The CentOS Artwork Repository

=============================

Alain Reguera Delgado <al@centos.org.cu>

v1.0, Nov 2013

== Overview

Organizations have corporate identity, even when they don't take an

intentional control over it. It is a choise from the corporation to

define how much control to take over its identity.  This kind of

control is expensive and not all corporations are able to maintain it.

However, it is necessary that, based on pragmatic facts, the

corporation assume an acceptable degree of compromise with its

identity in order to create a consistent idea of itself in a way that

can be progresively improved through time.  

During the years (2003-2009), we've seen a growing interest inside The

CentOS Community for helping on The CentOS Project development. Some

people seem to be very clear about what the project needs are and how

to maintain it being a very stable project, but others however don't

to get what The CentOS Project is (even it is explained time after

time) and sometimes decide to put their efforts in the wrong direction

making everything to be a waste of time and source of distraction from

what is really needed.

The CentOS Artwork Repository phases the question ``What can I do

for The CentOS Project?'' by identifying different work lines

you can join in and providing automated production mechanisms that

complement one another according to each work line needs so consistent

results can be achieved inside a distributed environment under version

control.  For example, consider an environment where there are graphic

designers to produce images, documentors to produce documentation

manuals (whose can use images produced by graphic designers),

programmers to produce automation scripts (needed to standardize

production tasks) and translators to localize source files created by

graphic designers, documetors and programmers.  Once such environment

has been implemented, it would be possible for packagers to take

localized images and localized documentation from The CentOS Artwork

Repository (through an automation script probably) to rebrand/update

the content of those packages inside The CentOS Distribution that must

include information specific to The CentOS Project itself (e.g., boot

loader, distribution installer, release notes, display managers,

release notes, web browsers default page, etc.).

Most production tasks inside The CentOS Artwork Repository are focused

on the files needed to implement The CentOS Project corporate visual

identity.footnote:[Notice that, here, visual identity means everything

perceived through the human's visual sences (i.e., the human eyes),

but the corporate identity is a wider concept that extends to all

human senses (i.e., visibilty (eyes), audition (ears), scent (nose),

touch (fingers), and savour (tongue)), not just that one related to

visual aspects.  Nevertheless, we need to be consequent with the media

where The CentOS Project manifests its existence on.] This includes

everything from file edition (e.g., text width, text indentation, line

numbering, text tabulation, etc.) up to how the web sites,

distribution, and industrial stuff (e.g., pullovers, caps,

installation media, etc.) look and feel.  Notice that, more specific

details like typography, window design, icons, menu items, etc.,

inside The CentOS Distribution are already covered by The CentOS

Project upstream provider.  In our effort to be 100% binary compatible

with the upstream provider and also keeping maintainance low, we stand

over those specific details as much as possible assuming them as

default.  However, if you feel brave enough (and prove your ability to

keep yourself being that way) it would be possible to open a work line

for you to maintain variants of such very specific details inside The

CentOS Artwork Repository.

In addition to visual manifestations, there are also emotional

feelings and ethical behaviours that must be considered as part of The

CentOS Project corporate identity. A pleasant experience in this area

includes The CentOS Wiki, specifically the way it was conceived and

administered. When the The CentOS Wiki was published, The CentOS

Project published a list of needs with it so anyone could contribute

based on them.  Not much time after that, the list of tasks triggered

some souls' motivations ruled by the good will of initiating the

translation of that content published inside the wiki, redesigning its

visual style, proposing the TreeFlower theme for The CentOS

Distribution, and reducing to zero the contraditions of precoceived

minds with respect, reason and passion. As result of this experience,

we found that The CentOS Community posseses an incredible strong

creative force, however, a long path must be traveled before it can be

focalized into the right direction because: it isn't enough just

telling what the right direction is, it is also necessary to provide

the vehicles for The CentOS Community be able of moving through it.

The CentOS Artwork Repository extends the feelings and ethicals

behaviours from The CentOS Wiki to itself by identifying the visual

manifestations The CentOS Project is made of (i.e., tracing a

direction) and allowing people to develop them through standardized

procedures inside a colaborative environment (i.e., providing the

vehicles).

