59

I think we don\'t want to have fulltime-writers.
But I think when you ask a developer (like you or me) he\'ll write something.
Don\'t forget: They also do silly things like brainstorming, chatting in IRC or supporrting their projects.

PS:
But first you have to create a layout, this takes some hours, you have to create some code in KOffice or LaTeX or whatever...

ivan wrote:
You can not expect the developers to write that much stuff because of a few things:
1. developers like to develop, not to write articles
2. developers know how to develop, not to write articles
3. not all developers are fluent English speakers
4. developers are usually spending all their free time to develop - reducing the development time in order to write is really not the way to go

So the devs could just write some guidelines leaving final writing for volunteers

[s]About starting. Why not to start it just right now?[/s]

We need some place to lay down all TODO's and ideas in the first place. This could be a new section on these forums like Forums -> News -> Magazine, keeping one idea per topic structure, would fit at least in the beginning. I dont think it is worth creating a new platform for this now, unless someone knows a really good one

The User wrote:Layouting is simply much more work than writing some articles. But layouting is also very important. So you have to search for volunteers.

From my experience with LaTeX, I'm quite sure that layouting can be a one-time effort mostly:

Code: Select all

\documentclass{kdemagazine}

Of course, each issue has to be layouted separately, but that becomes quite easy. A job of two or three hours with some routine. And writing LaTeX is dead-easy for developers.

Lukas wrote:
So the devs could just write some guidelines leaving final writing for volunteers

Please not. You cannot write about something you do not know. Even if someone gave you a list of facts that has to be included, some listings and nice graphics, you still need to have understood the matter to know how to organise everything.

Lukas wrote:
About starting. Why not to start it just right now?

We wont't start until we stop saying that we're starting right now.

majewsky wrote:
Please not. You cannot write about something you do not know. Even if someone gave you a list of facts that has to be included, some listings and nice graphics, you still need to have understood the matter to know how to organize everything.

There are many situations where this solution might suit, like writing about new features, that will be in next release and now is only on unstable/factory repos, or writing a tips section. Devs could give notes about not very known but yet powerful features. If writing is donw by experienced user, what could go wrong. especialy if the dev would review article

Lukas wrote:There are many situations where this solution might suit, like writing about new features, that will be in next release and now is only on unstable/factory repos, or writing a tips section. Devs could give notes about not very known but yet powerful features. If writing is donw by experienced user, what could go wrong. especialy if the dev would review article

Okay, agreed. I was mainly thinking about articles on programming (similar to Qt Quarterly)

I don't think that topics about programing should be in such magazine.

Main idea of this magazine is to build KDE brand awareness, to introduce KDE to new users, tell them, that Linux is not only servers for geeks etc. Putting programing into such magazine could scare those user for good.

Yes, it is OK to introduce IDE's and some scripting tips to gain advanced users, i don't think, that titles how to create a mail app in 30mins is OK.

Many new users still believes, that if you want to install anything you have to do something very geeky, how do they call it? (silence) Oh yeah you have to compile for a day it all to make it run. It is one of the worse stereotypes at Linux that cant be *promoted* in such magazine.

There should be advanced topics and a development-section.
If there aren't such topics, you could also buy any xyz-linux-magazine. There are just topics like "how do I install xyz" and lists of applications.

We need introductions, tutorials, development, advanced topics, interviews... That's much more interesting for long time.


About the technical realization:
There could be many different platforms:
-LaTeX
++ Good support for macros and styles
- Bad support for utf8
- Often very complicate to find non-hackish ways
-KOffice
+ Style-support
+ Allows extensions
- Would need new developments (for things like syntax-hightlighting or macros)
-Online-System
+ We could start with the forum
+ I could write a converter BBCodes to KOffice/LaTeX (I've developed a powerful BBCode-engine)
- Bad styling
- Bad for per-page-organization
-TeXmacs
++ Good support for macros and styles
+ Fast modifications
- Missing features like syntax-highlighting
- Ugly interface

What's your opinion?

About *how to* topics, it should definitely have a how to section, but not to focusing at it.

First of all we need to define a target market, people we would like to write for. Writing to everyone == writing to none. I believe its the right time focus on a *business market*, because:

1* People at home are comfortable with what they work at the office. If the company would moves to Open Source, its higher chance they would do the same at home, to keep it simple

2* We cant ignore W!n7. It is going to be released after a few months (we are a bit late). So CEO's is going to make decisions about changing the OS. Since any way changing OS == new training courses to employees, new expenses for reinstalling software, there is not a big difference to choose 7 or 4.

3* Directors are always looking for new opportunities This meas, if KDE has something to offer them, it is 50:50 they would use it. Clear example Smart home solutions and Remote Plasma planned for 4.4 ( http://aseigo.blogspot.com/2009/07/plas ... de-44.html )

4* Business is more willing to pay. Yes KDE if free, but donations is also accepted. Major companies pays a lot of cash for software, that sometimes can be got for free, or *ordered*. Lets say accounting software costs ~200-500EUR, so company (or a few of them) with lets say 100 worker could offer 20-50k EUR to best teem/project, to write that software in Open Source.



About format.
Why play HTML+CSS can't fit? bbcode is castrated version of html in order to prevent dangerous code in websites. no need to use it. Main code/topic could be easily written in kate, and global css would do 80% of styling. Inline styles would do the rest. Since it is going to spread in pdf or printed version cross-brtowser problem is also not important. LaTeX is also supported in major browsers, if needed.

But whe need better BBCodes for a magazine, for example:
-Syntax highlighting (implemented in my engine)
-Image-Floating
-Boxes for additional information

Business:
What should be the Business-topics?
I think we still need normal topics:
-Howtos for beginners
-Interviews
-Development

-Syntax highlighting - I havent seen your work, however even pasteBin could be used to get highlighted code
-Image-Floating <img src='#' style='float=left' /> etc.
what bbcode does, it generates html in the end. Or I mised your point?


>> What should be the Business-topics?
* How to use OOo (despite its not KDE app, it is main app in OS, so cant be excluded)
* Comuncation and data sharing (Akonadi, iFolder, ftp:/ etc kios)

>>I think we *still* need normal topics:
Well all new business users anyway will be beginners, so its a must. But we can write HowTo recompile a mail server or how to organize you files in semantic way. It a question of point of view.


However discussion in this tread is not comfortable, since it became a multitasking (layouting, selecting topics, discussing exact title etc).
So is it better to set up a free wiki or a repo full with doc's or use forum as a base system?

BBCodes:
I've some configuration files, when I edit them, I can get LaTeX or ODF.