Conte nts :: Is s ue 9 | Se pte m be r 2007
/* Com m e nt*/
O pe nO ffice
O pe n Source Publ is h ing
Col l aborative Editing
Wel com e to th e Se pte m be r fe ature is s ue . Th is m onth o3 l ook s atO pe n Source Publ is h ing, and l ook s atth e ve ry tool s us e d h e re ato3. W h il e s om e fol k s h ave bas h e d th e conce ptofprofe s s ionalm agaz ine form ats us ing PDF, th e s trong and grow ing re ade rs h ip w e h ave ato3 m agaz ine , s h ow s th e re is a m ark e tfor s om e th ing be yond th e bl og.
Th e O pe nO ffice w rite r is a pow e rfultoolfor e ditors and docum e ntte am s w ork ing on col l aborative docum e nts . A l ook atth e fe ature s offe re d by O pe nO ffice to m ak e l ife e as ie r.
Th is is s ue is a l ittl e offs ch e dul e due to our h ol d pol icy w h e n ne tw ork probl e m s occur. Th e pol icy h ol ds back an is s ue for 48 to 72 h ours w h e n a m ajor outage occurs . Las t w e e k , tw o ofth e data ce nte rs w e col ocate at w e re im pacte d by ups tre am provide r probl e m s , on tw o diffe re ntdays . W e did not w antto com pound th e probl e m w ith an o3 re l e as e .
Eve ry bus ine s s w il lne e d to cre ate a ne w s l e tte r atone pointor anoth e r. O pe nO ffice w rite r provide s th e pe rfe cttoolto ge tth e job done .
O pe nO ffice Cre ating Ne w s l e tte rs w ith O pe nO ffice
Is s ue 10 is due outs h ortl y, and Is s ue 11 is cove rage ofO h io LinuxFe s t. -- Joh n Bus w e l l(bus w e l l j@ o3m agaz ine .com )
Scribus Is s ue 10 Ne tw ork M onitoring and M anage m e nt
O pe n Source De s k top Publ is h ing Scribus is a pow e rfulprofe s s ionalgrade de s k top publ is h ing s ol ution. Scribus is w h at is us e d to buil d o3 m agaz ine . Th is articl e tak e s a s te p by s te p approach to buil ding o3.
Cre ating graph ics for publ is h ing w ith Gim p
Ne tw ork M onitoring and m anage m e ntare k e y pie ce s ofte ch nol ogy re q uire d to m aintain e ve n th e s m al l e s tofproduction ne tw ork s . Ne xtis s ue , o3 m agaz ine l ook s atNagios , M onit, Z e nos s , graph ing w ith Cacti, O pe n Source Bandw idth m anage m e nt, m onitoring w ifi and CARP, a s e cure and pate nt-fre e al te rnative to VRRP /H SRP.
Th e GNU Im age M anipul ation Program is a pow e rfulope n s ource graph ics pack age th at is a s trong com pe titor to Adobe Ph otos h op. Th is articl e l ook s ath ow GIM P is us e d ato3.
As al w ays w e e atour ow n dog food s o to s pe ak , th e s e m onitoring s ys te m s are one s th atare in dail y us e atSpl ice d Ne tw ork s and o3 m agaz ine .
Gim p
Ne xtIs s ue o3 m agaz ine :: page 4
Eve nts :: Trade s h ow and Com m unity
O h io LinuxFe s t2007 Col um bus , O h io :: Se pte m be r 29 th 2007 h ttp://w w w .oh iol inux.org O h io LinuxFe s tis a com m unity run confe re nce and e xpo for Fre e and O pe n Source s oftw are profe s s ional s /e nth us ias ts . Th e e ve ntis fre e , al th ough itis a good ide a to re gis te r ah e ad of tim e in cas e th e y re ach capacity. Th e e ve nts tarts at8am , and runs al lday, th e re is a pos te ve ntparty ata ne arby h ote l . Spons ors typical l y h ave inte re s ting e xh ibits and th e re are al w ays good tal k s for al ll e ve l s ofs k il l . Vyatta, Sun M icros ys te m s , Googl e , IBM , Nove l l , Sil icon M e ch anics , Z e nO SS and Re d H atare jus ts om e ofth e s pons ors ofth e e ve nt. Its a ch ance to m e e ts om e ofth e o3 s taffw h o w il lbe atte nding th e e ve nt.
Z e nd /PH P Confe re nce and Expo Burl ingam e , Cal ifornia :: O ctobe r 8th - O ctobe r 11th 2007 h ttp://w w w .k bconfe re nce s .com /z e ndcon07/inde x.ph p Join e xpe rts w h o w il ls h are th e ir e xpe rie nce s and be s tpractice s for cre ating com m e rcial W e b appl ications w ith PH P. Th e e ve ntw il lincl ude a w ide range ofs e s s ions focus e d on both th e bus ine s s and te ch nicalas pe cts ofPH P. Th e k e ynote s pe ak e rs incl ude CEO ofZ e nd H arol d Gol dbe rg, Robe rtPicciano (VP ofW orl dw ide Inform ation M anage m e ntSal e s atIBM ), Le e Brim e l ow (Sr. Pl atform Evange l is tatAdobe ). Th e re are ove r 40 s e s s ions , and th e e ve nt provide s a uniq ue ne tw ork ing opportunity.
O ntario LinuxFe s t2007 Toronto, O ntario, Canada :: O ctobe r 13th 2007 h ttp://onl inux.ca Th is is th e ve ry firs tye ar for O ntario LinuxFe s t, and its ge aring up to be a gre ate ve nt. Ke ynote s pe ak e rs are Jon 'm addog' H al land Th e odore Ts 'o (probabl y th e firs tLinux k e rne l de ve l ope r in North Am e rica). Spe ak e rs incl ude K h al id Bah e ye l din - Pe rform ance Tuning and O ptim iz ation ofH igh -Traffic W e b Site s , Ch ris toph e r Brow ne (W h ats Ne w in Pos tgre SQL 8.3), Ange l a Byron (W om e n in O pe n Source ), M arce lGagne (be s tk now n for Linux Journal 's Cook ing W ith Linux col um n) and m any oth e r gre ats pe ak e rs .
