[TOS] Textbook update

[Greg DeKoenigsberg]

Since we've got a rough outline that is "good enough," more or less, I've 
decided to move our entire outline to FLOSS Manuals in the form of 
chapters.  Each chapter basically has, as its content, the outline text as 
we've sketched it out.

I've actually doubled the "Introduction", or perhaps split it in two.  The 
first Introduction, which is perhaps better described as a "Foreword," 
discusses the necessity of the book, what we hope to accomplish with it, 
and how it might be used by either a prof in a class or a self-learner.  I 
hope to have that Foreward done this week, and then I will launch into the 
Introduction proper.

Today is September 2nd.  Our originally stated first goal was to have 
drafts of every chapter by the end of September, with the next goal of 
having a first draft of a full textbook to discuss at FSOSS at the end of 
October.

I think we are a ways from that, currently.  Looking again at our 
volunteers:

     *  Greg DeKoenigsberg, gdk redhat com. Author. Preference: 
Introduction to FOSS and one other chapter. Also, cat herder.
     * Max Spevack. mspevack redhat com. Author. Preference: Bugs, finding 
and killing them.
     * Andrew Tridgell, tridge samba org. Author. Preference: Any 2 
chapters.
     * Dave Humphrey, David Humphrey senecac on ca. Preference: Any 2 
chapters.
     * Chris Tyler, chris tylers info. Author. Preference: Any 1-2 
chapters.
     * Clif Kussmaul, clif kussmaul org. Author. Preference: none yet.
     * Philip Olson, philip php net. Author. Preference: Documentation, 
along with random edits.
     * Ross Gardler. ross gardler oucs ox ac uk. Content provider. All 
materials at OSS Watch (http://www.oss-watch.ac.uk/resources/fulllist.xml) 
are available, presuming copyright attribution is worked out.
     * Jared Smith, jsmith digium com. Editor. Also, DocBook guru.
     * Mel Chua, mel redhat com. Author. Preference: Getting started in a 
FOSS project (or the "On Being a Beginner" subset) and one other 
(preferably technical) chapter. In lieu of doing the second chapter, I'd 
also be willing to do interviews of project participants for case studies.

I think it's time to re-commit.  If you do not have the bandwidth to work 
on a chapter as the lead author, please say so -- and if you *do* have the 
bandwidth, please claim one of our chapters by going to the appropriate 
chapter at FLOSS Manuals and putting your name atop that chapter in great 
big letters.  For instance, in my case:

http://en.flossmanuals.net/bin/view/PracticalOSSEngineering/Introduction

Atop that page, it says, in huge H1 type:

Draft: Assigned To GregDeKoenigsberg

Just want to make sure that we're keeping each other honest.  I will take 
as much work over the next month on this text as I can handle -- if 
necessary, I will flesh out three or four chapters myself.  And at this 
stage of the game, we needn't be perfect.  I fully expect us to iterate 
over this text two or three times, at least, before we've got something 
that might be legimately useful to professors.

So.  That's the update.  If you're in, go claim your chapter pls.  :)

--g

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