Archive:DocsProject/CompleteReference

Complete Reference

This page contains detailed information about the different methods used by the DocsProject, with links to further information about most of them.

Contributing to Documents in Progress

We are currently using this Wiki to collaborate on a number of documents:

• Fedora release notes
• Read more about the release notes beats
• Draft documents in progress
• Published documents that live on the Wiki
• Document ideas
• http://docs.fedoraproject.org/documentation-guide/

Some documents may be protected by access controls during some or all of their lifecycle. If you are interested in working on any of these documents, email fedora-docs-list. If the document is access controlled, contact any member of the DocEditorsGroup. The editor can answer any questions you may have, and add you to the DocWritersGroup.

To make collaboration easier, read the following:

• Writing Using The Wiki page
• Wiki Editing discusses about general rules and Wiki usage when editing
• Marking Technical Terms is specifically useful when doing documentation, and following those rules helps when converting to DocBook XML
• The short sections on the fundamentals and writing style before you begin working. Feel free to ask the editor or the lead writer of the document you are working on about anything that you are unsure of.

Submitting Your Own Documentation

A longer explanation is on the DocsProject/WorkFlow page.

• Post your idea to the list for discussion. If the list agrees it's a good idea, an editor should step forward to work with you. See DocIdeas for documents that would be useful but are not yet being developed by anyone. The EditorAssignments page lists documents that are being worked on.

• Your next aim is to write up an initial draft for peer review, working with the editor as needed. See WritingDraftDocs for details. When you want your draft document reviewed, post a link on fedora-docs-list letting everyone know.

Make sure you have read and understood the short sections on fundamentals of technical documentation and composition in the Documentation Guide. Editors can help you with this part also, but the process moves faster if you can follow these guidelines.

• You or another contributor convert the draft into the DocBook format. We have many contributors who have volunteered to help with this part. Alternately, you can work directly in the Wiki in the Docs/Drafts drafting section.

Most documents need to be converted to DocBook to be a part of the Fedora distribution; documents that live only on the Wiki cannot be maintained for translation, easy printing, packaging, and inclusion in the distribution ISO.

• Register for access to the DocsProject CVS, if you do not already have it. You can find more information on the CvsUsage page. You need to create an SSH keypair specifically for access to CVS (the keypair must be DSA type). Full details about gaining CVS access is at DocsProject/CVSAccess.

• Your draft can then imported into CVS and listed in Bugzilla. This enables others to track the progress of the document and more easily assist you.

• You must subscribe to the fedora-docs-commits mailing list too, if you have not already done so. This provides you with a way to easily monitor and record changes. Every change in CVS generates an e-mail to this mailing list.

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Other Mailing Lists and Forums

Authors and editors are not required to subscribe to these, but should be aware of them:

• News and status reports for the Fedora Project are sent through the fedora-announce-list mailing list. Subscribing to this list is highly recommended.

• The DocsProject is overseen by the FDSCo (Fedora Documentation Project Steering Committee). Discussions are held on the main mailing list.

• The FDSCo meets regularly on Freenode IRC channel #fedora-docs, and the minutes of the meeting are posted to the main Documentation mailing list.

• The main discussions on developing Fedora are carried out on the fedora-devel-list mailing list.

• The official forums for Fedora users are on the FedoraForum.org Website.

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