Inte rnationalBSD Confe re nce Is tanbul , Turk e y :: O ctobe r 20th /O ctobe r 21s t2007 h ttp://w w w .bs dcontr.org/inde x.ph p O rganiz e d in coope ration w ith M arm ara Unive rs ity and Ende rUNIX Softw are De ve l opm e nt Te am , th e confe re nce w il lbe h e l d on th e Goz te pe cam pus ofM arm ara Unive rs ity in Is tanbul , Turk e y. Fre e BSD core te am m e m be r Robe rtW ats on, O pe nBSD Proje ctM arc Bal m e r, Diom idis D. Spine l l l is (auth or ofCode Re ading), from th e BSDCe rtification Group M ach te l t Garre l s and Paw e lJak ub Daw ide k w il lbe atte nding th e confe re nce as gue s ts pe ak e rs .
o3 m agaz ine :: page 5
Fe ature :: O pe nO ffice Ch ange Track ing
Col l aborative e diting w ith O pe nO ffice O pe nO ffice W rite r is a pow e rfulal te rnative to M icros oftW ord. In m any bus ine s s e nvironm e nts col l aborative e diting ofdocum e nts is a ne ce s s ity ofl ife . M ayank Sh arm a l ook s atth e fe ature s in th e l ate s tO pe nO ffice re l e as e to h e l p m anage col l aborative e diting ofdocum e nts . M ayank Sh arm a (m s h arm a@ o3m agaz ine .com ) A typicalpubl is h ing jointruns on an as s e m bl y l ine ofe ditors . O nce a w rite r turns in a pie ce it's ch e ck e d for gram m aticale rrors , fl ow , l e ngth , e tc. De pe nding on s e ve ralfactors th e articl e m igh ts h uttl e be tw e e n th e arm y of e ditors and th e w rite r and face s e ve ral re w rite s . W oul dn'titbe w onde rfulifth e w rite r and th e e ditors coul d ata gl ance find outth e ch ange s m ade by oth e rs ? You can probabl y im agine s e ve rals ce narios w h e n you've col l aborate d or s h are d a docum e ntw ith a group and w onde re d w h o is s ugge s ting w h ich ch ange s . O pe nO ffice .org W rite r h as an im pre s s ive ch ange track ing m e ch anis m th at'l lnotonl y s h ow you th e ch ange s ata gl ance , butw il lal s o al l ow you to re vie w and acce ptor re je ctany or al lofth e m . Com paring tw o docum e nts Traditional l y ifyou h ad to com pare tw o docum e nts , you'd k e e p th e m s ide by s ide and go th rough e ach l ine ! Is th atine fficie ntor w h at?W orry not. O pe nO ffice .org W rite r's to th e re s cue . So ifyou've jus tbe e n s e ntback a docum e nt w ith re vis ions , you can us e W rite r's Com pare Docum e nts fe ature . W h e n you ge tth e e dite d ve rs ion, s ave itand ope n th e original docum e ntin W rite r. Now go to Edit-> Com pare Docum e nt. Th is w il lope n a dial og box us ing w h ich you'l lh ave to pointto th e e dite d docum e nt. Th is is w h e re th e m agic h appe ns . In your originaldocum e nt, W rite r w il lm ark th e diffe re nce be tw e e n th e tw o docum e nts . It'l l al s o fire up a dial og box us ing w h ich you can re vie w e ach ch ange and ch oos e to acce ptit or re je ctit.
Butth e re 's a catch ! M ak ing ch ange s th is w ay is n'tfor th e faintofh e art. De pe nding on th e s iz e ofth e docum e ntand th e num be r of ch ange s , re vie w ing th e ch ange s can be q uite a tas k . Al s o th is proce dure onl y com pare s tw o docum e nts . So it'l lnotw ork in s ituations w h e re you h ave m ul tipl e fol k s w ork ing on th e docum e nt. Track ing ch ange s Th e re 's a ve ry s im pl e s te p you can tak e to avoid running into th e probl e m m e ntione d above . Al lyou h ave to do is activate th e fe ature th attrack s ch ange s be fore you s e nd th e docum e nt. Th at's it! Enabl ing th is fe ature al s o h as s e ve ral advantage s . You'l lbe abl e to find outata gl ance w h o h as m ade w h atch ange s . Th e fe ature e nabl e s W rite r to k e e p track of e ve ryone w h o h as ch ange d th e docum e ntin any w ay. You ofcours e al s o ge tth e fre e dom to acce ptor re je ctany ofth e s e ch ange s . Additional l y, and you'l lge tus e d to th is fe ature q uite e as il y, e ve ryone e diting th e docum e ntcan add com m e nts e xpl aining e ach and e ve ry addition and de l e tion th e y've done in th e docum e nt. Again, th is is ve ry s im pl e . Al lyou ne e d to do is go to Edit-> Ch ange s -> Re cord. From th is pointon W rite r w il ls tarttrack ing and h igh l igh ting al lch ange s . By de faul tal l additions from th is pointon are unde rl ine d. Th e additions are al s o col or code d. Al l e ditors h ave th e ir ow n col ors to s e parate th e ir ch ange s from oth e rs . Al s o, by de faul t de l e tions h ave a h oriz ontall ine th rough th e m l ik e a s trik e -th rough .
