OpenSolaris

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How to Participate in OpenSolaris Documentation

  • Write a new document: Write content in any format using text, HTML, PDF, or the XML template and post it on the wiki for review.

  • Update an existing document: We provide existing documentation source in SolBook 3.5 XML format. To get started, See the tools page for an introduction to XML. Then, download and license the open source for a document using the instructions on the download center. Use the template instructions to modify the content.
    Note Derivative works must retitle documents if Solaris is in the title. You can also work with a sponsor to incorporate your changes into the document or man page that will be delivered with Nevada, see How To Work with a Sponsor below.

  • Post a document: Post your document on the wiki and send a message to docs dash discuss at opensolaris dot org to let us know or to request review feedback. If you are a doc community leader, post documents to the Documentation Community Files page and create a link from the appropriate Review page, Big Doc List, or Doc Downloads page. If you are a doc community member who is not a leader, send email to docs-discuss at opensolaris dot org to request that a document be posted for others to review.

  • Request a change to a document: File a doc bug using the opensolaris bug reporting interface and specify Doc as the subcategory.

  • Send review feedback for a document: Reply to doc postings on the docs-discuss list.

  • Send URL for a requested or new document: Monitor an opensolaris forum alias, and respond to requests for documentation or cross-post them to the docs-discuss alias if you don't know the location of a document.

  • Respond to a documentation change request: Review bugs that have the 'opensolaris' keyword and check to see if the submitter in field 6 answered Yes/No to the 'Submitter wants to work on bug' field. If they answered Yes, contact a doc community leader to get started with working in the open.

  • Communicate changes and contributions: Post changed documents to the Reviews page with a brief description of the change and under what heading it appears in the updated review copy. Feel free to also provide any additional review details that might be appropriate.

  • License the source for a document: Go to the download center to download documentation source files and accept the terms of the license.

  • Add content to an existing document: Use Send Review Feedback above if the document is not yet available as open source. Use License the Source for a Document above if the document is available as open source and you want to collaborate on the XML.

  • File and help to fix a documentation bug or RFE: File a doc bug using the opensolaris bug reporting interface and specify Doc as the subcategory. Then, answer yes to the 'Submitter wants to work on bug' field and a community leader will contact you to request a contributor agreement and get you in touch with the original author.

  • Post the source for a document: Source that is published in the Doc Consolidation must adhere to the Documentation Style Guide for OpenSolaris and the terminology guidelines provided in the Sun Global Glossary. The source must also be licensed according to appropriate guidelines on the doc license page and be provided in an acceptable format for collaboration (currently SolBook 3.5 XML for manuals, nroff for man pages). Other source files may be uploaded to the /tmp directory on the docs community site, just request a leader to do so by sending mail to docs-discuss at opensolaris dot org.

  • Submit a patch to an open source document: Use License the Source for a Document above to download and license content, then use 1b above to edit the content and request review and incorporation. (This process will improve with time, firstly, by having a way to transform the XML into HTML for reviews, and secondly, by having a source management system set up for true collaborative development.)

  • Introduce yourself: Send us your ideas for instructions, guidelines, and doc collaboration by posting a message to docs-discuss at opensolaris dot org.

How to Work With a Documentation Sponsor

Sun documentation sponsors work with the community to support the documentation that is needed for features, projects, bug fixes, and enhancements that integrate into OpenSolaris. We have identified experienced writers from the Solaris writer community who have backgrounds in man pages, system administration documentation, and developer documentation. They will monitor the docs-discuss mail list for questions and requests for assistance. To request a sponsor, send a request through the mail list. The documentation sponsors provide the following assistance:
  • Sponsors provide the means for the OpenSolaris community to participate in OpenSolaris documentation.
  • This includes requests to submit new documentation, requests to file bugs against documentation, and requests to enhance the current documentation.

  • Sponsors assist writers within the OpenSolaris community.
  • Sponsors provide examples and guidelines to follow, templates to use, best practices, and editorial feedback to community members who want to contribute.

  • Sponsors field requests and questions from community members regarding Solaris documentation.
  • This includes requests to submit new documentation, requests to file bugs against documentation, and requests to enhance the current documentation.

Feature Documentation

Feature documentation for OpenSolaris includes the Solaris 10 documentation collection and the Solaris Express documentation, which are published on the docs.sun.com web site, and the OpenSolaris OS man pages, also published on docs.sun.com and included with the software in the SUNWman OS package. The Information Products department within Sun encourages the community to contribute to the feature documentation. The long term goal is to open source all of the Solaris feature documentation. We have developed a roadmap for open sourcing and creating collaboration processes for the documentation.