooksection">Write a section in the Handbook and/or FAQ</a></li>
<li><a href="#rewritethehandbook">Rewrite the Handbook :-)</a></li>
<li><a href="#newpapers">Write some new Papers</a></li>
<li><a href="#newtutorials">Write some new Tutorials</a></li>
<li><a href="#newkernelmanpages">Write Manpages for the kernel</a></li>
<li><a href="#cgiscripts">CGI Scripts</a></li>
<li><a href="#multilingualwebscripts">Multilingual Web scripts</a></li>
<li><a href="#translations">Translations of the FreeBSD Documentation</a></li>
</ul>
<a name="pr"></a>
<h3><font color="#660000">Open documentation problem reports</font></h3>
<p>Current FreeBSD problems reports are tracked using the GNATS
database.
You can <a
href="http://www.freebsd.org/cgi/query-pr-summary.cgi?category=docs&amp;responsible=.">view</a>
the open documenation problem reports.
<a name="freebsd4linux"></a>
<h3><font color="#660000">FreeBSD for Linux users</font></h3>
<p><b>Responsible:</b> Annelise Anderson &lt;andrsn@andrsn.stanford.edu&gt;</p>
<p><b>Synopsis:</b> Linux users coming to FreeBSD can be confused by
some of the differences between the systems (the different default
shells, how boot time configuration is performed, and so on). Annelise
is coordinating the development of a tutorial/FAQ section that will
address these points.</p>
<p>The list of current questions is at <a href="http://freebsd.stanford.edu/FreeBSD/linux.html">http://freebsd.stanford.edu/FreeBSD/linux.html</a>.</p>
<a name="fixup"></a>
<h3><font color="#660000">Fixup the FOO.TXT files</font></h3>
<p><b>Responsible:</b> Doug &lt;studded@dal.net&gt;</p>
<p><b>Synopsis:</b> The "FOO.TXT" files are the README files, the
INSTALL.TXTs. the ABOUT.TXTs and so on that you get with FreeBSD. Doug
(and others) are going through these trying to make sure they are
accurate, consistent, and easy to understand. A very worthwhile task.</p>
<a name="handbooksection"></a>
<h3><font color="#660000">Write a section in the Handbook and/or FAQ</font></h3>
<p><b>Responsible:</b> No one</p>
<p><b>Synopsis:</b> Chunks of the FAQ and Handbook have empty sections in
them. They need filling. If you have just had to use one of
these documents to complete a task, and found them lacking,
please find the time to write up your experiences as a
possible replacement.</p>
<p>Alternatively, if you have just had to do something that had no
entry in the FAQ and/or Handbook, please consider writing a
new section. Then submit it as outlined above.</p>
<a name="rewritethehandbook"></a>
<h3><font color="#660000">Rewrite the Handbook :-)</font></h3>
<p><b>Responsible:</b> No one, yet</p>
<p><b>Synopsis:</b> The Handbook has grown quite organically over the
past few years. This means some of the sections are not organised as
well as they could be, and some of it needs reworking.</p>
<p>Someone needs to</p>
<ul>
<li>Read the Handbook thoroughly</li>
<li>Come up with a revised structure for it</li>
<li>Understand how the Handbook is implemented (this will
mean learning some stuff about SGML, and probably
liasing with the DocBook migration project)</li>
<li>Actually do the rework.</li>
</ul>
<p>To break this into manageable chunks, it would be really handy
if someone could first maintain a web page that lists people's
current comments about the Handbook structure. That would at
least give us all something to work from.</p>
<p>If no one steps forward to handle this I am going to do
it. It will just take me a while to get to it (since I need to
get the DocBook migration out of the way first).</p>
<a name="newpapers"></a>
<h3><font color="#660000">Write some new Papers</font></h3>
<h4><font color="#660000">The FreeBSD VM architecture</font></h4>
<p><b>Responsible:</b> John Dyson &lt;<a href="mailto:dyson@iquest.net">
dyson@iquest.net</a></p>
<p><b>Synopsis:</b> FreeBSD 2.x has a completly rewritten
virtual memory
architecture. Unfortunately there is no documentation available
about the FreeBSD VM architecture execpt the source code and
some old E-Mails from John Dyson.
See <a href="http://www.backplane.com/FreeBSD/FreeBSDVM.txt">
FreeBSD VM System Overview</a> for a first snapshot.
<h4><font color="#660000">The New SCSI layer for FreeBSD (CAM)</font></h4>
<p><b>Responsible:</b>
&lt;<a href="mailto:doc@freebsd.org">doc@freebsd.org</a>>,
&lt;<a href="mailto:scsi@freebsd.org">scsi@freebsd.org</a>>
<p><b>Synopsis:</b> See <a href="http://www.freebsd.org/~gibbs/">
The Design and Implementation of the FreeBSD SCSI Subsystem</a>
for a first snapshot.