o3 m agaz ine :: page 8
Fe ature :: O pe nO ffice Ch ange Track ing
You can al s o ch ange th e s e de faul t param e te rs for m ak ing ch ange s . H e ad ove r to Tool s -> O ptions -> O pe nO ffice .org W rite r > Ch ange s . Com m e ntth e ch ange You s h oul d now be abl e to fre e l y e xch ange docum e nts w ith oth e rs as s ure d th atW rite r is faith ful l y k e e ping track ofal lth e ch ange s . Som e ch ange s are ve ry obvious and fairl y s im pl e to unde rs tand. Butde pe nding on th e com pl e xity and nature ofs om e docum e nt, it m igh tbe ve ry im portantto e xpl ain th e ch ange s . Butfor e ve ry com pl e x probl e m s , W rite r h as a ve ry s im pl e s ol ution tuck e d aw ay in its m e nus . To add a com m e ntto a portion ofte xt you've adde d, s e l e ctitand th e n go to Edit-> Ch ange s -> Com m e ntw h ich ope ns th e com m e ntdial og box. Us e th e te xtbox in th e dial og box to e nte r your com m e nt. Th e probl e m w ith adding com m e nts to de l e tions is th atth e de l e te d portion cannotbe sel e cte d! It's a good ide a to s e l e ctth e te xt pre ce ding or fol l ow ing th e de l e te d portion and us ing th atto e xpl ain th e re as ons for de l e tion. Butm ak e s ure e ve ryone w ork ing on th e docum e ntk now s w h e re th e de l e tions are e xpl aine d. W h e n you cre ate a com m e nt, th e com m e nt appe ars in th e Acce ptor Re je ctCh ange s dial og box. Ifyou turn on e xte nde d tips by going to Tool s -> O ptions -> Ge ne raland cl ick ing th e Exte nde d Tips ch e ck box, you'l l be abl e to s e e th e com m e nts w h e n you pl ace th e curs or ove r any ch ange th ath as an as s ociate d com m e nt. Acce pting/Re je cting ch ange s So you've e nabl e d th e ch ange s and l e tth e docum e ntcircul ate . W h e n itcom e s back to you, it's tim e for th e m os tim portanttas k -re vie w ing th e ch ange s .
re ce ive d w ith al lth e ch ange s . H e ad ove r to Edit-> Ch ange s -> Acce ptor Re je ct. Th is pops ope n th e Acce ptor Re je ctCh ange s dial og box w ith tw o tabs -- Lis tand Fil te r. Se l e ctth e Lis ttab w h ich l is ts al lth e ch ange s in th e docum e nt. As you cl ick on an ite m in th is l is t, W rite r s crol l s th e docum e ntin th e back ground to tak e you to th e portion ofth e te xtth e ch ange appl ie s to and h igh l igh ts it. Now re vie w th e ch ange and de cide its fate by e ith e r acce pting or re je cting it. You can al so re je ctor acce ptal lch ange s atone go us ing th e acce ptal land re je ctal lbuttons . Th e Fil te r tab l e ts you fil te r th e ch ange s th at are s h ow n in th e Lis ttab. Th is is us e fulifyou w antto re vie w ch ange s m ade be tw e e n particul ar date s or by particul ar auth ors . You can al s o de cide to onl y re vie w al ladditions or al lde l e tions . Concl us ion W h ate ve r s ortofpubl is h ing you're into, th e O pe nO ffice .org W rite r's ch ange track ing fe ature is pl ain and s im pl e inval uabl e . It's s im pl e to com pre h e nd, s im pl e to us e and s im pl e to ge tus e d to. No m atte r h ow m any pe opl e you're col l aborating w ith , ifyou ne e d to k e e p track ofth e ch ange s in a docum e nt, l e ave itup to W rite r. AboutO pe nO ffice O pe nO ffice is a s uite ofoffice appl ications . O pe nO ffice W rite r is a fre e O pe n Source al te rnative to M icros oftW ord. O pe nO ffice is s pons ore d by Sun M icros ys te m s butIBM h ave re ce ntl y joine d to h e l p w ith O pe nO ffice de ve l opm e nt. O pe nO ffice is avail abl e for a w ide varie ty ofpl atform s . O pe nO ffice is avail abl e from h ttp://w w w .ope noffice .org. M acO S X us e rs l ook ing for O pe nO ffice th at runs native l y s h oul dl ook atth e Ne oO ffice proje ct.
O pe n th e e dite d docum e ntth atyou've o3 m agaz ine :: page 9
Fe ature :: Publ is h ing w ith Scribus
Publ is h ing w ith Scribus Scribus is an O pe n Source De s k top Publ is h ing s ol ution for s e ve ralpl atform s , incl uding Linux. Scribus is us e d to buil d th is ve ry publ ication. Scribus is an incre dibl e ope n s ource proje ct, itis h igh l y profe s s ionaland can produce pre s s -re ady output. Scribus can outputPDF fil e s th atfol l ow th e s tandards s trictl y incl uding PDF 1.4, PDF 1.5, and PDF/X. Joh n Bus w e l l(bus w e l l j@ o3m agaz ine .com ) Scribus is an O pe n Source De s k top Publ is h ing s ol ution for Linux, M acO S X, and W indow s . Scribus can l ay outpage s profe s s ionaland produce "pre s s re ady" output. Th is publ ication (as w e l las s e ve ral oth e rs ) are pos s ibl e th ank s to th e e fforts of th e Scribus te am . Scribus is gre attoolfor DTP and can be us e d to cre ate profe s s ional PDFs in a re l ative l y s h orts pace oftim e . Th e tim e ittak e s to cre ate a ne w is s ue ofo3 m agaz ine w ith Scribus is e xtre m e l y s h ort. In fact, about9 0% ofth e tim e in cre ating o3 m agaz ine is s pe ntre s e arch ing and w riting th e articl e s , w h il e onl y 10% , ifth at, is us e d in type s e tting th e m agaz ine w ith Scribus . Th is articl e is going to w al k you th rough h ow w e cre ate o3 m agaz ine 's l ate s tl ook w ith Scribus . Te m pl ate s W e h e avil y us e Scribus ' page im port capabil ity. Scribus can im portanoth e r Scribus docum e ntas one or m ore page s . For o3, w e h ave a num be r ofte m pl ate s w ith our page l ayout. Th e s e te m pl ate s are - conte nts , tw o col um n w ith h e adl ine , tw o col um n, and no col um n. Th e conte nts is our tabl e of conte nts page , tw o col um n w ith h e adl ine is our s tandard firs tpage ofe ve ry articl e , tw o col um n is a re gul ar articl e page , and final l y th e no col um n is bas ical l y th e h e ade r and foote r. W e us e th e no col um n l ayoutfor s pe cialre q uire m e nts , or to buil d future te m pl ate s . Th e h e ade r and foote r e l e m e nts on e ach page ofo3 m agaz ine , are s im pl y te xtboxe s w ith a bl ack back ground. Th e page num be rs are s uppl ie d by ins e rting tw o page num be r ch aracte rs into th e te xtbox. Th is is done via Ins e rt-> Ch aracte r -> Page Num be r. You w oul d onl y ne e d one page num be r ch aracte r