Finally, if you find yourself needing to do something for The CentOS

Project and The CentOS Artwork Repository isn't the place for it,  be

sure to define what that something exactly is and also make it a

community effort so it can be validated as something useful to the

community itself.  Otherwise, the effort would loose its initial sense

soon enough so as to be considered seriously.  Notice that the way

these needs are described may take different forms: they can be

written and organized inside a book, an article, or even a well

documented program ;-).

[[corporate-mission]]

== Repository Mission

The CentOS Artwork Repository exists to produce The CentOS Project

corporate visual identity.

== Repository Infrastructure

The CentOS Artwork Repository is made of one ``central repository''

and many ``working copies'' of that central repository.  The working

copies are independent one another, can be distributed all around the

world and provide a local place for designers, documenters,

translators and programmers to perform their work in a decentralized

way.  The central repository, on the other hand, provides a common

place for all independent working copies to exchange data in the

community.

image:repository-infra.png[repository-infra.png]

=== Subversion

The current infrastructure that holds The CentOS Artwork Repository on

the Internet, is made of the following components:

 * http://subversion.tigris.org/[Subversion] -- Modern Version Control System designed to replace CVS.

 * http://trac.edgewall.org/[Trac] -- Enhanced wiki and issue tracking system.

 * Httpd+WebDav as data exchanging route between the workstations and

   the central repository, through the Internet.  Httpd was configured

   to provide service through SSL, so all traffic between the

   workstations and the server be protected while it travels across

   the Internet.  The access rights are controlled by using a

   combination of both Subversion's authorization files and Httpd's

   password files.  These files can be managed consistently through

   Trac's WebAdmin plug-in.

In this infrastructure, the first level of directories in the

repository provides the Subversion's standard trunk-branches-tags

layout.  The second level of directories provides organization for

different work lines, as described in <<repo-convs-worklines>>.  All

other subsequent directory levels from second level on exist to

organize specific concepts related to the work line they belong to.

=== Git

In addition to current Subversion infrastructure, we are working on a

Git infrastructure with the intention of migrating the current

Subversion infrastructure up to it, progressively. The Git

infrastructure we are working on is made of the following components: 

* Git -- Fast version control system.

* Gitolite -- Highly flexible server for git directory version

  tracker.

* Gitweb -- Simple web interface to git repositories.

* MantisBT -- Web-based issue tracking system.

* The data exchanging route between the working copies and the central

  repository takes place through SSH. The access rights are controlled

  by using a combination of SSH public keys and Gitolite's repository

  configuration file.

In this infrastructure, the first level of directories in the

repository provides organization for different work lines, as

described in <<repo-convs-worklines>>.  All other subsequent directory

levels from second level on exist to organize specific concepts

related to the work line they belong to.

[[repo-convs-worklines]]

== Repository Work Lines

The content production inside The CentOS Artwork Repository has been

divided into individual work lines that relate one another based on

the idea of doing one thing well. In this model, the content produced

individually by each work line is combined one another later to

achieve higher purposes (e.g., corporate identity for The CentOS

Project). The repository work lines, as conceived here, provide a

reliable environment for people to work synchronized and

decentralized.

The action of combining work lines inside The CentOS Artwork

Repository is also known as the ``Production Cycle'' of CentOS

corporate visual identity.  The rest of this section describes the

work lines available in the repository and how they integrate one

another.

[[repo-convs-worklines-artworks]]

=== Graphic Design

Graphic Design is the first component The CentOS Artwork SIG works out

in order to produce The CentOS Project corporate visual identity.

Through this work line, graphic designers create ``design models'' and

``artistic motifs'' for all the visual manifestation The CentOS

Project is made of.  Once design models and artistic motifs are set in

place, graphic designers use the *render* module of *centos-art.sh*

script to combine them all into final images.

