Re: Re[2]: Is there a need for a hard copy OpenBSD documentationproject?

[Luke Seubert <lseubert@radix.net>]

PC Drew on 09/02/2000 12:34 PM scribbled:

> The people who are interested in doing this documentation project,
> should look at PHP's documentation (http://www.php.net/manual)  They've done
> an EXCELLENT job documenting their software.  Here's a link to their
> about page:
> 
> http://www.php.net/manual/preface.php#about
> 
> --
> PC Drew
> 
Thanks for the tip Drew.  I took a look at the website as you suggested, and
found it to be quite revealing.  In addition to having the entire manual
online on their website, the manual permits users to add comments.  The
manual thus becomes a living document, which everyone can add to and
improve.  If someone finds that a certain portion of the manual is unclear
or needs more info, he can just add it.

Of course, this can lead to chaos as well.  Editing is an important function
- it culls out the noise and publishes only the best (well, hopefully)
content.  Anybody who has hung out in a Usenet group knows what I am talking
about.

I like the idea of applying this living document concept to the OpenBSD hard
copy documentation project, but I really think there has to be some sort of
fair and open editing process to maintain high quality and keep the noise
ratio low.

Do you have any ideas about how to fairly do this Drew?


Meanwhile, the Linux crowd is setting up an open book documentation project,
and I invite folks to go over and read up on it a little bit.  Maybe we can
borrow some good ideas, or even find out about some unanticipated problems
by seeing what other folks do:

http://www.linuxworld.com/linuxworld/idgbooks-openbook/vision.html


Check out their license, the Open Content License at:

http://www.linuxworld.com/linuxworld/idgbooks-openbook/lw-oclicense.html

If OpenBSD does do a hard copy of its documentation, some sort of copyright
or license will have to be issued.  I think a variant of the BSD style
license would be most appropriate, but it might not be so simple as just
slapping a BSD License on the docs manual.  Computer source code and books
do have subtle yet important differences.  Maybe this Open Content License
can provide some good ideas and warnings of pitfalls.  But then, this is a
rather deep issue that needs to be thoroughly hashed out at the proper time.

-- 

Luke Seubert


All generalizations are false.