ifyou can re s trictyour publ ication to a s ingl e digitpage num be r, th atis page 9 . As s oon as you e nte r doubl e digitnum be rs for page num be rs , you ne e d th e s e cond ch aracte r s o th atitdis pl ays both digits . Lik e w is e , ifyou w e ntto th re e -digitpage num be ring in a l arge r docum e nt, you w oul d ne e d th re e page num be r ch aracte rs . Th e o3 m agaz ine "l ook ", m ak e s cre ative us e s ofgrays and w h ite te xt col ors , al ong w ith s e parators s uch as doubl e col ons (::) and th e pipe (|). Th e conte nts boxe s are tw o te xtbox el e m e nts th atus e gradie ntcol ors ofone dark gray and one l igh te r gray for th e titl e are a. Us ing th e s h iftk e y, w e s e l e ctboth . Th e n copy and pas te to dupl icate th e m . Th e s iz e s are care ful l ysel e cte d and docum e nte d, s o w e can jus ttap th e co-ordinate s and s iz e s into th e prope rtie s X,Y,Z tab, w ith outh aving to gue s s tim ate anyth ing. Th is is w h atm ak e s o3 l ook s ym m e trical ! Th e re s tofth e te m pl ate s tak e on th e s am e pre m is e . Th e tw o col um ns are al w ays th e s am e w idth , s am e fonts iz e , and s am e font re gardl e s s ofth e te m pl ate . Th e onl y diffe re nce be tw e e n th e h e ade r and noh e ade r col um ne d te m pl ate is th atth e col um ns s tartata h igh e r Y-pos ition in th e h e ade r te m pl ate . W e pl ace s om e dum m y te xt in th e te xtfie l ds in th e te m pl ate s s o th atth e fonts e ttings are re taine d and cl e arl y vis ibl e to th e us e r. Fonts Th is publ ication us e s Luxi Sans , Re gul ar at 12 point. Th e titl e s are s im pl y bol d and at25 point. To m ak e th e publ ication e as ie r to re ad, a bol d fontand dark gre e n col or is us e d to h igh l igh tth e h e ade r. A s tandard practice of
o3 m agaz ine :: page 11
Fe ature :: Publ is h ing w ith Scribus
us ing dark gre e n for URLs , and dark gre e n and obl iq ue (ital ic) for code s am pl e s , m ak e s th ings e as ie r for th e re ade r. Al th ough th is s im pl e fonts ch e m e w ork s for us , Scribus can us e m os tofth e fonts provide d by th e s ys te m . Buil ding th e m agaz ine Each is s ue ofo3 m agaz ine s tarts from a ne w fil e . Th e page l ayoutis doubl e s ide d, th e s iz e is A4, and orie ntation is portrait. A m argin guide pre s e tofm agaz ine is us e d, w ith a 10 pointm argin. Th e firs tpage is al w ays a righ t s ide page . Th e re as on w e ch os e to us e A4 ins te ad ofs om e oth e r form at, w as to m ak e th e publ ication e as ie r to print. Ital s o fits q uite nice l y ins ide a 1280x1024 re s ol ution s cre e n at100% z oom in m os tPDF vie w e rs . A4 is al s o a s tandard inte rnationalpage s iz e , itis pos s ibl e to s ource th e A4 pape r anyw h e re in th e w orl d, incl uding th e Unite d State s . Th e s tandard inte rnationalpape r s iz e s s uch as A4, A5, A6 are al s o us e d in th e m ajority of countrie s around th e w orl d. Scribus pre s e nts a bl ank page w ith s om e guide s . For o3, th is is th e cove r page . Sim pl y sel e ctth e im age icon from th e toolbar, and draw a box in th e ce nte r ofth e page . Righ t cl ick , and s e l e ctGe tIm age . Atth is point, th e e ditors ofth is publ ication w oul dsel e ctth e o3 cove r page cre ate d from th e GIM P. In th e prope rtie s box on th e X,Y,Z tab, s e tth e coordinate s for x and y to 0. Th is w il lm ove th e box to th e top l e fth and corne r. Righ tcl ick on th e box again, and now th e m e nu h as ch ange d, s ince th e im age h as be e n im porte d. Se l e ctth e Adjus tFram e to Im age option, and th e fram e w il le xpand nice l y. Th is is w h y th e im age w as cre ate d us ing th e A4 @ 300 DPI te m pl ate in th e GIM P. It's a pe rfe ctfit. PDF Link s Th e o3 m agaz ine cove r h as l ink s on th e cove r. Ifyou h ave a com patibl e PDF vie w e r, you can cl ick on th e cove r h e adl ine s and jum p s traigh tto th e articl e . Th e s e l ink s are cre ate d us ing PDF Annotations . To cre ate a PDF Annotation, jus ts e l e ctth e te xtbox tool . Draw a te xtbox around w h atyou w antto l ink , th e n righ tcl ick on th e te xtbox. Unde r PDF
O ptions -> Is PDF Annotation, s e l e ctth at option and itw il lpl ace a ch e ck m ark ne xtto it to indicate it's s e l e cte d. Ifyou m ove focus of th atte xtfram e , th e PDF annotations are m ark e d w ith a bl ue dotte d l ine for a fram e . It's im portantth atth e te xtfram e is atth e h igh e s t l e ve l . Ato3, th e PDF annotations are adde d afte r th e e ntire m agaz ine h as be e n type s e t. Th is is a w is e m ove be caus e th e PDF annotation ne e ds to k now w h e re to pointto. Th is is done th rough righ tcl ick , PDF O ptions > Annotation Prope rtie s (w h ich appe ars once ith as be e n s e l e cte d as an annotation). For inte rnall ink s , o3 m agaz ine us e s th e PDF annoation type - Link . Th e page num be r is e nte re d butth e co-ordinate s ne e d to be 0,0 notth e de faul t0, 841 for itto w ork corre ctl y w ith m os tvie w e rs . Exte rnalURLs us e th e Exte rnal -W e b Link option, al ong w ith th e URL ofth e targe t. Adve rtis e m e nts Th e ne xttw o page s ofo3 m agaz ine are adve rtis e m e nts . Se l e ctfrom th e m e nu: Page > Ins e rt, th e n m ak e s ure to s e l e ct2 page s and th e atEnd option. Th e re s tofth e ite m s can s tay atth e de faul ts e ttings . Th is w il l cre ate tw o ne w page s . For o3 m agaz ine , s im pl y re pe atth e cove r im age trick , butth is tim e us e Ge tIm age to ge tth e adve rtis e rs graph ics . Again, as s um ing th e y are to s pe cification, th e y s h oul d be A4 and fitth e page . Conte nts page Th e conte nts page is th e firs tpage th atus e s th e te m pl ate . Th is tim e around, th e Page -> Im portm e nu option is us e d. Cl ick th e ch ange box, and s e l e ctth e docum e ntte m pl ate to us e . Type 1 (or a h igh e r num be r ifyou h ave a m ul ti-page te m pl ate ) in th e Im portPage (s ) box, s e l e ctth e Cre ate Page s ch e ck box, and m ak e s ure th e s e tting is atEnd. Th is w ay noth ing ge ts re orde re d or m e s s e d up. For o3 m agaz ine , doubl e cl ick and e ditth e te xtto m atch th e de s criptions for th e is s ue s conte nts . Th e e ditorialpage is cre ate d from a s tandard h e ade r and tw o col um ns te m pl ate , w h e re th e s e cond col um n h as th e back ground col or m odifie d for our cre dits box.