The mission of Artworks work line is define all the visual

manifestations the The CentOS Project is made of and provide design

models and artistic motifs for them in order to produce the final

image files required to transmit the visual style that identifies The

CentOS Project as unique organization.

The graphic design process takes place in the +Artworks/+ directory

stored at the first level of the repository directory structure. This

directory organizes themes (design models and artistic models),

palettes, brushes, icons, brands and customizations for the web

environment.

To know more about The CentOS Project corporate visual identity, read

the article named

``_link:../../../Corporate/Final/en_US/index.html[The CentOS Project

Corporate Visual Identity]._''

[[repo-convs-worklines-l10n]]

=== Localization

Localization is the second component that must be worked out in the

production cycle of CentOS corporate visual identity.  Through this

work line translators localize source files (e.g., SVG, DocBook, Shell

scripts) which are later used to produce localized images, localized

documentation and localized automation scripts.  To localize source

files, translators use the *locale* module of *centos-art.sh* script

which takes care of retrieving translatable strings from source files

and provide a consistent localization interface based on GNU *gettext*

multi-lingual message production tool set and *xml2po* command.

The mission of Localization work line is extending the visual identity

(produced in English language) to as many native languages as

possible, in order for people which doesn't understand English

language to feel more comfortable with The CentOS Project in their own

native languages.

The localization process takes place inside the +Locales/+ directory

of each component that requires localization.  This directory contains

the component related PO files organized in language-specific

directories.  To know more about the specific localization process

read the *locale* module documentation.

[[repo-convs-worlines-manuals]]

=== Documentation

Documentation is the third component that must be worked out in the

production cycle of corporate visual identity.  Through this work line

documenters settle down the conceptual and practical uses around The

CentOS Artwork Repository and all the content produced inside it.  To

write documentation, documenters use Asciidoc as source documentation

format and the *render* module of *centos-art.sh* script to transform

Asciidoc source documentation format into final output formats,

including man pages and html.

The mission of Documentation work line is describe the standard

procedures The CentOS Artwork Repository relies on, as well as

conceive a place to help you understand what The CentOS Artwork

Repository is and what can you do with it.

The Documentation work line takes place inside the +Documentation/+

directory inside major components stored in the first directory level

of the repository (e.g., Artworks, Automation and Packages).

[[repo-convs-worlines-packages]]

=== Packages

The packages work line is the fourth component that must be worked out

in the corporate identity production cycle. Through this work line

packager gather final images, final translations and final

documentation related to artworks and put them all together inside RPM

packages. For this purpose, packagers use the *package* module of

*centos-art.sh* script which provides a consistent interface for

building packages inside the repository.

The mission of Packages work line is package the information The

CentOS Project requires to re-brand The CentOS Distribution according

Red Hat redistribution guidelines. It is also the mission of this work

line to make The CentOS Artwork Repository easy to install, configure

and use by most graphic designers, documenters, programmers and

translators.

The packages work line takes place in the +Packages/+ directory stored

at the first level of the repository directory structure. This

directory organizes both SOURCES and SPECS files used to build RPMS

and SRPMS files. In this directory, SOURCES and SPECS files are under

version control but RPMS and SRPMS produced from them are not.

[[repo-convs-worklines-scripts]]

=== Automation

The automation work line is the fifth and last component that must be

worked out in the corporate identity production cycle.  This work line

closes the production cycle and provides the production standards

graphic designers, documenters, translators and packagers need to make

their work consistent and reusable.  For this purpose, programmers

develop the *centos-art.sh* script.

The mission of Automation work line is standardize the interaction of

work lines in a reliable way.

The Automation work line takes place in the +Automation/+ directory

stored at the first level of the repository directory structure.

Presently, most of the automation work is done in Bash.

== Preparing Your Workstation

Once your workstation has been installed, it is time for you to

configure it. The configuration of your workstation consists on

defining your workplace, download a working copy from The CentOS Artwork Repository and

finally, run the *prepare* functionality of

*centos-art.sh* script to install/update the software

needed, render images, create links, and anything else needed.

