Package: debian-handbook Version: 6.0+20120509 Severity: minor Hi Raphaël, I am reading the PDF version of the handbook (downloaded from the "upstream" web site). I've just completed chapter 1: what follows is a list of corrections and improvements I've thought of while reading, grouped by relevant section.
I hope this may be useful to you, in order to make the chapter even better than it is currently! Section 1.2.1 The Commitment towards Users ------------------------------------------ | Any improvement contributed by the Debian project to a program integrated | in the distribution is sent back to the author of the program (called | "upstream"). This sentence is unnecessarily restricted to programs, rather than generalized to works. I would rephrase it as follows: + Any improvement contributed by the Debian project to a work integrated + in the distribution is sent back to the author of the work (called + "upstream"). I would also s/program/work/g in the following COMMUNITY box. | The project, thus, has made part of its infrastructure available to them, in | order to distribute as Debian packages software that authorizes it. This sentence looks very unclear to me: I had to read it several times, before I could figure out what it was intended to mean... I would rephrase it as follows: + The project, thus, has set up a part of its infrastructure in + order to distribute as Debian packages non-free software (that + authorizes this redistribution). | By distributing these programs in the non-free branch Here I would s/programs/works/ , for the same reasons explained above. Especially taking into account that, a few lines below, it is mentioned that some documents are shipped in the non-free archive: hence, we are not talking about just programs! Section 1.2.2 The Debian Free Soware Guidelines ----------------------------------------------- | If a program's license is in accord with these principles For the same reasoning as above, I would say: + If a work's license is in accord with these principles | A particular feature thereof is that any redistributed program or | work derived from a program incorporating or using GPL code, can | only be distributed according to its terms. This sentence looks a bit cryptic to me. I know what it should mean, but it does not seem to explain it clearly. I would rephrase it as follows: + A particular feature thereof is that any redistributed work + that is derived from, incorporates, or links with GPL code, can + only be distributed according to its terms. | Copyleft imposes preservation of all initial liberties upon distribution | of an original or modified version of a program. In order to generalize (as I explained previously) I would add a parenthesis, as follows: + Copyleft imposes preservation of all initial liberties upon distribution + of an original or modified version of a program (or other work). Section 1.3.1. The Debian Developers ------------------------------------ | Debian is truly an international project: Its developers can be found Typo? s/Its/its/ | Fortunately, there many tools that facilitate Typo? s/there/there are/ | Maintaining a package entails, first, "packaging" a program. For the above-explained reasoning, I would say: + Maintaining a package entails, first, "packaging" a program, or other work. | The process that then starts is documented in /usr/share/doc/ | debian-policy/Process.html: If it is acknowledged that the problem Typo? s/If it/if it/ Section 1.3.2. The Active Role of Users --------------------------------------- | Yes: They play a critical role in the project. Typo? s/Yes: They/Yes: they/ Section 1.3.3.2. Administrative Teams ------------------------------------- | They maintain the program that receives packages sent by developers and | automatically installs them, after some checks, on the reference server | (ftp-master.debian.org). I think that the word "installs" is a bit misleading here: you are not referring to running "dpkg -i package.deb" here, are you? Maybe "stores" could be a more appropriate term? Section 1.5.3. Migration to Testing ----------------------------------- | lack of critical bugs, or, at least fewer than the version currently | included in Testing I think it would more precise, if this sentence were rephrased as: + lack of critical bugs, or, at least not more than the version currently + included in Testing Is that right? Section 1.5.4. The Promotion from Testing to Stable --------------------------------------------------- | the manager thereof must continue to improve it Should it perhaps be s/manager/maintainer/ ? | is generally faster: If it has not changed significantly Typo? s/: If/: if/ | when no program in Testing has any known critical bugs To be more precise, I would s/program/package/ | in the thousands of programs. Likewise, I would s/programs/packages/ | GNOME; They can choose Debian Stable Typo? s/; They/; they/ -- To UNSUBSCRIBE, email to [email protected] with a subject of "unsubscribe". Trouble? Contact [email protected]