o3 m agaz ine :: page 12
Fe ature :: Publ is h ing w ith Scribus
Articl es Th e re s tofth e publ ication is a ve ry s im pl e, rins e and re pe atofth e s e conce pts . Adve rtis e m e ntpage s are cre ate d from ins e rting bl ank page s , cre ating an im age box, im porting th e adve rtis e rs im age , s e tting th e co-ordinate s , and e xpanding th e fram e . As th e adve rtis e m e nts go to e xte rnalw e b l ink s , its ok to cre ate th e PDF annotations as th e adve rtis e m e nts are im porte d. Tw o te m pl ate s are us e d for th e articl e s , th e h e ade r w ith tw o col um ns , and th e n m ul tipl e tw o col um n page s . Since w e h andl e al lth e fonts in Scribus , o3 m agaz ine us e s s tandard ASCII te xtfil e s for articl e s . W rite rs us e w h ate ve r te xte ditor th e y w ant, incl uding O pe nO ffice , butth e fil e th at's im porte d into Scribus is ALW AYS a s tandard ASCII te xtfil e . For o3 m agaz ine , th e h e ade r and tw o col um n page s are im porte d into Scribus . Ne xt, th e col um ns are l ink e d us ing th e Link Te xtFram e s tool from th e toolbar. Itis th e icon w ith tw o col um ns (h oriz ontall ine s ofte xt) w ith a tiny bl ue arrow be tw e e n th e m . Se l e ctth e firs t col um n in th e h e ade r page , th e n cl ick on th e ne xtcol um n, th e n th e firs tcol um n on th e ne xtpage and s o on. Th is is done untilal ls ix col um ns on th e th re e page s th atw e re im porte d are now l ink e d. Scribus puts big arrow s s h ow ing th e te xtfl ow , s o th e te xtfl ow is foolproof. O n th e firs tcol um n, righ tcl ick and s e l e ctGe tTe xt. H e re w e im portour te xt fil e dire ctl y into Scribus . Im m e diate l y, you'l l s e e ifyou h ave too m any or too fe w col um ns . Ifyou h ave too m any, you'l ls e e th e te xts top in one ofth e col um ns , fol l ow e d by w h ite s pace . Ifyou h ave too fe w col um ns , th e ve ry l as tcol um n you h ave w il lh ave a s m al l box w ith an x in it, atth e bottom righ th and corne r. Th is is e as y to fix. Sim pl y im port anoth e r tw o col um n page , and l ink in th e ne w col um ns . You can e as il y gue s s tim ate h ow m any e xtra col um ns you'l lne e d w h e n you s e e h ow far your te xtw e ntand h ow far is l e ft to go. Dotting th e I's and cros s ing th e T's .. Ato3 m agaz ine , w e us e th e col or code d s ch e m e m e ntione d e arl ie r in th is articl e , to pol is h up th e te xt. Th e firs tcoupl e ofw ords of e ach articl e is h igh l igh te d in dark gre e n, th e n
th e URLs , and th e code s e gm e nts . Th e code s e gm e nts are al s o m odifie d to obl iq ue to m ak e ite as ie r to ide ntify itas a code s e gm e nt. Som e tim e s th ough , th e te xtw il l cove r a s ingl e col um n on th e l as tpage . Th is l e ave s a com pl e te l y bl ank col um n. Th is w h ite s pace l ook s w rong w h e n th e m agaz ine is e xporte d. Th e m agic trick h e re is to us e col um n adve rtis e m e nts . You w il lh ave s e e n th e s e in o3 m agaz ine , prom oting forum s , or O h io LinuxFe s t. Th e s e are done by re pl acing th e te xtbox w ith an ide nticalim age box and us ing th e GIM P to cre ate a graph ics fil e th at fits th e box pe rfe ctl y. Te xtboxe s are draw n around any URL, s e tto PDF annotation and th e e xte rnalw e b-l ink option w ith th atURLin itis us e d. Final l y add th e PDF annotation te xt boxe s for inte rnall ink s to th e cove r and th e conte nts page . PDF Export Atth is pointin th e gam e , th e m agaz ine is re ady for e xport. Fil e -> Export-> Save As PDF is us e d. For o3 m agaz ine w e us e PDF 1.5 com patibil ity, w ith l e ftm argin binding. Th e ch e ck boxe s for Ge ne rate Th um bnail s , Save Link e d Te xtFram e s As Articl e s , and Incl ude book m ark s are ch e ck e d on th e Ge ne raltab. Th e publ ication al s o ch e ck s th e Re s am pl e Im age s and s e ts itto 72 DPI. Th is produce s a m uch s m al l e r PDF th an itw oul d h ad w e l e ft th e im age s at300 DPI. In th e Fonts tab, s im pl ysel e ctEm be d al lFonts . Unde r th e Vie w e r tab, Doubl e Page Righ tis s e l e cte d and w e l e ave th e vie w e r de faul ts . Col or tab h as th e outputs e l e cte d for Scre e n /W e b. Th e n s im pl ysel e cts ave . A fe w m om e nts l ate r, th e PDF is e xporte d. Th e PDF is th e n te s te d in a num be r ofvie w e rs , be fore w e publ is h itonl ine . Th e Sys te m Th e s ys te m th atis us e d to cre ate o3 m agaz ine is a Fe dora Core de s k top, running on an AM D Ath l on(tm ) 64 X2 DualCore 4400+ w ork s tation. Th e w ork s tation is e q uippe d w ith 2GB ofRAM , tw o nvidia ge Force FX5200 PCI cards and one ge Force 6800 GT PCI-Expre s s card. Us ing xine ram a, a totalof5 LCD fl atpane l s are drive n from th is w ork s tation. Th e o3 m agaz ine type
o3 m agaz ine :: page 13
Fe ature :: Publ is h ing w ith Scribus
