Subject: Linux-Activists - Channel DOC digest. 92-11-27-4:35
From: "Linux Activists" <[email-masked]>
To: "Linux-Activists" <[email-masked]>
Date: Sun, 27 Dec 1992 11:54:29 +0200

Topics:
	 IS&GS Manual

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From: [email-masked] (Michael K Johnson)
Subject: IS&GS Manual
Date: Sun, 27 Dec 1992 06:13:08 +0200

   Just wanted to let you all know that I'm busily writing the Install manual
   for Linux, and it seems to be going well. I want to seriously manipulate the
   linuxdoc.sty sheet (Michael, are you listening?). Basically I want the manual

Oh, I'm listening...

   to print for 8.5x11" pages. The default format has really cruddy margins.

Uh, how much do you know about typesetting?  What generic style are
you using?  Right now, I have only set things up for the report style,
as you will see if you read linuxdoc.sty.  This will change in january.

   Plus I want the headers to look like those in the LaTeX book; i.e. 

So do I, but I haven't decided exactly how to make them.  I would like
them to be a little different from the ones in the LaTeX book, but I
am not sure yet what exactly to do to make them an integral part of a
consistent typography.  I intend to finish this at the beginning of
next year, and do it well.

   page number, section/chapter number, with an hrule, in bf font. I'll make the
   margins thinner to fill up more of the page, but I plan to have it print in
   two-sided format, with space so someone can punch holes in the pages. 

*Please* don't make the margins thinner.  SO many people think that
white space on a page is a waste of trees.  I, at least, have some
concern for the typography of these things.  One note (as above): Have
you set report style?  My final style sheet will have reasonable
margins and leading tutorial material in both book and report styles:
That is on the list for right after christmas break.

   This is mostly because 	I see most people getting the postscript or dvi file
   and printing it themselves on a normal laser printer, punching holes, and
   sticking it in a binder. The standard LaTeX book format doesn't look good
   for this.

It won't be the standard book format.  Right now, the only format I
have significantly modified is the report format, but that will
change.  The final output will be closer in margins and leading to the
changes I made to the report style, but with a few minor changes, and
with a nifty header to boot, plus a wonderful title page environment.

I do see the same eventual use that you do, and intend to optimize the
formats for that.  I am /very/ leary of screwing with the margins too
heavily on the side of unreadable.

   I've also added a tscreen environment, which does a \small\tt and a 
   \begin{quote{, like the screen environment, but it changes the type.

The plain screen environment should do that.  That will be in my final
version, as well.

   Do these formatting conventions sound okay?

See above, and below.

   At the rate I'm writing something should be ready by mid-January.

Good.  The Kernel Hackers' Guide is taking a little longer, for
obvious reasons, but I am making some progress, as I believe is Dan.

   mdw

In short, you can make what changes you like, and send them to me, but
please don't call them my formatting conventions unless they come from
me.  I am a real stickler for READABLE typography:  I feel that it is
more of a waste of trees to make something dense and unreadable than
to use enough white space to make it readable and have it /read/.  I
would also appreciate it (if you decide to deviate from my
conventions) if you not call your new style sheet linuxdoc.sty, to avoid
namespace conflicts.

So expect a much expanded linuxdoc.sty from me in january.

michaelkjohnson

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