discuss: Proposing some new HOWTOs
Subject:
Re: Proposing some new HOWTOs
From:
David Merrill ####@####.####
Date:
28 Sep 2001 22:58:05 -0000
Message-Id: <20010928185627.F22993@lupercalia.net>
On Fri, Sep 28, 2001 at 12:29:02PM -0400, Dan York wrote:
> David,
>
> > Good point. Or a standards organization, because for it to work we
> > haev to all commit to work within the guidelines of that group as much
> > as we possibly can.
>
> The question becomes... *which* standards group? We in the open source/
> free software world could easily fall under the Free Standards Group.
> (http://www.freestandards.org/ ) While the FSG is primarily known as the
> umbrella organization for the Linux Standard Base, the org was created
> separately so that it could be a home for other standards - and was
> specifically NOT created with "Linux" in the name so that it could be
> applicable to other operating systems as well.
Yes, that is problem number one, and problem number two is getting all
the other groups to commit to work with it. I am, you are, Nik
presumably is. Standards are good.
With the LDP the problem is harder because we are so loosely organized
that we haven't been able to set standards, even the DocBook standard.
The maintainership varies from excellent to, well, frustrating. Then
again, maybe a good publicity effort will get the word out.
> Having said that... there are two issues I immediately see:
>
> 1) I do not know if all of the groups Nik has mentioned consider themselves
> free or open source (sorry Nik, I lost track of that in the thread), so
> I do not know if they would want to be associated with the
> "Free" Standards Group.
Let's not make trouble if nobody else does. ;-)
> 2) While I am a strong supporter of the FSG, there is also the reality
> that it is a new, young organization. That can be a good thing,
> but it also may not have the "guidelines" or other forms of support
> that David mentioned.
I think we have the necessary people among us. Daniel Viellard is an
invited expert on the W3C's XLink working group. Dan York has been
working with XML and XSLT extensively. We have the resources I think,
but we need organization.
> If not the FSG, which other group? There are a zillion of them, and
> figuring out who is best could be a good bit of work.
We don't need or want to go through a long and bureaucratic process I
don't think. That wouldn't solve our immediate problems, and they will
continue to get worse in the lack of a standard.
--
Dr. David C. Merrill http://www.lupercalia.net
Linux Documentation Project ####@####.####
Collection Editor & Coordinator http://www.linuxdoc.org
Microsoft is now talking about the digital nervous system. I guess I would
be nervous if my system was built on their technology, too.
--Sun Microsystems President Scott McNealy
