Linux Documentation
Linux documentation has also been developed over the Internet. Much of the documentation currently available for Linux can be downloaded from Internet FTP sites. A special Linux project called the Linux Documentation Project (LDP), headed by Matt Welsh, has developed a complete set of Linux manuals. The documentation is available at the LDP home site, tldp.org. Linux documents provided by the LDP are listed in Table below, along with their Internet sites. The Linux documentation for your installed software will be available at your /usr/share/doc directory.
An extensive number of mirrors are maintained for the LDP. You can link to any of them through a variety of sources, such as the LDP home site, tldp.org, and linuxjournal.org. The documentation includes a user’s guide, an introduction, and administrative guides. These are available in text, PostScript, or web page format. You can also find briefer explanations in what are referred to as HOW-TO documents.
Distribution websites provide extensive Linux documentation and software. The gnome .org site holds documentation for the GNOME desktop, while kde.org holds documentation for the KDE desktop. The tables in this chapter list many of the available sites. You can find other sites through resource pages that hold links to other websites—for example, the Linux website on the World Wide Web at tldp.org/links.html.
Linux Documentation Project ~ Guides - Document Format
- Linux Installation and Getting Started Guide - DVI, PostScript, LaTeX, PDF, and HTML
- Linux User’s Guide - DVI, PostScript, HTML, LaTeX, and PDF
- Linux System Administrator’s Guide - PostScript, PDF, LaTeX, and HTML
- Linux Network Administrator’s Guide - DVI, PostScript, PDF, and HTML
- Linux Programmer’s Guide - DVI, PostScript, PDF, LaTeX, and HTML
- The Linux Kernel - HTML, LaTeX, DVI, and PostScript
- Linux Kernel Hacker’s Guide - DVI, PostScript, and HTML
- Linux HOW-TOs - HTML, PostScript, SGML, and DVI
- Linux FAQs - HTML, PostScript, and DVI
- Linux Man Pages - Man page
In addition to websites, Linux Usenet newsgroups are also available. Through your Internet connection, you can access Linux newsgroups to read the comments of other Linux users and to post messages of your own. Several Linux newsgroups exist, each beginning with comp.os.linux. One of particular interest to the beginner is comp.os.linux.help, where you can post questions. Table below lists some of the Linux Usenet newsgroups you can check out, particularly for posting questions.
Linux Usenet Newsgroups
- comp.os.linux.announce - Announcements of Linux developments
- comp.os.linux.development.apps - For programmers developing Linux applications
- comp.os.linux.development.system - For programmers working on the Linux operating system
- comp.os.linux.hardware - Linux hardware specifications
- comp.os.linux.admin - System administration questions
- comp.os.linux.misc - Special questions and issues
- comp.os.linux.setup - Installation problems
- comp.os.linux.answers - Answers to command problems
- comp.os.linux.help - Questions and answers for particular problems
- comp.os.linux.networking - Linux network questions and issues
- linux.dev.group - Numerous development newsgroups beginning with
- linux.dev, such as linux.dev.admin and linux.dev.doc