On Mon, Apr 21, 2014 at 1:33 PM, Christopher Antila <crantila@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx> wrote:
I also have a pet project, the Fedora Cookbook[6]. The idea is to provide a place for short tutorials; things that don't fit into larger Guides or are in the Guides but not presented as procedurally as some prefer. Part of the motivation for starting the book was to provide a place for new writers to play and see their work published without the buy-in associated with contributing to a larger guide. I've been waiting to publish and publicize until there's a bit more content, so there's mostly just the source to point at for now; some help getting there would be welcome. There's a few 'recipes' already written and some templates committed to get you started.
[4] https://lists.fedoraproject.org/pipermail/docs/2014-April/015583.html
[5] https://git.fedorahosted.org/cgit/docs/packagers-guide.git
[6] https://git.fedorahosted.org/cgit/docs/fedora-cookbook.git
[7] https://git.fedorahosted.org/cgit/docs/documentation-guide.git
[8] http://docs.fedoraproject.org/en-US/Fedora_Draft_Documentation/0.1/html/Documentation_Guide/index.html (somewhat outdated, better to clone and build before reading at the moment )
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Hi Joey:
On 20 April 2014 13:01:12 Joey Brandt wrote:
> Hi, my name is Joey and I am trying to get started helping in the
> community. I love Linux and open source. I currently work for a software
> company in the Client Services department and have 3 years of experience in
> software testing, training, and documentation. Is there anyone that can
> help me figure out my role? Thanks so much!
Hi Joey, Welcome! Everyone wants to help :) You can find us here, or on #fedora-docs@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx . You can also adopt a mentor[3] if you like.
Welcome to Fedora Docs! You can find project ideas in many places; the "Join"
page Bruno suggested is obviously a great place to start.
If you're serious about joining us, we recommend you follow the instructions
on this wiki page:
https://fedoraproject.org/wiki/Join_the_Docs_Project
One of the standard tasks for new Docs contributors is the Release Notes.[0]
I wrote something about this process recently[3] that might give you some insight.
I also have a specific project idea, inspired by Jon Kent's difficulties with the
documentation for Fedora packagers.[0] Difficult-to-use documentation
intimidates potential packagers, and also makes it more difficult for current
packagers to follow the guidelines. The Docs people could make a big difference
here, and because it's all on the wiki, it's a good task for new contributors
too!
I agree, the packaging documentation is nebulous and sometimes confusing. I like the idea of an abbreviated overview of packaging - at least, I think that's part of what you're going for, Christopher. Petr Kovář has been talking about really diving into the Packager's Guide[4], that would probably be the best place to direct your efforts.
You might start by proofreading the content on a smaller page, like
"Packaging:Ruby."[2] At minimum, you can revise sentences for style and
clarity. If you don't know anything about packaging, that's fine too, because
these guidelines serve both experienced and new packagers. After you
understand a smaller page, you may be able to create or improve the
documentation for new packagers.
The packaging docs and guidelines are sort of a special case among wiki documentation. The guidelines are generally maintained by the Fedora Packaging Committee, domain specific pages by the appropriate Special Interest Group, and the more broad pages by experienced packagers. Don't take that as discouragement, though - there's surely room for improvement in all, and someone with technical writing experience and a fresh perspective could go a lot of good. It would be a good idea to coordinate with stakeholders on such pivotal pages, whether that's a SIG or just mailing people that show up a lot in the edit history. They might get cranky if you make changes without at least checking in :)
I know that diving into Publican and Git right away is intimidating, but IMO if you want to hack on packaging docs, the Packager's Guide is the best place to do it.
If you have any questions, please don't hesitate to ask, even (especially!) if
you think it should be obvious. We don't always respond quickly, but we try
our best.
Seconded, on all counts. Do reach out, we're all friends here.
Christopher
[0] https://fedoraproject.org/wiki/Category:Documentation_beats
[1] http://littledaemons.tumblr.com/post/83090736069/back-to-fedora-packaging
[2] https://fedoraproject.org/wiki/Packaging:Ruby
I also have a pet project, the Fedora Cookbook[6]. The idea is to provide a place for short tutorials; things that don't fit into larger Guides or are in the Guides but not presented as procedurally as some prefer. Part of the motivation for starting the book was to provide a place for new writers to play and see their work published without the buy-in associated with contributing to a larger guide. I've been waiting to publish and publicize until there's a bit more content, so there's mostly just the source to point at for now; some help getting there would be welcome. There's a few 'recipes' already written and some templates committed to get you started.
The Documentation Guide[7][8] is worth checking into as well. There's been some renewed effort into this book recently, and you're welcome to suggest changes or work up patches as you read and learn from it. As with any documentation, feedback of any kind will help improve the work.
[4] https://lists.fedoraproject.org/pipermail/docs/2014-April/015583.html
[5] https://git.fedorahosted.org/cgit/docs/packagers-guide.git
[6] https://git.fedorahosted.org/cgit/docs/fedora-cookbook.git
[7] https://git.fedorahosted.org/cgit/docs/documentation-guide.git
[8] http://docs.fedoraproject.org/en-US/Fedora_Draft_Documentation/0.1/html/Documentation_Guide/index.html (somewhat outdated, better to clone and build before reading at the moment )
--Pete
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