OK, here's an update on the recently announced man pages project, and
a call for more help.

Two people have announced that they would like to work on the man
pages, but no one wants to coordinate the project.  So I will start
the thing going, waiting for someone to take charge -- I can't carry
this through.  Therefore, if you think that you would like to get
involved in this project at any level of commitment, please tell me.
I will be willing to co-ordinate this until someone else steps up or
until the end of the school year, whichever comes first.  I will need
volunteers both to do some writing and a little research, and someone
to take my place as co-ordinator.

If you don't feel up to kernel hacking, or if kernel hacking is not
your interest, but you would like to contribute significantly to
linux, this is your chance.  If there are two people who would like to
share the burden of co-ordination, that might work too.

We might as well divide the man pages the way they are divided
already:  It will take different people to work on different sections.
I will list the sections, and ask that someone volunteer to organize
each one.

Section 1: User commands.

        This should involve little more than collecting already
written manpages:  GNU has man pages for most of their programs, and
most of the programs we are using are GNU's.  This will involve
writing man pages for all the linux-only programs that we have.

Section 2: System calls.

        It would be nice if a hacker-type would help with this one.  I
think that this need not be too hard -- Between the linux source,
posix documentation, and man pages already existing for BSD that I
believe are free, this should not be too hard either.  But we need
someone who knows what is going on here.

Section 3: Subroutines.

        These are the man pages for the standard library.  I don't
know if GNU has these, but we can probably use posix and BSD again.  I
don't know these nearly well enough, so I, at least, really would be
depending on whoever picked this up.

Section 4: Devices.

        Ok, this should not be too hard:  we don't have a heck of a
lot of them yet.  Anyone looking for a decently easy task?  First
come, first serve :-).

Section 5: File Formats.

        Again: we don't have a lot yet.  This will definitely be a
continuing effort as we build functionality into linux.  Anyone for a
steady, long-term commitment?  OK, OK, I'll quit the puns...

Section 6: Games.

        Come on, _someone_ has got to have an interest...  Actually,
these should come with the games, so unless games become standard...

Section 7: Miscellaneous.

        Uh, yuk.  who decides what goes here?  Well, here's your
chance.  Seriously, someone please tell me what goes here.  I need to
know even as interim co-ordinator.

Section 8: System administration.

        This is another section which calls for a long-term
commitment, because linux will be evolving administrative commands,
especially as people write programs to make things easier for others.
This will definitely need someone who wants to have a long-term
(though low-intensity) project.

Section l: Local

        Good thing we don't have to deal with this.


If you don't want to co-ordinate a section, but want to help, please
mail me.  If you are not sure, and want to talk about how difficult a
task one of the sections would be, I'm sure that we could talk.  It's
just that I will definitely need volunteers with some time.

If anyone has information on the legal status of any sources of man
pages, or knows of sources that I havn't mentioned, please write me
and tell me.

Thanks for putting up with this long article.

michaelkjohnson
johnsonm@stolaf.edu
no .sig.