The Linux Documentation Project Weekly News

Issue Number : 23
Publication Date : 2003-09-30
Table of Contents
1. New documents
1.1. Fresh@LDP
1.2. Submitted for review
2. Updates
2.1. HOWTOs
2.2. Guides
3. Interview - Sergiusz Pawlowicz
4. Happenings in the LDP world
4.1. Software patents in Europe
4.2. LDP documentation format
4.3. Search capability for XML docs using Lucene
5. Feedback and Contributions

1. New documents

1.1. Fresh@LDP

  • Announcing the Sybase ASE HOWTO v1.0 by Kian Spongsveen. The full name for this document is the Sybase Adaptive Server Enterprise/SQL Server HOWTO; it describes the installation and basic usage of this database on the Linux platform.
  • If privacy is an issue for you, check out our second new document this week: the Encrypted Root Filesystem HOWTO by Christophe Devine.

1.2. Submitted for review

  • Pramode C.E. sent in a document entitled Linux Kernel Commentary and awaits your remarks.
  • Scot W. Stevenson sent in his Mock Mainframe Mini-HOWTO, which would be "A brief description of a standard way to set up and work with a computer network for a small group of people that is inexpensive to build, easy to administer, and relatively safe. It is written for users who might not be completely familiar with all of the concepts involved". Scott has requested for comments on this document
  • Machtelt Garrels submitted the LDAP Operations / Management HOWTO and welcomes any comments you may have.

2. Updates

2.1. HOWTOs

2.2. Guides

3. Interview - Sergiusz Pawlowicz

Sergiusz Pawlowicz (or Serek as a few people call him) has been into Linux and Free Software ever since 1994, almost ten years. For nearly as long, he has been one of the thriving forces behind the Polish translation effort. When he's not administering our mailing-lists or the CVS, he manages his company, http://www.a-k-f.com/.

Figure 1. Sergiusz Pawlowicz, CVS and mailing-list administrator

Q: So, Sergiusz, after all this time, do you remember how you got involved with TLDP?

A: I wrote Paul Jones, that I would like to help with LDP, and I also proposed to switch our document management system to CVS. Because I'm also into the development of the PLD Linux Distro, I was very experienced in using versioning systems in big scale. As you can see, my proposition was accepted :-)

Q: Apart from TLDP and PLD, you're involved in a number of other Open Source projects: the Free Software Foundation, you translate for the GNU project, ... And I know from my own experience that you take great care and that people can rely on you. Do you ever take a day off?

A: Yeah, my girlfriend is rather unhappy. It is a real problem. But community service is stronger than me. It is fascinating when you have a real influence on political and sociological aspects of informatics.

Q: Is there anything you want to share with the world that you cannot add to one of the Open Source projects you are involved with, such as the Polish Cooking HOWTO, maybe, or the Polish Traditional Woodwork FAQ? This is your chance to have your deepest wish heard ;-)

A: Yeah - "HOWTO to stand up and turn off TV". It really gives me the creeps to see that so many people are in an "idle state" and just watch television. Without adding anything to society, while listening to information prepared by Public Relations in big concerns, they are empty-headed.

Q: In your opinion, what makes TLDP so interesting?

A: The most interesting thing in TLDP is that everyone can join us!

Q: How do you say "If all else fails, read the HOWTO" in Polish?

A: Hehe, you won't believe how strange it sounds, I better not answer this one ;-)

4. Happenings in the LDP world

4.1. Software patents in Europe

Since TLDP provides documentation on free software, a lot of our readers have been concerned about the pushing of software patents in Europe lately. Thanks to all of you who wrote to their representatives in the European Parliament, the worst case scenario was avoided. Because of this good news, a lot of Open Source sites have been re-opened last week. However, the decision has only been postponed, and danger of restriction is still pending. Read more at http://swpat.ffii.org/.

4.2. LDP documentation format

Once in a while, we are reminded of the fact that the LDP caters to the needs of all the people. The usefulness of the format and clean design used by LDP for publishing various HOWTOs has come up yet again in this mail from David Lawyer and this one from Machtelt Garrels.

4.3. Search capability for XML docs using Lucene

Saqib Ali was working on adding search capabilities to an application that he was working on and wondered if there would any interest if in indexing all TLDP XML documents using Lucene. He already has an implementation of cocoon running to present Docbook XML documents as at Apache-WebDAV-LDAP-HOWTO and is planning to add the indexing and search part using Lucene.

5. Feedback and Contributions

The Linux Documentation Project (TLDP) is working on developing free, high quality documentation for the GNU/Linux operating system. Announcements about TLDP are made via . You can help TLDP by: Reviewing a document in progress, reviving an unmaintained document or providing assistance with markup. You are welcome to participate in TLDP discussions at .

Help us create this newsletter. We need volunteers who follow the community (mailing lists, newsgroups, web channels) and report events related to free software documentation. Please send in any such information to .

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