s e tting is done from a s ingl e virtualde s k top us ing al l5 m onitors . Th is h ow e ve r is an e xtre m e s e tup. W e h ave type s e to3 m agaz ine in th e pas t, on a m ode s tl y configure d l aptop. Concl us ion Scribus is a pow e rfulde s k top publ is h ing tool . Th e fol k s be h ind th e s cribus te am are h ardcore de ve l ope rs w ith a gre at com m itm e ntto producing a h igh q ual ity productw h ich conform s to al lth e prope r publ is h ing s tandards . Link s Scribus h ttp://w w w .s cribus .ne t
o3 m agaz ine :: page 14
Fe ature :: GIM P in Publ is h ing
Cre ating Graph ics for Publ is h ing w ith GIM P Th e GNU Im age M anipul ation Program (GIM P) is a graph ics e diting toolth atis rival e d onl y by Adobe Ph otos h op. Th e GIM P is a fas tand pow e rfultool . Th is articl e l ook s atcre ating graph ics for us e in publ is h ing appl ications w ith th e GIM P. Joh n Bus w e l l(bus w e l l j@ o3m agaz ine .com ) GIM P is th e GNU Im age M anipul ation Program , and for m any appl ications itis a pe rfe ctope n s ource al te rnative to Adobe Ph otos h op. Itis jus tas capabl e , and in s om e cas e s be tte r th an Ph otos h op, and ce rtainl y nobody is going to com pl ain aboutth e price -FREE. Rath e r th an doing ye tanoth e r w al k th rough ofth e GIM P, th is articl e is going to s h ow you h ow w e us e th e GIM P h e re ato3 m agaz ine . Adve rtis e r Graph ics Th e adve rtis e m e nts in o3 m agaz ine are typical l y provide d to us by s om e outs ide s ource . Buts til ladve rtis e m e nts for in-h ous e adve rtis e m e nts , and s om e ofour cus tom e rs adve rtis e m e nts are cre ate d by our graph ics te am us ing th e GIM P. O uts ide s ource s can com e in a varie ty ofform ats , typical l y PDF, PSD, or TIFF. De s pite our pre fe re nce for JPEG, m any graph ics s h ops jus ts im pl y s e nd us w h atth e y h ave on h and. Th ank ful l y, th e GIM P h as ful ls upportfor th e s e form ats . Adve rtis e m e nts are typical l y im porte d into th e GIM P, th e n w ritte n outas z e ro-com pre s s ion (h igh q ual ity) JPEGs , for e as y ins e rtion into Scribus (th e ope n s ource publ is h ing pack age th atw e us e ). Th is is a ve ry s im pl e (Fil e -> O pe n) and (Fil e -> Save As ) s e tup. Cove r Graph ics Th e cove r ofo3 m agaz ine is buil tfrom a te m pl ate e ach m onth . Th e te m pl ate is a l aye r XCF (GIM P's native form at) im age w h ich is in A4 @ 300 DPI. Each m onth , w e copy th e te m pl ate fil e to o3cove r-#.xcf, w h e re # is th e num be r ofth e is s ue w e are pre paring th e cove r for. W ith th is l oade d in th e GIM P, w e cre ate a ne w Laye r, and ope n th e fil e we h ave s e l e cte d for th e cove r artw ork . W e h ave al arge royal ty-fre e databas e ofgraph ics w e
h ave purch as e d or cre ate d ours e l ve s . Th e cove r artw ork is s iz e d corre ctl y to fitin th e w h ite s pace on th e cove r, and is th e pas te d into th e ne w l aye r. W e cl os e th e cove r artw ork fil e , and continue to w ork on th e cove r. Be s ide s th e artw ork , w e h ave te xt pl ace h ol de rs for th e m onth /is s ue num be r, th e INSIDE: tag atth e top ofth e cove r, and th e articl e h e adl ine s . By s e l e cting e ach te xt l aye r, w e s im pl y m odify th e te xtpl ace h ol de r w ith th e te xtw e w ant, h igh l igh ting and ch anging th e col or ofs pe cific k e yw ords in th e h e adl ine , th atw e fe e lyou, our re ade rs , w il l find inte re s ting. W e m odify th e te xtfor th is is s ue s s pons or's URL, and th e n s im pl y im portth e l ogo artw ork w e re ce ive d from th e s pons or. Siz ing Tip A q uick ch e atw e us e for s iz ing up th e s pace for graph ics on th e te m pl ate , is to cre ate a bl ank l aye r. Us e th e s e l e ctre ctangul ar re gion toolto approxim ate th e s pace w h e re th e artw ork ne e ds to go, th e n s e l e ctcopy. Going to Fil e -> Ne w , w il lbring up th e s iz e ofth e copie d are a. W e can th e n accurate l y re s iz e th e artw ork to fitin th e s pace , and pas te itin. Cove r Te m pl ate Th e cove r te m pl ate for o3 m agaz ine is e xtre m e l y s im pl e , butis s til le l e gant. W e s tart ofby s e l e cting bl ack on w h ite for th e col ors . Th e re is an actualbutton (s m al lbl ack s q uare , s m al lw h ite s q uare ) ne xtto th e col or pal e tte th atw il lre s e tth is for you. Se l e cting th e gradie ntpainttool , w e gotdow n about1/5 to 1/4 ofth e page , and s tarta s m al lgradie nt. H ol ding th e s h iftk e y dow n w h il e dragging th e gradie nts e l e ction h e l ps give us a pe rfe ctl y s traigh tgradie nt. Th e are a w e s e l e ctis about 1/4 to 1/3 ofth e page . Th is l e ave s a
o3 m agaz ine :: page 16
Fe ature :: GIM P in Publ is h ing
