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List:       tuhs
Subject:    [TUHS] Project Idea: The UNIX Programmer's Manual: Heritage Edition
From:       segaloco via TUHS <tuhs () tuhs ! org>
Date:       2023-09-19 20:32:15
Message-ID: 4CmySC-mFud1dlrqfAq1itmNKoTWVi8cTuAqCvtUengKvv5CWEoYCFf6-I18dwf5BVSZWAxC-B6BP6Y1e0Gi_mlga344b5cxu5TlUCLXHeg= () protonmail ! com
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I haven't known when or how to bring up this project idea, but figure I mig=
ht as well start putting feelers out since my Dragon Quest project is start=
ing to slow down and I might focus back on UNIX manual stuff.

So something painfully missing from my and I'm sure plenty of other folks' =
libraries is a nice, modern paper UNIX manual that takes the past few decad=
es into consideration.  The GNU project, BSDs, etc. ship manpages of course=
, and there's the POSIX manpages, but I'm a sucker for a good print manual.=
  Something I'm thinking of producing as a "deliverable" of sorts from my d=
ocumentation research is a new-age UNIX manual, derived as closely as possi=
ble from the formal UNIX documentation lineages (so Research, SysV, and BSD=
 pages), but:

    1. Including subsequent POSIX requirements
    2. Including an informational section in each page with a little histor=
y and some notes about current implementations, if applicable.  This would =
include notes about "dead on the vine" stuff like things plucked from the C=
B-UNIX, MERT/PG, and PWB lines.  The history part could even be a separate =
book, that way the manual itself could stay tight and focused.  This would =
also be a good place for luminaries to provide reflections on their involve=
ment in given pieces.

One of the main questions that I have in mind is what the legal landscape o=
f producing such a thing would entail.  At the very least, to actually call=
 it a UNIX Programmer's Manual, it would probably need to pass some sort of=
 compliance with the materials The Open Group publishes.  That said, the ow=
nership of the IP as opposed to the trademarks is a little less certain, so=
 I would be a bit curious who all would be involved in specifically getting=
 copyright approval to publish anything that happened the commercial line a=
fter the early 80s, so like new text produced after 1982.  I presume anythi=
ng covered by the Caldera license at least could be published at-cost, but =
not for a profit (which I'm not looking for anyway.)

Additionally, if possible, I'd love to run down some authorship information=
 and make sure folks who wrote stuff up over time are properly credited, if=
 not on each page ala OWNER at least in a Acknowledgements section in the f=
ront.

As far as production, I personally would want to do a run with a couple of =
different cover styles, comb bound, maybe one echoing the original Bell Lab=
oratories UNIX User's Manual-style cover complete with Bell logo, another u=
sing the original USENIX Beastie cover, etc. but that also then calls into =
question more copyrights to coordinate, especially with the way the Bell lo=
go is currently owned, that could get complicated.

Anywho, anyone know of any such efforts like this?  If I actually got such =
a project going in earnest, would folks find themselves interested in such =
a publication?  In any case I do intend to start on a typesetter sources ve=
rsion of this project sometime in the next year or so, but ideally I would =
want it to blossom into something that could result in some physical media.=
  This idea isn't even half-baked yet by the way, so just know I don't have=
 a roadmap in place, it's just something I see being a cool potential proje=
ct over the coming years.

- Matt G.
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