Date: Thu, 19 Sep 2002 20:14:53 +0200 From: Marc Fonvieille <blackend@freebsd.org> To: Daniel Tourde <daniel.tourde@bredband.net> Cc: freebsd-doc@freebsd.org Subject: Re: We, poor Eurpoeans.... Message-ID: <20020919181453.GC457@marduk.blackend.org> In-Reply-To: <1032454228.392.2.camel@maerlyn.bredbandsbolaget.se> References: <1032454228.392.2.camel@maerlyn.bredbandsbolaget.se>
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On Thu, Sep 19, 2002 at 06:50:28PM +0200, Daniel Tourde wrote: > Hello, > > I am a newbye with FreeBSD. I have used RedHat Linux for several years > now but I gave a try to FreeBSD lately and, so far, I am EXTREMELY happy > and impressed by it. > I have however a simple problem that leads to these very simple remarks: > > I am a European, this means that, by this side of the atlantic ocean, > the paper format is named A4 and is 29.4 cm long and 21 cm large (1 inch > = 2.54 cm). > I would like to print the FreeBSD handbook (to begin with) and to read > it comfortably at home. I looked on the FTP site and I found 4 main > formats for the handbook: > pdb > rtf > ps > pdf > > I cannot open either the .pdb or the .rtf files with AbiWord. Word opens > the .rtf file but somehow, all the figures have disappeared and to be > honest, I don't really like Microsoft Word... > > The .ps and .pdf files are in the American letter format, not in A4 and > here, in Europe, we do not have letter format paper.... > I'm european too :) When I want to print a ps/pdf/whatever file, I choose A4 paper in the menu/properties of my ps/pdf viewers. The letter format is not a problem. > Here is my question: > Wouldn't it be possible to have generated automatically (that is to say > ready for download and print, for newbye like me...) the books in A4 > format? > The available manuals are single-sided. At work I have access to a > printer that can print in double side (with a more than 500 pages > manual, this is a BIG advantage...), isn't it possible to also have > manuals in single AND double-sided format? By double-side manual I am > referring to manual with an extra-margin for the cover (different for > odd and even pages and pages number on the left then on the right...) > > If this is not possible because of the size of the files on the FTP > server, could you please leave a README files explaining how to > regenerate the .ps and .pdf from the handbook source file and with the > different possible options. As I said, I am a newbye and certainly not > familiar with the secrets of DocBook... > > To sum up: > Now there are available manuals in letter single-sided format (pdf, ps) > Isn't it possible to put on the FTP site as well: > letter double-sided > A4 single-sided > A4 double-sided (.pdf and .ps). > I think this is just a matter of modifying slightly some scripts. I > simply don't know yet where they are and how to modify them, otherwise I > would have done it myself. > > If this becomes too many files, just a README file on the FTP website, > summing up how to generate the .ps and .pdf according to the needs and > wishes of anyone. > > > I propose (but this is just a suggestion) that a margin of .75 inch for > the A4 format to be used where 1 inch is used in letter format and 1 > inch where 1.25 inches is used in letter format. In double-side format, > an extra margin (for the cover, odd, even, odd...) of 0.25 inch could be > used. > For an obvious reason, it's not possible to provide all formats and all custom versions of various formats. The letter format is the en_US format standard, and en_US is the standard of the Project. The following command, used in /usr/doc/en_US.ISO8859-1/articles/: make TWO_SIDE=yes PAPERSIZE=A4 FORMAT=ps will build all PostScript version of all en_US articles in a format close from the one you want (of course you can replace FORMAT=ps with FORMAT=pdf...) http://www.freebsd.org/doc/en_US.ISO8859-1/books/fdp-primer/ will give you more informations about docs building system. > > > I have also an other question. I have installed FreeBSD at home and > looked under /usr/share/doc/. There I found the books but so far, the > only format I can read is the .txt format. Is there a package to install > to get the manual sources and/or the .ps and .pdf manual as well? > The url I gave above could help you. Also, an old FreeBSDZine article may help a bit: http://www.blackend.org/zine/docs.html (be careful the cvsup packahe installation is outdated). Marc To Unsubscribe: send mail to majordomo@FreeBSD.org with "unsubscribe freebsd-doc" in the body of the message
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