The Linux Documentation Project Weekly News

Issue Number : 20
Publication Date : 2004-05-19

Table of Contents
1. Documents submitted for review
2. New document proposals
3. Updated HOWTOs, FAQs and Guides
4. News in The LDP world
5. Discussions on The LDP lists
6. Interview with Mark Komarinski
7. HOWTO contribute to The LDP

1. Documents submitted for review


2. New document proposals


3. Updated HOWTOs, FAQs and Guides


4. News in The LDP world


5. Discussions on The LDP lists


6. Interview with Mark Komarinski

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Figure 1. Mark Komarinski

Mark Komarinski, former event coordinator, is not as active any more as he used to be, at least not for the TLDP project, but certainly has some interesting things to say. "My secret goal in life is to be one of those people who gets quoted all the time in articles", he laughingly admits.

Q: You've seen some people, docs and distros pass the review. What was the most remarkable moment for you (having to do with TLDP, of-course)?

A: The response to the HOWTO-HOWTO (now the LDP Author Guide) was really impressive. I get frequent emails from people who say how much it's helped them.

The sad thing (but one I've come to accept) is that writing documentation isn't the most exciting thing in the world. Having worked previously as a technical support person, there are similarities. It's one of those things that everyone needs, but is left to someone else to do.

Q: You've written for LinuxJournal, already in the very first issue, you've published quite some books about RedHat and other system administration, you just told me you are working on a CUPS HOWTO, ... You're a very prolific author. Is there one subject that you haven't written about, but that you would like to cover one day or if you would only have the time?

A: There are two reasons I write - either I know a bit about the subject and want to document it, or I know little about the subject and want to figure it out along the way. In order to write about something you do need a good understanding of what you're writing about, which is the logic I used when writing the LDP Author Guide - I had a great reference guide in the ORA DocBook book, but nothing that showed how to use the tools. So I started writing and learned the hard way.

In the case of the Remote Serial Console HOWTO (note: not to be confused with David Lawyer's Serial HOWTO), I had a bit of working knowledge of the subject already, so it was easier for me to write.

In terms of things I want to see, some of my started-but-stalled projects include a book covering the history of Linux, the CUPS HOWTO which I may just donate to another HOWTO depending on how far I get, and a Linux Tuning Guide project I started on two years ago and is very much out of date.

Q: I bet a lot of authors and authors-to-be admire you. Do you have any good advice for them, apart from the "you'll need a lot of coffee" one?

A: How do you get your start? Write and take chances. I got started writing for my college newspaper (a bi-weekly column where I was extolling the virtues of Linux in 1992!). When I heard that a Linux magazine was going to start up (Linux Journal) I sent an email and asked if they were looking for authors. They said yes, and all I asked for was a free subscription. That publicity got me noticed by my publisher and it went from there.

Coffee isn't that necessary, but it does help when you have 5 days left to submit your manuscript and you have 100 pages to go.

Q: We took a look at your web site, in the process of researching your background a bit. Why does it look like it has been made with a typewriter and then scanned in?

A: Well, strangely enough, while I do a lot of writing, some coding, and a lot of sysadmin-type work, I have no eye for web design. Hence the reason why all the pages look like they came from gopher. If anyone reading this wants to help me out, I'd appreciate it :)

Later, Mark added this remark:

Ha. Your criticism of my web site has prompted me to install bloxsom. Which doesn't look like the web circa 1993.

;-)


7. HOWTO contribute to The LDP

The Linux Documentation Project (TLDP) is working on developing free, high quality documentation for the GNU/Linux operating system. If you want to help TLDP, consider joining .

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The LDP Weekly News is compiled and edited by Machtelt Garrels and Y Giridhar Appaji Nag with help from several other people.

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