=== Define Your Workplace

Once you've installed the workstation and it is up and running, you

need to register the user name you'll use for working. In this task

you need to use the commands *useradd* and *passwd* to create the user

name and set a password for it, respectively.  These commands require

administrative privileges to be executed, so you need to login as

``root'' superuser for doing so.

[CAUTION]

Do not use the ``root'' username for regular tasks inside your working

copy of The CentOS Artwork Repository.  This is dangerous and might

provoke irreversible damages to your workstation.

When you've registered your user name in the workstation, it provides

an identifier for you to open a user's session in the workstation and

a place to store the information you produce, as well. This place is

known as your home directory and is unique for each user registered in

the workstation. For example, if you register the user name john in

your workstation, your home directory would be located at

+/home/john/+.

At this point it is important to define where to download the working

copy of The CentOS Artwork Repository inside your home directory.

This decision deserves special attention and should be implemented

carefully in order to grant a standard environment that could be

distributed. Let's see some alternatives.

==== Different absolute paths

Consider that you store your working copy under

+/home/john/Projects/artwork/+ and I store mine under

+/home/al/Projects/artwork/+, we'll end up refering the same files

inside our working copies through different absolute paths.  This

alternative generates a contradiction when files which hold path

information inside are committed up to the central repository from

different working copies. The contradiction comes from the question:

which is the correct absolute path to use inside such files, yours or

mine? (None of them is, of course.)

==== One unique absolute path

Another case would be that where you and I ourselves use one unique

home directory (e.g., +/home/centos/Projects/artwork/+) to store the

working copy of The CentOS Artwork Repository in our own workstations,

but configure the subversion client to use different user names to

commit changes up from the working copy to the central repository.

This alternative might be not so good in situations where you and I

have to share the same workstation.  In such cases, it would be

required that we both share the password information of the same

system user (the ``centos'' user in our example) which, in addition,

gives access to that user's subversion client configuration and this

way provokes the whole sense of using different subversion credentials

for committing changes to be lost.

==== Different absolute paths, dynamic expansion, symbolic links, relative links, and environment variables

With this solution it is possible to store working copies of The

CentOS Artwork Repository on different locations inside the same

workstation without lose relation between files. Here we use the

TCAR_WORKDIR environment variable to set the location of the working

copy inside the workstation. Later the centos-art.sh scripts uses this

value as reference to determine where the working copy is. This value

is also the one used for dynamic expansion inside design models and

other similar files. In the case of web projects where different

components are required to produce the final content, we create

symbolic links between them and use relative paths so it is possible

to reuse them and retain the relation between them in different

contexts.

For example, lets consider the organization of XHTML manuals rendered

from DocBook source files. When you render a DocBook manual inside The

CentOS Artwork Repository it creates XHTML files.  This XHTML files

use images and common style sheets for better presentation.  Both of

these images and styles components live outside the XHTML structure

so, in order to make them available relatively to the XHTML structure,

we created symbolic links from the XHTML structure to the outside

location where they are in.  The creation of symbolic links takes

place automatically when each DockBook manual is rendered through

*centos-art.sh*, which uses the value of TCAR_WORKDIR environment

variable as reference to determine the absolute path of the working

copy.  

Because absolute paths are no longer stored inside permanent files and

*centos-art.sh* script uses the TCAR_WORKDIR environment variable to

determine where the working copy is stored in the workstation, it

should be safe to download working copies of The CentOS Artwork

Repository anywhere in the workstation. One just have to be sure that

the value of TCAR_WORKDIR environment variable does match the location

of the working copy you are using.

=== Download Your Working Copy

In order to use The CentOS Artwork Repository you need to download a

working copy from the central repository into your workstation.  To

download such working copy use the following command:

----------------------------------------------------------------------

git clone gitolite@centos.org.cu/centos-artwork.git

----------------------------------------------------------------------

This command will create your working copy inside your home directory,

specifically in a directory named 

class="directory">artwork.git</filename>. Inside this directory you

will find all the files you need to work with inside The CentOS

Artwork Repository. If you want to have your working copy in a

location different to that one shown above.