s ufficie ntl yl arge "w h ite " are a to pas te in th e cove r artw ork . Th e re as on w e us e a w h ite back ground for th e cove r artare a is th at m any royal ty fre e graph ics are obje cts on a w h ite back ground. O bje cts for cove r artare al s o re l ative l y e as y to s h ootw ith a cam e ra and a w h ite back ground w h e n w e ne e d to cre ate our ow n cove r artw ork from obje cts . Ne xtIs s ue Graph ic O nce w e h ave th e cove r page com pl e te d, w h ich doe s n'ttak e ve ry l ong, w e fl atte n th e im age (righ tcl ick on a l aye r in th e l aye rs w indow and s e l e ctfl atte n im age ). Be care ful notto ove rw rite your l aye re d XCF. W e fl atte n th e im age to m ak e ite as ie r to copy and pas te as a s ingl e el e m e nt. W e h ave a te m pl ate for th e "ne xtis s ue ", butas it's re l ative l y s im pl e to cre ate , it's w orth a l ook atth e w ay w e cre ate a drop s h adow e ffe ct. W e s tartoffw ith a Ne w Im age (Fil e -> Ne w ). GIM P h as a te m pl ate drop box, from th is w e s e l e ctA4 (300 DPI). W e l e ave th e advance d options to th e ir de faul tval ue s . W h e n de al ing w ith im age s th is big (ove r 64M B), you w il lne e d to incre as e th e M axim um Im age Siz e in th e Pre fe re nce s dial og. Itis s e tby de faul tto 64M B. Ifyou are w ork ing s ol el y on w e b graph ics you do notne e d to us e 300 DPI. Th is publ ications us e s 300 DPI, be caus e re q ue s ts are re ce ive d re gul arl y for h igh q ual ity printve rs ions ofth e o3 m agaz ine PDFs .
Us ing th e s iz ing tip dis cus s e d e arl ie r, th e fl atte ne d cove r is s cal e d dow n and im porte d in. Th e graph ic is th e n s ave d and it's good to go. Concl us ion Th e GIM P is a pow e rfultoolfor cre ating and m anipul ating graph ics . Its upports a gre at num be r ofe xis ting form ats , as w e l las its ow n pow e rfull aye re d form at- XCF. GIM P is us e d notonl y to cre ate th e graph ics w e dis cus s e d above , butth e col um n and s om e ofth e adve rtis e m e nts you s e e in o3 m agaz ine , as wel l . GIM P is m ore th an capabl e ofproviding profe s s ionalgrade re s ul ts righ toutofth e box. Link s GIM P h ttp://w w w .gim p.org
Th e ne xtis s ue te m pl ate is ve ry s im pl e . It cons is ts ofth re e l aye rs - tw o bl ack bar l aye rs and a te xtl aye r (w h ite on bl ack ). Th e tw o bl ack bar l aye rs are th e s am e , buton th e l ow e r bl ack bar, w e 've us e d th e Gaus s ian bl ur fil te r to give a s ortofdrop s h adow e ffe ct on th e s e cond bar. Now th is is one are a w h e re th e GIM P l ack s a l ittl e com pare d to Ph otos h op w h ich h as a ve ry s im pl e l aye r FX option, th ate nabl e s de s igne rs to s e l e ctdrop s h adow s for th e l aye r. Sim pl y a s ign ofw h e re Ph otos h op h as e xtra pol is h in s om e are as , butth e GIM P is nottoo far be h ind. Th e de s ign te am h e re ato3 m agaz ine h as ye tto run into any e ffe ctfor th e m agaz ine th at GIM P coul dn'th andl e.
o3 m agaz ine :: page 17
Fe ature :: Ne w s l e tte rs w ith O pe nO ffice
Cre ating Ne w s l e tte rs w ith O pe nO ffice Eve ry bus ine s s w il lne e d to cre ate a ne w s l e tte r atone pointor anoth e r. W h e th e r its a q uick fl ye r for a trade s h ow e ve nt, s om e th ing to drop m ailto pote ntialcus tom e rs or an inform ative docum e nt advis ing cus tom e rs ofne w products and s e rvice s . O pe nO ffice r W rite r provide s th e pe rfe cttoolto ge tth is job done . M ayank Sh arm a (m s h arm a@ o3m agaz ine .com ) Th e m ul ti-pl atform O pe nO ffice .org office s uit pack s s om e ofth e be s tand dive rs e ope n s ource productivity tool s . In th is articl e w e 'l l dis cus s s om e ide as to us e th e pack age 's w ord proce s s or, O pe nO ffice .org W rite r, to cre ate a m ul ti-page , m ul ti-col um n ne w s l e tte r. 1. M ark your te rritory Th e firs tth ing you ne e d to do is to de cide th e l ayoutofth e page . Im portantl ayoutde tail s incl ude ch oos ing th e s iz e ofth e pape r you'l l be printing on (A4, A5, B5, e tc), h ow w ide do you w antth e m argins to be , and th e orie ntation ofth e page (h oriz ontall ands cape or ve rticalportrait). O pe nO ffice .org offe rs you l ots offl e xibil ity in s e tting up th e l ayout. W h il e you can s e tup e q ualm argins on al lpage s , th is is n'tan e fficie ntus e ofth e pape r. A be tte r approach , ifyou'l lbe printing th e ne w s l e tte r in A4 portraits h e e ts and th e n binding th e m atth e ce nte r, w oul d be to m ak e bigge r righ t-s ide m argins on e ve n page s w h il e k e e ping th e l e fts ide m argins m inim aland vice ve rs a for odd page s . W rite r l e ts you s pe cify diffe re ntpage s e ttings for odd and e ve n page s ! You can al s o s e tup h e ade rs and foote rs if you'l lne e d th e m to k e e p track ofpage num be rs , l is ting your w e bs ite 's URLifyou h ave any, e tc. Don'tcram too m uch s tuffinto th e foote r and de pe nding on th e s iz e ofth e ne w s l e tte r you can e ve n do aw ay w ith th e page num be rs . Ins te ad you can jus tl e ave a l ittl e bl ank "bre ath e r" s pace atth e bottom of th e page . 2. It's al laboutStyl e O nce you h ave de fine d th e l ayoutofth e page , you ne e d to w ork on th e s tyl e ofyour
