New OSWG site up for Alpha testing

Jan 27, 2000 - The new OSWG web site is up and ready for alpha testing. I would really like as many people as possible to go beat on it for a while -- check out all the various features, register in the Volunteers database, add a Project listing, contribute to the Open Source Documentation Index. In short -- go wild, and see what you can break.

If all goes well, we'll just breeze straight through the beta stage and go live quickly, but we need to know that this site isn't going to fall apart first. :)

Jan 16, 2000 - Two new documents have been added to the OSWG CVS repository -- the Exchange Server Replacement HOWTO by Curt Johnson, and PHHTTPD by Zach Brown. There are 4 more docs in the queue to be added, and should be available by the end of the week. For the complete listing of available documents, see the OSWG Documents Catalog.

Additionally, there are new translators, proofreaders, and writers on the volunteer lists. As always, if anyone would like to be added to these lists, send your name, email address, and a short bio to editor@oswg.org. Remember to indicate what you're volunteering to do :>

If there's anyone out there going to the Linux World Expo in February (New York), feel free to stop by the LinuxChix booth in the ".org" pavilion to say "hi". I (Deb Richardson) will be there doing booth duty on Feb 2nd, 3rd, and 4th.

Jan 3, 2000 - Welcome to the year 2000. The world didn't end, so I guess it's time to update the website and to think about the future of the OSWG project. ;)

I have made a minor update, adding another volunteer to the list of writers. Unfortunately my holiday was much busier than originally anticipated, so I didn't have a chance to do as much work on the new website as I would have liked. Additionally, my work-work has thrown me a bit of a curveball, and I'm going to be on the road until at least mid-January. As a result, the new website isn't going to be done in the forseeable (near) future. I will, however, continue updating the current site with all new volunteers, projects, and OSWG developments.

As most of you know, the OSWG does not actively match volunteers with projects at the moment. Perhaps in the future we might take on a more active role in this regard, but until then, volunteers are going to have to be proactive in finding projects to work on. If you have any questions about how to get started, feel free to contact editor@oswg.org, or to ask on the primary OSWG mailing list.

As always, questions and comments are more than welcome, and can be sent to editor@oswg.org. I hope everyone had a healthy and happy holiday season. I can't believe it's the year 2000 already. Time certainly can fly, can't it?

OSWG Site Updates

Dec 15, 1999 - More writers, proofreaders, and translators have been added to the volunteer lists. The OSWG mailing lists are increasing in size, but have quieted down a bit recently (likely due to the upcoming holiday season). A new OSWG site is being developed, and will likely be unveiled in January for beta testing. If you have any questions or comments regarding the OSWG project, please email editor@oswg.org.

This is likely to be the last site update until January, since I (Deb) am taking a bit of a vacation during this holiday season. There are a number of new projects under way for the OSWG, but the holidays are always a bit hectic, so it's unlikely that any of these will be announced until after the normal routine has been reestablished. I hope everyone has a safe and happy holiday.

Dec 15, 1999 - The Midgard Project has released their twenty-fifth Weekly Summary, outlining recent advancements in the project's development.

Nov 26, 1999 - This week has seen more new documents added to the OSWG CVS system and Documents Catalog:
• Cable Modem Providers HOWTO, by Vladimir Vuksan
• Booting the Kernel, by Alessandro Rubini
• PA-RISC/Linux Boot HOWTO, by Deb Richardson
• I don't care if space aliens ate my mouse, by Alan Cox (an article about porting Linux to the Apple Macintosh)

Midgard Weekly Summary #23

Nov 25, 1999 - The Midgard Project's latest weekly summary is available over here. Seems like the project is rocketing along nicely. For those of you who don't know, Midgard is an open-source (GPL) web application server suite.

Midgard Weekly Summary #22

Nov 19, 1999 - After a two week hiatus, the Midgard Project has resumed publication of the Midgard Weekly Summaries. The November 17th issue (#22), is available here. Get it while it's hot :)

Documents Library Grows (again :)

Nov 18, 1999 - We're pleased to announce the following document updates and additions:
• DHCP mini-HOWTO , by Vladimir Vuksan
• Gnome Display Manager Reference Manual , by Martin K. Petersen
• LVS Cluster Configuration HOWTO , by Wayne Sherrill
• Advice for Mailing List Owners , by Kirrily Robert

As always, these documents (in HTML and other formats) are available through the OSWG Documents Catalog. Also, as always, new contributors and volunteers are more than welcome. Just contact editor@oswg.org.

New Documents

Nov 17, 1999 - As of this morning, two new documents are available through the OSWG Documents Catalog:
• Online Troubleshooting Resources, a HOWTO by Howard Mann
• Software Libre and Commercial Viability, an article by Alessandro Rubini

OSWG Documents Catalog

Nov 16, 1999 - The OSWG Documents Catalog has been created to simplify the process of sorting through the documentation that is available through the Open Source Writers Group. Organized by subject, the catalog provides you with a straightforward method of finding the documents you're interested in by giving you links, revision dates, and a short abstract for each.

While automatically-generated indexes are still available through the OSWG Nightly Index, the Catalog is an index that boasts a human touch. As the OSWG documentation set grows, the Catalog will evolve with it, being added to and updated at least weekly (if not more often).

If you have any feedback or suggestions for the Catalog, please contact deb@oswg.org.

Document Updates and Additions

Nov 16, 1999 - For those of you who aren't on the oswg-cvs mailing list, here's a list of the documents that have been added or updated to the OSWG documentation set in the past few weeks:
• GCC HOWTO - Dan Barlow (in need of a new maintainer)
• Lilo mini-HOWTO - Cameron Spitzer and Alessandro Rubini
• RPM HOWTO - Donnie Barnes
• The Risks of Closed Source Computing - Alan Cox
• An Introduction to SCSI Drivers - Alan Cox
• Cathedrals, Bazaars, and Town Councils - Alan Cox

Vladimir Vuksan has also added his Cable-Modem HOWTO and DHCP HOWTO. These are still in the process of being converted to DocBook, and will be released as soon as possible (within a few days).

Alternate formats of the documents listed above (including PS, HTML, SGML, RTF, TEX, and DVI) are available through the OSWG Nightly Index.

Yet Another OSWG Mailing List

Nov 8, 1999 - Since the OSWG is strongly encouraging the use of DocBook for OSWG-related documentation, we've added a new mailing list to the stable: oswg-docbook. This list is where we can all help one another learn and use DocBook, DocBook processing tools, and other markup-related stuff. It's not just a Q&A list, however, discussion (so long as it's topical) is encouraged. For more details and subscription information, check the OSWG Mailing Lists list.

OSWG CVS and Auto-Generation System

Nov 8, 1999 - The OSWG CVS system is working well, as are the automatic build scripts used to generate HTML, PS, RTF, DVI, and TEX documents from the DocBook instances in the CVS. You can see the results of those scripts in the OSWG Nightly Index. The scripts run daily at 2:00am, EST.

New Documents

Nov 8, 1999 - Several new documents have been added to the CVS, including Alessandro Rubini's Lilo mini-HOWTO, and Donnie Barnes' RPM-HOWTO, both of which have been converted to DocBook.

Also added are the various OSWG project documents, including the Mission Statement, the Document Licensing Policy, and the Roadmap.

GCC Howto Needs A New Maintainer

Nov 8, 1999 - Dan Barlow has converted the Linux GCC HOWTO to DocBook and has put it in the OSWG CVS system. He is, however, actively searching for one or more people to take over the maintainership of this document. If you are interested in taking on this role, please contact Dan at dan@telent.net.