The first time you download the working copy it contains no image

files, nor documentation, or localized content inside it. This is

because all the files provided in the working copy are source files

(e.g., the files needed to produce other files) and it is up to you to

render them in order to produce the final files (e.g., images and

documentation) used to implement The CentOS Project corporate visual

identity.

=== Configure Administrative Tasks

Most of the administrative tasks you need to perform in your working

copy of The CentOS Artwork Repository are standardized inside the

*prepare* functionality of *centos-art.sh* script. Inside

*centos-art.sh* script, all administrative task are invoked through

the *sudo* command. Thus, in order for the *centos-art.sh* script to

perform administrative tasks, you need to update the *sudo*'s

configuration in a way that such administrative actions be allowed.

At time of this writing the *centos-art.sh* script

implements just one administrative task, that is package management.

Nevertheless, in the future, other administrative tasks might be

included as well (e.g., installing themes locally from the working

copy for testing purposes.).

To update the *sudo*'s configuration, execute the *visudo* command as

``root''.  Later, uncoment the <varname>Cmnd_Alias</varname> related

to ``SOFTWARE'' and add a line for your username allowing software

commands. This configuration is illustrated in 

linkend="repo-ws-config-sudoers-example" />.

[[repo-ws-config-sudoers-example]]

.The /etc/sudoers configuration file

======================================================================

----------------------------------------------------------------------

## Installation and management of software

Cmnd_Alias SOFTWARE = /bin/rpm, /usr/bin/up2date, /usr/bin/yum

## Next comes the main part: which users can run what software on

## which machines (the sudoers file can be shared between multiple

## systems).

## Syntax:

##

##      user    MACHINE=COMMANDS

##

## The COMMANDS section may have other options added to it.

##

## Allow root to run any commands anywhere

root    ALL=(ALL)       ALL

## Allow the centos user to run installation and management of

## software anywhere.

al      ALL=(ALL)       SOFTWARE

----------------------------------------------------------------------

======================================================================

[[repo-ws-config-runout]]

=== Run Preparation Tool

Once you've both downloaded a working copy from The CentOS Artwork

Repository and configured the *sudo* configuration file successfully,

run the *prepare* functionality of *centos-art.sh* script to complete

the configuration process using the following command:

----------------------------------------------------------------------

~/artwork/Scripts/Bash/centos-art.sh prepare

----------------------------------------------------------------------

[[repo-convs-filename-rfiles]]

== Repository File Names

Inside The CentOS Artwork Repository, file names are always written in

lowercase.  Digits (e.g., 0, 1, 2), hyphen (-), dot (.) and low line

(_) characters are also accepted. In case you use hyphen and dot

characters, don't use them as first character in the file name.

=== File Names Written Correctly

The following file names are written correctly:

* +01-welcome.png+

* +splash.png+

* +anaconda_header.png+

=== File Names Written Incorrectly

* +01-Welcome.png+

* +-welcome.png+

* +Splash.png+

* +AnacondaHeader.png+

== Repository Link Names

Inside The CentOS Artwork Repository, links are always symbolic and

follow the same name convention used by regular files, as described in

<<repo-convs-filename-rfiles>>.

== Repository Directory Names

Inside The CentOS Artwork Repository, directory names are all written

capitalized and sometimes in cammel case. Digits (e.g., 0, 1, 2),

hyphen (-), dot (.) and low line (_) characters are also accepted. In

case you use hyphen and dot characters, don't use them as first

character in the directory name.

