Slackware Linux Essentials
The Official Guide to Slackware Linux

TODO



This page lists items that need to be changed, added, and removed in preparation for the second edition of the book. Think of this as a to-do list for the next version. There...that's a good enough metaphor.

  1. Take care of errata items - The errata page lists incorrect information and formatting bugs found in the previous version of the book. Make sure that all first edition problems are cleared up.

  2. Add server configuration section - A hotly contested item. How much should we say about servers like sendmail, apache, bind, samba, etc? Do we even say anything at all? Do the benefits of having some simple server documentation outweigh the cost of having to keep it updated? This is something to think about.

  3. Add file sharing section - Regardless of if we have a server section or not, there should be a section describing various file sharing tactics including NFS, Samba, AppleTalk, and any others that we include. It should discuss configuration, simple troubleshooting, browsing, mounting, and other basics.

  4. Expand text editing chapters - We should at the very least mention the other included text editors - emacs, pico, jed, joe, etc. We should probably also have an emacs chapter comparable in scope to the vi chapter. There are two problems with that: First, it promotes the use of emacs, and no one should be using emacs :) And second, no one here knows enough to write about it.

  5. X 4.0 configuration - Since X 4.0 configuration is completely different, we should write a chapter about that as well. Also, the X configuration chapter will have to be restructured to fit this in. This section needs to be written and placed in standby mode so that when we switch to X 4.0 in Slackware, we can just add the chapter entity and all is well.
    (Chris)

  6. Add a mail section - Discuss mailers more in-depth, mail filtering, pop and imap, setting those servers up (?), and more. In general, beef up the existing mail info.

  7. A printer chapter - Yeah, printing sucks and no one wants to write about it or deal with it for that matter. But we should certainly have a chapter about this since it is so difficult to get going correctly. Besides, APS filter does most of the work for us. This might also be the perfect opportunity to talk about Samba printer sharing.

  8. Netscape - We never mention Netscape. Fix that. While we're at it, talk about any other browsers that have appeared recently. This involves restructuring the networking chapter slightly to make a "Web browser" section.

  9. Expand permissions info - Explain what permissions mean when applied to files vs. directories (such as the executable bit meaning you can enter a directory).
    (David)

  10. Shadow passwords explanation - Explain the shadow password system and why it's a Good Thing(tm). (we may already, I'm going from a user email here)
    (Chris)

  11. Update package programs - Update discussion of package management utilities to reflect the changes that Patrick has made.
    (David)

  12. Expand tagfile discussion - Tag files are far too overlooked by users, probably because they're a little obscure. But they sure are cool, and handy for mass installations.