SystemDocumentation

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One of the major tasks of the [[https://wiki.ubuntu.com/DocumentationTeam|Documentation Team]] is to take care of the documentation which comes with every Ubuntu system, and is available in '''Yelp''', the Gnome help system. This documentation is also available on https://help.ubuntu.com. = System Documentation =
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The team also takes care of the system documentation available in Kubuntu, Xubuntu, and Edubuntu as well as the Ubuntu Server Guide. The main purpose of the [[https://wiki.ubuntu.com/DocumentationTeam | Documentation Team]] is to maintain the official documentation for Desktop and Server. Desktop ships with this documentation but the Server does not. Both are available on [[https://help.ubuntu.com]].
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In order to contribute to the system documentation, you need to know a bit about the tools and processes the team uses to maintain the documentation. '''Don't worry if you don't know any of our tools yet.''' They are very easy to learn and it's possible to make useful contributions before learning how to use all the tools. In order to help you will need to use Doc team tools and processes but you can make meaningful contributions without learning all of them at once.
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The first thing you need to do is familiarize yourself with the docteam environment. This page briefly describes the various things you need to know and provides links for further reading and discovery. == How can I help? ==

Here are some common tasks:

 * '''Proof-reading''' - Look for spelling/grammar mistakes and broken links.
 * '''Submit a bug''' - [[https://help.ubuntu.com/community/ReportingBugs | Send in a bug report]] when you find mistakes.
 * '''Fix a bug''' - Propose new wording to fix an existing bug.
 * '''Create new material''' - Add to an existing topic or write on a new topic.

[[https://wiki.ubuntu.com/DocumentationTeam/Contact | Contact us]] for any questions you may have. We're a friendly bunch.
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There are plenty of ways to get started with the team. We have quickstart guides for each platform:
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==== Proof Reading ====  * '''[[/UbuntuDesktopGuide | Ubuntu Desktop Guide]]'''
 * '''[[/UbuntuServerGuide | Ubuntu Server Guide]]'''
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An important (and easy) way of helping out is to proof-read the system documentation and report any errors that you find. The following subpages provide details on specific tasks:
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 * Follow the instructions given in the documentation to see if they work and whether they make sense
 * Click links to make sure that they still work
 * Report spelling and grammar mistakes, mis-translated words and typos
 * Report documentation that you think is missing or inadequate
 * '''[[/Repository | Repository]]''' - Working with Bazaar branches and repositories.
 * '''[[/BuildingDocumentation | Building]]''' - Building the documentation from the sources.
 * '''[[/Editing | Editing]]''' - Editing the source documents.
 * '''[[/Checking | Checking]]''' - Verifying your work.
 * '''[[/Submitting | Submitting]]''' - Sending in your contribution.
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You can review the system documentation on [[https://help.ubuntu.com/|help.ubuntu.com]] (follow the link to the latest release to see the most up to date documentation). Finally, read the following pages for even more information:
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See the [[DocumentationTeam/TechReview|Technical Review page]] for information on becoming a technical reviewer/proofreader.

==== Making Suggestions ====

You can file bug reports on [[https://bugs.launchpad.net/ubuntu/+source/ubuntu-docs/|Launchpad]] if you find a problem. See [[https://help.ubuntu.com/community/ReportingBugs|Reporting Bugs]] for more information on how to file bugs correctly.

Alternatively, you can make suggestions on improving the documentation on the [[https://lists.ubuntu.com/mailman/listinfo/ubuntu-doc|Documentation Team mailing list]].

==== Submitting Material ====

To submit new material for a particular part of the system documentation, you can simply send the text that you propose to submit to our [[DocumentationTeam/Contact|mailing list]]. One of the team members will take care of adapting the text that you submit to the format that we use for System Documentation. In this way, you don't need to learn our tools to contribute regularly. However, to effectively contribute to the system documentation, you are encouraged to learn tools that the team uses.

Please remember when submitting material for transcription to DocBook that it will take time for a member to convert your materials. In most cases, your contribution will be in the next release of Ubuntu.

It is also helpful to [[https://bugs.launchpad.net/ubuntu/+source/ubuntu-docs|file a bug]] and post your material there. That way, we can't miss it!

For more ideas about what material to contribute, see the [[/Tasks]] page.

==== Submitting Patches ====

To submit your work for direct incorporation into the Ubuntu documentation, you need to get hold of the raw materials that we work with. With these materials, you can make changes and submit your changes to the team.

Download the [[attachment:BugsPlaybook.pdf | Playbook]] - a single sheet guide to fixing bugs!

For more details about how to contribute directly to the System Documentation, read the following sections and the pages linked there!

== Repository ==

To make changes to the system documentation, you need to download the ''repository'' which stores the latest copy of the documentation. Like most Ubuntu projects, we store our material using the ''Bazaar'' (or ''bzr'') version control system.

 * Detailed information on using the Bazaar branches and getting to our repository is on the '''[[/Repository]]''' page.

== Mallard ==

The system documentation is written in a simple markup language called [[http://projectmallard.org/|Mallard]]. Mallard is similar to HTML and is easy to learn and use.

 * The '''[[/Editing]]''' page details how to edit the documents.
 * The '''[[/Checking]]''' page explains how to view the files you have edited and to check your work.

== Submitting Your Contribution ==

Once you have made a change to a document and checked your work, the next step is to send your contribution to the Documentation Team.

 * The '''[[/Submitting]]''' page explains how to send your contribution to the Documentation Team by creating a patch.

== Tasks ==

The '''[[/Tasks]]''' page contains some ideas for working on the system documentation.
 * '''[[DocumentationTeam/Translation | Translation]]''' - How translations work.
 * '''[[DocumentationTeam/TechReview | TechnicalReview]]''' - About technical reviewing and proof-reading.

Inclusion deadlines for ImpishString Freeze: September 16, 2021 / Non-language packs: September 30, 2021

System Documentation

The main purpose of the Documentation Team is to maintain the official documentation for Desktop and Server. Desktop ships with this documentation but the Server does not. Both are available on https://help.ubuntu.com.

In order to help you will need to use Doc team tools and processes but you can make meaningful contributions without learning all of them at once.

How can I help?

Here are some common tasks:

  • Proof-reading - Look for spelling/grammar mistakes and broken links.

  • Submit a bug - Send in a bug report when you find mistakes.

  • Fix a bug - Propose new wording to fix an existing bug.

  • Create new material - Add to an existing topic or write on a new topic.

Contact us for any questions you may have. We're a friendly bunch.

Getting Started

We have quickstart guides for each platform:

The following subpages provide details on specific tasks:

  • Repository - Working with Bazaar branches and repositories.

  • Building - Building the documentation from the sources.

  • Editing - Editing the source documents.

  • Checking - Verifying your work.

  • Submitting - Sending in your contribution.

Finally, read the following pages for even more information:

DocumentationTeam/SystemDocumentation (last edited 2015-01-09 18:41:02 by petermatulis)