=== Directory Names Written Correctly

The following directory names are written correctly:

* +Identity+

* +Themes+

* +Motifs+

* +TreeFlower+

* +0.0.1+

* +0.0.1-35+

=== Directory Names Written Incorrectly

The following directory names are written incorrectly:

* +identity+

* +theMes+

* +MOTIFS+

* +treeFlower+

* +.0.1+

* +.0.1-35+

== Repository Directory Structure

Occasionly, you may find that new components of The CentOS Project

corporate visual identity need to be added to the repository in order

to work them out. If that is the case, the first question we need to

ask ourselves, before starting to create directories blindly all over,

is: _What is the right place to store it?_

To create a directory structure inside the repository you need to

define the concept behind it first. Later you need to create a new

directory inside the repository, remembering that there are locations

inside the repository that already define concepts you probably would

prefer to reuse.  For example, the +Artworks/Themes/Motifs+ directory

stores artistic motifs of different themes, the

+Artworks/Themes/Models+ directory stores design models for themes,

the +Documentation+ directory stores documentation, +Locales+ stores

translation messages, and the +Automation+ stores automation scripts.

The best suggestion we can probably give you would be to send a mail

with your questions to the mailto:centos-devel@centos.org[CentOS

developers mailing list]

(mailto:centos-devel@centos.org[centos-devel@centos.org]).  This is

the place where development of The CentOS Artwork Repository takes place and surely, in

community, it will be possible to find a place for your new component

inside the repository.

The following sub-sections describe relevant directories of The CentOS

Artwork Repository that you can use as reference to know where the

files you are looking for are stored in and where you can store new

files, as well.

=== The +Artworks/+ Directory

This directory contains files affecting the visual style of The CentOS

Project. This directory organizes Brushes, Gradients, Fonts, Palettes,

Patterns Themes and the web environment customizable files.

=== The +Artworks/Brands/+ Directory

This directory ...

=== The +Artworks/Brushes/+ Directory

This directory contains GIMP brushes. Brushes stored in this directory

will be available inside GIMP's brushes dialog.

=== The +Artworks/Documentation/+ Directory

This directory ...

=== The +Artworks/Fonts/+ Directory

This directory contains font files. Font files stored in this

directory will be available to be used from applications like GIMP and

Inkscape.

=== The +Artworks/Gradients/+ Directory

This directory contains GIMP gradients. Gradients stored in this

directory will be available inside GIMP's gradients dialog. This

directory organizes gradient files inside

=== The +Artworks/Icons/+ Directory

This directory ...

=== The +Artworks/Palettes/+ Directory

This directory ...

=== The +Artworks/Patterns/+ Directory

This directory contains GIMP patterns. Patterns stored in this

directory will be available inside GIMP's patterns dialog.

=== The +Artworks/Themes/+ Directory

This directory ...

=== The +Artworks/Webenv/+ Directory

This directory ...

=== The +Automation/+ Directory

This directory ...

== Repository Authoring

The content produced inside The CentOS Artwork Repository is copyright

of The CentOS Project.  This is something you, as author, should be

aware of because you are contributing your creation's rights to

someone else; The CentOS Project in this case.  This way, your work is

distributed using ``The CentOS Project'' as copyright holder, not your

name (even you remain as natural author of the work).  Because The

CentOS Project is the copyright holder, is the license chosen by The

CentOS Project the one applied to your work, so it is the one you need

to agree with before making a creation inside The CentOS Artwork

Repository.

The CentOS Project is a community project controlled by its own

community of users.  Inside the community, The CentOS Administrators

group is the higher authority and the only one able to set core

decision like the kind of license used inside the project and

subproject like The CentOS Artwork Repository.

The redistribution conditions of The CentOS Artwork Repository are

described in ...

== Repository Publishing

When you perform changes inside your working copy, those changes are

local to your working copy only. In order for you to share your

changes with others, you need to push them up to the central

repository the working copy you are using was initially downloaded

from. To push your changes up to the central repository see

git-push(1) man page.

Initially, you won't be able to publish your changes to The CentOS

Artwork Repository immediately. It is necessary that you prove your

interest in contributing first sending a mail to the

http://lists.centos.org/mailman/listinfo/centos-devel[CentOS

Developers mailing list]

(mailto:centos-devel@centos.org[centos-devel@centos.org]), preferably

in conjunction with a description of the changes you pretend to

commit. This restriction is necessary in order to protect the source

repository from spammers.

Once you've received access to publish your changes, they will remain

valid to you and there is no need for you to request permission to

publish new changes as long as you behave as a good cooperating

citizen.

