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1. Introduction

1.1 Should you write a HOWTO ?

Do you know things about Linux for which no good free documentation is available and which would be useful to others? Even if you don't know the subject well, you can still write about it if you're eager, willing, and able to learn more about it. Can you write clearly using a word processor or editor? Do you want to help thousands of others and let them read what you write at no cost to them? Once you've written a document, are you willing to receive email suggestions from readers and selectively use this info for improving your HOWTO? Would you like to have your writings be available on hundreds of websites throughout the world? If you can answer yes to these, then you're encouraged to write something for the LDP. But be warned that it may take more time than you expected.

1.2 Copyright (skip this if you're in a hurry)

Copyright (c) 2001 by David S. Lawyer. Please freely copy and distribute (sell or give away) this document in any format. Send any corrections and comments to the document maintainer. You may create a derivative work and distribute it provided that you:

1. If it's not a translation: Email a copy of your derivative work to the LDP (Linux Documentation Project) for free distribution on the Internet in a format LDP accepts. Also email such a copy to the author(s) and maintainer (could be the same person).
2. License the derivative work in the spirit of this license or use GPL. Include a copyright notice and at least a pointer to the license used.
3. Give due credit to previous authors and major contributors.

1.3 Why I wrote this

Why did I write this when there is already an "LDP Authoring Guide"? Well, the LDP guide is a long and detailed work. If you want to get started quickly, you need something much simpler and shorter. Furthermore the LDP guide fails to even mention the simplicity of LinuxDoc.

Thanks to Matt Welsh for his example.sgml file which I used as a major source of info for the example sections.

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