Hello all,
The HAM-HOWTO was initially designed to promote awareness of Linux as
a computing platform ideal for amateur radio software and development.
The LDP HOWTO format was adopted because it was widely known and there
were no other mechanisms to fill the role of collating lists of
software available.
We've moved on and things have changed.
There are a few reasons why I'd like to abandon the HAM-HOWTO in its
current form. They are:
1> The LDP is restructuring and it is likely that a document
rationalisation process will soon take place. The HAM-HOWTO does not
technically meet the requirements of a HOWTO document, it is a catalog,
a list, call it what you like, but it isn't a HOWTO. It doesn't provide
you with details steps on how to do something.
2> Other mechanisms do now exist. The Linux community at large has
built mechanisms for announcing/cataloging/advertising software. There
is no good reason why we should not use these mechanisms too. Examples
are http://freshmeat.net/ and the Linux Software Map.
3> The idea of the HAM-HOWTO was that it would be a community generated
document. That is, people would volunteer information about new
software as it is developed and/or found. To their credit, some people
have contributed, but I don't think enough have to call it a successful
collaborative exercise.
4> I think it's time that the Linux/Ham community realised that we
cannot afford to remain an insular community. We are part of the larger
Linux community just as much as we are part of the larger amateur radio
community. I see plenty of examples of a tendency amongst hams to only
want to deal with hams on linux matters, this is inefficient and
somewhat silly - the use of the linux-hams mailing list for
non-amateur-radio related questions is prime.
To this end, I'd like to hear your opinion on what the best alternative
solution to the problem of how to enable people to find amateur radio
software for Linux.
Some ideas that I have are:
1> Use freshmeat.net
2> Provide a web site, like Joops, and extend it such that it is able
to automatically produce textual catalogs that could be posted
periodically on usenet/mailing lists etc. for those that don't have
interactive net access, and all else could use the web site when
they're looking for software.
3> your idea here.
regards
Terry