As a good cooperating citizen one understand of a person who respects

the work already done by others and share ideas with authors before

changing relevant parts of their work, specially in situations when

the access required to realize the changes has been granted already.

Of course, there is a time when conversation has taken place already,

the paths has been traced and changing the work is so obvious that

there is no need for you to talk about it; that's because you already

did, you already built the trust to keep going. As complement, the

mailing list mentioned above is available for sharing ideas in a way

that good relationship between community citizens could be constantly

balanced.

The relationship between community citizens is monitored by repository

administrators. Repository administrators are responsible of granting

that everything goes the way it needs to go in order for The CentOS Artwork Repository to

accomplish its mission (see <<corporate-mission>>).

== Repository Copying Conditions

The CentOS Project uses The CentOS Artwork Repository to produce The

CentOS Project corporate visual identity.

The The CentOS Artwork Repository is not in the public domain; it is

copyrighted and there are restrictions on their distribution, but

these restrictions are designed to permit everything that a good

cooperating citizen would want to do.  What is not allowed is to try

to prevent others from further sharing any version of this work that

they might get from you.

Specifically, we want to make sure that you have the right to give

away copies of The CentOS Artwork Repository, that you receive source

code or else can get it if you want it, that you can change this work

or use pieces of it in new free works, and that you know you can do

these things.

To make sure that everyone has such rights, we have to forbid you to

deprive anyone else of these rights.  For example, if you distribute

copies of the The CentOS Artwork Repository, you must give the

recipients all the rights that you have.  You must make sure that

they, too, receive or can get the source code.  And you must tell them

their rights.

Also, for our own protection, we must make certain that everyone finds

out that there is no warranty for the The CentOS Artwork Repository.

If this work is modified by someone else and passed on, we want their

recipients to know that what they have is not what we distributed, so

that any problems introduced by others will not reflect on our

reputation.

The The CentOS Artwork Repository is released as a GPL work.

Individual packages used by The CentOS Artwork Repository include

their own licenses and the The CentOS Artwork Repository license

applies to all packages that it does not clash with.  If there is a

clash between the The CentOS Artwork Repository license and individual

package licenses, the individual package license applies instead.

The precise conditions of the license for the The CentOS Artwork

Repository are found in (...). This manual specifically is covered by

the conditions found in (...).

[[repo-history]]

== History

=== 2008

The CentOS Artwork Repository started at

mailto:centos-devel@centos.org[The CentOS Developers Mailing List]

around 2008, on a discussion about how to automate slide images used

by Anaconda (The CentOS Distribution installer).  In such discussion,

http://wiki.centos.org/RalphAngenendt[Ralph Angenendt] rose up his

hand to ask --Do you have something to show?.

To answer the question,

http://wiki.centos.org/AlainRegueraDelgado[Alain Reguera Delgado]

suggested a bash script which combined SVG and SED files in order to

produce PNG images in different languages --in conjunction with

the proposition of creating a Subversion repository where translations

and image production could be distributed inside The CentOS Community.

http://wiki.centos.org/KaranbirSingh[Karanbir Singh] considered the

idea intresting and provided the infrastructure necessary to support

the effort.  This way, https://projects.centos.org/trac/artwork[The

CentOS Artwork SIG] and https://projects.centos.org/svn/artwork[The

CentOS Artwork Repository] were officially created and made world wide

available. In this configuration, users were able to register

themselves and administrators were able to assign access rights to

registered users inside The CentOS Artwork Repository, both using a

Trac web interface.

Once The CentOS Artwork Repository was available, Alain Reguera

Delgado uploaded the bash script used to produce the Anaconda

slides;footnote:[See

https://projects.centos.org/trac/artwork/browser/Main/render.sh?rev=15]

Ralph Angenendt documented it very well;footnote:[See

https://projects.centos.org/trac/artwork/wiki/HowToTranslateSlides]

and people started to download working copies of The CentOS Artwork

Repository to produce slide images in their own

languages.footnote:[See

http://www.google.com/search?q=anaconda+slides+site%3Alists.centos.org]

From this time on The CentOS Artwork Repository has been evolving into

an automated production environment where The CentOS Community can

conceive The CentOS Project corporate visual identity.

