should we create an OS development magazine?

01000101 · Post by **01000101** » Sun Feb 17, 2008 5:32 am

that sounds like a great idea.
but only as an online magazine.

I would be willing to supply my web development skills to either host it or create a site for it.
There should DEFFINATELY be a tutorials section, like one tutorial or something per zine, and deffinately be a 'history' section about something dev related.

octavio · Post by **octavio** » Sun Feb 17, 2008 9:07 am

Dex wrote:I was go to do a online mag, like this, but did not get time to finish it.
Heres as far as i got :
http://dex4u.com/DexMag/DexMag1-0.htm

And a cover i designed

I know very litle about web encription and even less about using linux but looks like a nice article. All i undestand if that you want to use somebody else wireless conection you should spend some money and being a linux
expert, this makes wep considerably secure

>but did not get time...
i don't even get the time to document my own programs.

Dex · Post by **Dex** » Sun Feb 17, 2008 10:30 am

octavio wrote:
Dex wrote:but did not get time...
i don't even get the time to document my own programs.

Same here

and thanks for the link at your web site, i have add a link to your site, in my links page.

piranha · Post by **piranha** » Sun Feb 17, 2008 2:22 pm

I'd contribute if I have time.....

What would go in it?

Alboin · Post by **Alboin** » Sun Feb 17, 2008 2:34 pm

piranha wrote:What would go in it?

Articles, tutorials, opinion pieces, news, etc. on the matters of osdev.

piranha · Post by **piranha** » Sun Feb 17, 2008 5:32 pm

Oh, duh, now I feel smart.......

Alboin · Post by **Alboin** » Sun Feb 17, 2008 5:41 pm

Any proposals on what to do next? There seems to be a general support of an osdev mag.

01000101 · Post by **01000101** » Sun Feb 17, 2008 7:13 pm

I'd suggest learning how to create stylish PDF files or put up a website for it, depends on how you want to do it. If you want a site, then create a site, if you just want an e-zine, make pdf's and put them in an archive for everyone to pick from.

I created a newspaper style site once where you could choose the e-paper to read from, then you could view the e-paper in sets of two pages (just like a real paper). Also, the headers for the different topics lead to a commenting area to post your thoughts on the topic.

just some thoughts.

jerryleecooper · Post by **jerryleecooper** » Sun Feb 17, 2008 10:35 pm

I propose that the articles be made as ascii text files. One file per article, and one file for the "cover" with the index. The figures, pictures screenshots etc be kept in a separate folder. So everyone here will be able to read the ezine in their OS, not windows/macos/linux, but the homemade os. and there will be converters to convert the ezine to html, pdf, etc. we can also create an easy converter to make it as LaTex?

For the articles-writing I propose everyone is free to write about whatever they want OSrelated. But if someone write about an howto about paging and someone else want to write about paging, then the first to come should be the first served, the second to write about paging should be more original and write about paging on x86 versus ppc versus 68000 for example.

and if the project doesnt go too well we can alsways put everything in the wiki, in a format acceptable for it?

JackScott · Post by **JackScott** » Mon Feb 18, 2008 1:28 am

IMHO, Yuck. Project-specific converters?

A better idea would be for the magazine to be put together as LaTeX files, and then at release time a simple shell script can produce HTML and PDF versions. LaTeX files are only ASCII text anyway, and more people are going to want to read the PDF or on paper than on a 80x25 terminal screen.

I would also encourage the broadening of scope for the journal/magazine. OSDev is a fairly narrow subject, especially for a publication with regular releases. Perhaps a more appropriate scope would be 'Amateur Computer Science', with emphasis on topics such as OSDev, distributed computing, and programming language design. Perhaps a neat idea would be to have an issue per year devoted to a specific area.

As far as ideas for articles go, I'd like to add the following sorts of things:

Review of a hobby project that has got off the ground (well, when one does).
Opinions on things that should have happened by now (somewhat intelligent shells), things that the time has returned for (timesharing), that sort of thing.

Aku-Aku · Post by **Aku-Aku** » Mon Feb 18, 2008 3:44 am

I would be happy if i can read a os developer magazine in electronic or paper format.
I would pay for it.
I know it isn't a survey, i just want to tell my opinion.

AndrewAPrice · Post by **AndrewAPrice** » Mon Feb 18, 2008 4:45 am

Yayyak wrote:A better idea would be for the magazine to be put together as LaTeX files, and then at release time a simple shell script can produce HTML and PDF versions. LaTeX files are only ASCII text anyway, and more people are going to want to read the PDF or on paper than on a 80x25 terminal screen.

I agree, call me a sell-out but text + varied fonts + colours + images is a lot easier to read than text.

01000101 · Post by **01000101** » Mon Feb 18, 2008 5:26 am

why not just make them pure HTML files?
if you don't want to make OS specific files, why not just stick with the web standard? HTML can be later converted to PDF's and im sure LaTeX as well. Also, they can be created in a web IDE from your platform and be transported to other OS's to be worked on there as well (assuming you would use a web IDE, ick...). This also makes it easier to create a site with user-created articles as they can be (just about) seamlessly integrated.

Dex · Post by **Dex** » Mon Feb 18, 2008 5:43 am

I think we need to get someone to be editor, this editor will be voted on by members.
The position will be for a year, then we can vote for a new editor or vote to keep the old one.
The editor will decide on what goes in the mag etc.

01000101 · Post by **01000101** » Mon Feb 18, 2008 7:53 am

Agreed.