ne w s l e tte r. A s tyl e in W rite r te rm inol ogy, is a col l e ction offontand paragraph s e ttings th at de fine h ow th e te xtl ook s . De fining s tyl e s is l ik e m ak ing s tandards . You can controlvarious as pe cts ofyour docum e nts w ith s tyl e s . W ith W rite r you can controls tyl e s for e ntire paragraph s , individual ch aracte rs , and ful lpage s . You'd de finite l y w antde fine th e s pace be tw e e n paragraph s , and optional l y th e h e igh tofth e firs tch aracte r ofe ve ry articl e , cal l e d a drop cap. Al s o it's a good ide a to cre ate a s im pl e m as th e ad and notgo craz y on th e auto s h ape s and fontw ork w h ich is s im il ar to th e w ord artin M icros oftW ord. 3. Divide and Rul e As you m igh th ave s e e n, m os tne w s l e tte rs are m ul ti-col um n. Tw o-col um n ne w s l e tte rs are th e norm , w ith th re e -col um n one s m os tl y printe d on bigge r pape r s iz e s in l ands cape m ode . A s ingl e col um n l ayoutis be s ts uite d for printing circul ars and notice s . W rite r l e ts you divide th e page in as m any col um ns as you pl e as e . You can al s o ch oos e th e w idth ofindividualcol um ns as w e l las th e s pacing be tw e e n th e m . Ge ne ral l y th e firs t page ofth e ne w s l e tte r w oul d h ave a s ide bar w ith us e fulinform ation aboutth e ne w s l e tte r and th atparticul ar is s ue . For th is you'l lne e d a s m al l e r col um n on th e l e ftand a l arge r one on th e righ tor vice ve rs a. Th e good th ing is th atonce you h ave de fine d col um ns , th e te xt auto-fl ow s be tw e e n th e col um ns and into oth e r page s as itnorm al l y w oul d. It's noth ard to im age th atifyou'l lprobabl y h ave m ul tipl e col um n s ch e m e s in a
o3 m agaz ine :: page 19
Fe ature :: Ne w s l e tte rs w ith O pe nO ffice
ne w s l e tte r. Ifyou de s ign your frontpage l ik e s ugge s te d in th e paragraph above you'l lh ave atl e as ttw o diffe re nts tyl e s ofcol um ns . Ifyou h ave a notice for your re ade rs it'l lprobabl y be in a s ingl e col um n. Th is is w h e re s e ctions com e into pl ay. W rite r l e ts you divide your ne w s l e tte r into s e ctions . Each s e ction can controlth e ir individualnum be r ofcol um ns .
W rite r h as one l as ttrick up it's s l e e ve to s ave you tim e . To s ave you th e troubl e ofre de s igning th e ne w s l e tte r e ve ry tim e you w ant to printan is s ue , you can s ave your cus tom form atting in a te m pl ate . Al lyou now h ave to do be fore printing a ne w s l e tte r is to bas e th e docum e nton th is te m pl ate , copy th e te xtand tak e printouts .
4. Pack age and parce l De pe nding on th e conte ntofyour ne w s l e tte r, you'l ls om e tim e s w antto h igh l igh tparticul ar portions ofte xt. So ifyou're w riting te ch nical articl e s you m igh tfe e ll ik e e xpl aining s om e te rm inol ogy or te rm s us e d in th e articl e . But doing s o in th e m iddl e ofth e articl e coul d s poilth e s l ow ofth e articl e . Th e com m on e ditorialpractice is to m ove th e s e bl ock s of te xtouts ide th e norm alfl ow to w h atis cal l ed a cal l -outor a box or a s ide bar.
So w h atcan a te m pl ate h ol d?A W rite r te m pl ate w il ll e tyou de fine te xtform atting, s tyl e s , and e l e m e nts l ik e h e ade rs and foote rs , e tc. Additional l y you can al s o us e it to pl ace s om e te xtth at'l lbe dis pl aye d in al l is s ue s . Us ual l y th is m e ans th e nam e ofth e ne w s l e tte r and frontpage s ide -bar e ditorial inform ation.
You can e as il y cre ate th e s e h igh l igh t containe rs w ith W rite r. Al lyou ne e d to do is s urround th e m w ith borde rs . Buta be tte r ide a w oul d be to us e fram e s . Ifyou us e fram e s you'l lbe abl e to bre ak th e page 's al ignm e nt and col um n s e ttings . Th at's notgood, righ t? W rong. Fram e s cre ate a m ovabl e box ofte xt th atcan be pl ace d anyw h e re in th e page , e ve n be tw e e n col um ns ! In factm any ne w s pape rs us e th is te ch niq ue to pl ace bl urb or articl e h igh l igh ts in th e ce nte r ofth e articl e.
Butw h ataboutinvis ibl e form atting l ik e drop caps ?You can al s o pl ace s am pl e te xtin th e te m pl ate to il l us trate a particul ar form atting and e l e m e nts l ik e fram e s . Go pl ay around w ith O pe nO ffice .org W rite r and printyour profe s s ionall ook ing ne w s l e tte r in no tim e . Ifyou h ave a trick th atyou'd l ik e to s h are w ith our re ade rs , pl e as e drop us a note on th e forum s .
Th e te xtin th e docum e ntw h e th e r in fram e s or notautom atical l y w raps around th e fram e . It's al s o a good ide a to us e a diffe re nt back ground col or in th e s e boxe s . Eve n w h e n printing bl ack and w h ite , you can us e s h ade s ofgre y to m ak e th e s e boxe s s tand out. Ifyour ne w s l e tte r is for onl ine dis tribution, or you w antto printitfrom a diffe re ntm ach ine , you can e xportitin various inte rope rabl e form ats . Th e m os tcom m on form atfor onl ine dis tribution is PDF and W rite r can e xportyour ne w s l e tte r as a PDF docum e nte ffortl essl y. 5. M ak e boil e r pl ate s O nce you've de cide d on th e l ayout, te xtfl ow , s tyl e s and oth e r e l e m e nts for your ne w s l e tte r, o3 m agaz ine :: page 20