The exact changes commited to The CentOS Artwork Repository through

history can be found in the

https://projects.centos.org/trac/artwork/timeline[repository logs] so

you can know the real history about it. For those of you who just want

to get a glance of changes committed, see <<repo-history>>.

=== 2009

Around 2009, the rendition script was at a very rustic state where

only slide images could be produced, so it was redesigned to extend

the image production to other areas, different from slide images.  In

this configuration, one SVG file was used as input to produce a

translated instance of it which, in turn, was used to produce one

translated PNG image as output. The SVG translated instance was

created through SED replacement commands. The translated PNG image was

created from the SVG translated instance using Inkscape command-line

interface.

The repository directory structure was prepared to receive the

rendition script using design templates and translation files in the

same location. There was one directory structure for each art work

that needed to be produced. In this configuration, if you would want

to produce the same art work with a different visual style or

structure, it was needed to create a new directory structure for it

because both the image structure and the image visual style were

together in the design template.

The rendition script was moved to a common place and linked from

different directory structures. There was no need to have the same

code in different directory structures if it could be in just one

place and then be linked from different locations.  

Corporate identity concepts began to be considered. As referece, it

was used the book "Corporate Identity" by Wally Olins (1989) and

http://en.wikipedia.org/Corporate_identity[Wikipedia related links].

This way, the rendition script main's goal becomes to: _automate the

production process of a monolithic corporate visual identity

structure, based on the mission and the release schema of The CentOS

Project_.

The repository directory structures began to be documented by mean of

flat text files. Later, documentation in flat text files was moved

onto LaTeX format and this way The CentOS Artwork User Guide was

initiated.

=== 2010

Around 2010, the rendition script changed its name from *render.sh* to

*centos-art.sh* and became a collection of functionalities where

rendition was just one among others (e.g., documentation and

localization).

The *centos-art.sh* was initially conceived to automate frequent tasks

inside the repository based in the idea of Unix toolbox: to create

small and specialized tools that do one thing well.  This way,

functionalities inside *centos-art.sh* began to be identified and

separated one another. For example, when images were rendered, there

was no need to load functionalities related to documentation manual.

This layout moved us onto ``common functionalities'' and ``specific

functionalities'' inside *centos-art.sh* script. Common

functionalities are loaded when *centos-art.sh* script is initiated

and are available to specific functionalities.  

Suddenly, no need was found to keep all the links spreaded around the

repository in order to execute the *centos-art.sh* script from

different locations.  The *centos-art* command-line interface was used

instead. The *centos-art* command-line interface is a symbolic link

stored inside the +\~/bin+ directory pointing to *centos-art.sh*

script.  As default configuration, inside The CentOS Distribution, the

path to +\~/bin+ is included in the search path for commands (see PATH

environment variable).  This way, using the *centos-art* command-line

interface, it is possible to execute the *centos-art.sh* script from

virtually anywhere inside the workstation, just as we frequently do

with regular commands.

Start using GNU getopt as default option parser inside the

*centos-art.sh* script.

The repository directory structure was updated to improve the

implementation of corporate visual identity concepts.  Specially in

the area related to themes. Having both structure and style in the

same file introduced content duplication when producing art works.

Because of this reason, they were separated into two different

directory structures: the design models and the artistic motifs

directory structures.  From this point on, the *centos-art.sh* was

able to produce themes as result of arbitrary combinations between

design models (structure) and artistic motifs (visual styles).

In the documentation area, the documents in LaTeX format were migrated

to Texinfo format. In this configuration, each directory structure in

the repository has a documentation entry associated in a Texinfo

structure which can be read, edited and administered (e.g., renamed,

deleted and copied) interactively through *centos-art.sh* script.

Additionally, the texi2html program was used to produced customized

XHTML output in conjunction with CSS from The CentOS Web Environment.