<a name="newtutorials"></a>
<h3><font color="#660000">Write some new Tutorials</font></h3>
<p><b>Responsible:</b>
&lt;<a href="mailto:doc@freebsd.org">doc@freebsd.org</a>
<p><b>Synopsis:</b>
<ul>
<li>How to update from a.out to elf</li>
<li>How to build a FreeBSD release</li>
</ul>
<a name="newkernelmanpages"></a>
<h3><font color="#660000">Write Manpages for the kernel</font></h3>
<p><b>Responsible:</b>
&lt;<a href="mailto:doc@freebsd.org">doc@freebsd.org</a>
<p><b>Synopsis:</b> Document kernel functions, section 9
<a name="cgiscripts"></a>
<h3><font color="#660000">CGI Scripts</font></h3>
<p><b>Responsible:</b>
&lt;<a href="mailto:doc@freebsd.org">doc@freebsd.org</a>,
Wolfram Schneider &lt;<a href="mailto:wosch@freebsd.org">
wosch@freebsd.org</a>
<p><b>Synopsis:</b>
<ul>
<li>Rewrite cvsweb.cgi cgi script from scratch using a
RCS perl Module</li>
<li>Rewrite man.cgi cgi script and fix some bugs.</li>
<li>Write a ports INDEX perl Module.
</ul>
<h3>Here are some hints how to write the ports module</h3>
<h4>A single line in /usr/ports/INDEX looks like</h4>
<pre>
xfig-3.2.2|/usr/ports/graphics/xfig|/usr/X11R6|A drawing program for X11|/usr/ports/graphics/xfig/pkg/DESCR|ports@FreeBSD.ORG|graphics x11|XFree86-3.3.2 Xaw3d-1.3 jpeg-6b xpm-3.4k|XFree86-3.3.2 Xaw3d-1.3 jpeg-6b netpbm-94.3.1 tiff-3.4 transfig-3.2 xpm-3.4k
</pre>
<h4>The format is</h4>
<pre>
distribution-name|port-path|installation-prefix|comment| \
description-file|maintainer|categories|build deps|run deps
</pre>
<h4>The above INDEX line parsed into an anonymous hash object</h4>
<pre>
$port = {
DISTRIBUTION_NAME => 'xfig-3.2.2',
PORT_PATH => '/usr/ports/graphics/xfig',
INSTALLATION_PREFIX => '/usr/X11R6',
COMMENT => 'A drawing program for X11',
DESCRIPTION_FILE => '/usr/ports/graphics/xfig/pkg/DESCR',
MAINTAINER => 'ports@FreeBSD.ORG',
CATEGORIES => ['graphics', 'x11'],
BUILD_DEPS => ['XFree86-3.3.2', 'Xaw3d-1.3', 'jpeg-6b',
'xpm-3.4k'],
RUN_DEPS => ['XFree86-3.3.2', 'Xaw3d-1.3', 'jpeg-6b',
'netpbm-94.3.1', 'tiff-3.4', 'transfig-3.2',
'xpm-3.4k']
};
</pre>
<h4>Now we need some functions</h4>
<ul>
<li>Print a $port object as HTML output
<li>Print a $port object as ASCII output
<li>Find all objects which are maintained by user XYZ
<li>Find all objects which are in category XYZ
<li>Find all objects which run/build depend on port XYZ
<li>Find all objects which match the string XYZ in DISTRIBUTION_NAME
or COMMENT
<li>Sort objects by DISTRIBUTION_NAME
</ul>
<h4>Finally</h4>
<p>Modify the cgi script url.cgi, ports.cgi , pds.cgi and the
script portindex to use this module.
<p><b>Contact</b> Nik Clayton &lt;<a
href="mailto:nik@FreeBSD.ORG">nik@FreeBSD.ORG</a>&gt; for a
first <a href="http://www.freebsd.org/~wosch/pipm/">snapshot</a>
of the ports module.</p>
<a name="multilingualwebscripts"></a>
<h3><font color="#660000">Multilingual Web scripts</font></h3>
<p><b>Responsible:</b>
&lt;<a href="mailto:doc@freebsd.org">doc@freebsd.org</a>>
<p></p>
<p><b>Synopsis:</b>
Our main Web pages are written in (American) English. The <a
href="translations.html">FreeBSD Translations Projects</a>
translate the web pages, Handbook and FAQ to other languages.
<p>
We must translate the cgi scripts and web build scripts too. The
scripts should support multiple languages, not only once.
Most scripts are written in perl.</p>
<ul>
<li>Merge the perl scripts <a
href="ftp://ftp.freebsd.org/pub/FreeBSD/FreeBSD-current/www/en/ports/portindex">www/en/ports/portindex</a>
and <a
href="ftp://ftp.freebsd.org/pub/FreeBSD/FreeBSD-current/www/ja/ports/portindex">www/ja/ports/portindex</a>
into one script. Add an option for English and Japanese output.
</li>
</ul>
<a name="translations"></a>
<h3><font color="#660000">Translations of the FreeBSD Documentation</font></h3>
<p><b>Responsible:</b>
&lt;<a href="mailto:doc@freebsd.org">doc@freebsd.org</a>
Translate the FreeBSD documentation (Web pages, FAQ,
handbook, manpages) into other languages. See the
<a href="translations.html">FreeBSD translations projects</a>
<p></p><a href="docproj.html">FreeBSD Documentation Project Home</a>
&footer
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