Blame Manuals/Docbook/repository-history.docbook

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<preface>
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    <title>History</title>
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    <para>The CentOS Artwork Repository started around 2008, at CentOS
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    Developers mailing list (centos-devel@centos.org) during a
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    discussion about how to automate the slide images of Anaconda. In
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    such discussion, Ralph Angenendt rose up his hand to ask: Do you
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    have something to show?</para>
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    <para>To answer the question, I suggested a bash script which
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    combined SVG and SED files in order to produce PNG images in
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    different languages —together with the proposition of
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    creating a Subversion repository where translations and image
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    production could be distributed inside The CentOS
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    Community—.</para>
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    <para>Karanbirn Sighn considered the idea intresting and provided
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    the infrastructure necessary to support the effort.  This way the
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    CentOS Artwork SIG (https://projects.centos.org/trac/artwork/) and
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    the CentOS Artwork Repository
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    (https://projects.centos.org/svn/artwork/) were officially
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    created.</para>
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    <para>Once the CentOS Artwork Repository was available, I uploaded
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    the bash script for rendering Anaconda slides; Ralph Angenendt
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    documented it very well; and people started to download working
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    copies of CentOS Artwork Repository to produce slide images in
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    their own languages.</para>
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    <para>Around 2009, the rendition script was at a very rustic state
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    where only slide images could be produced, so it was redesigned to
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    extend the image production to other areas, different from slide
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    images.  In this configuration, one SVG file was used as input to
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    produce a translated instance of it which, in turn, was used to
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    produce one translated PNG image as output.  The SVG translated
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    instance was created through SED replacement commands. The
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    translated PNG image was created from the SVG translated instance
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    using Inkscape command-line interface.</para>
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    <para>The repository directory structure was prepared to receive
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    the rendition script using design templates and translation files
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    in the same location.  There was one directory structure for each
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    artwork that needed to be produced. In this configuration, if you
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    would want to produce the same artwork with a different visual
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    style or structure, it was needed to create a new directory
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    structure for it because both the image structure and the image
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    visual style were together in the design template.</para>
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    <para>The rendition script was moved to a common place and linked
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    from different directory structures. There was no need to have the
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    same code in different directory structures if it could be in just
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    one place and then be linked from different locations.</para>
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    <para>The concepts about corporate identity began to be
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    considered. As referece, it was used the book <quote>Corporate
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    Identity</quote> by Wally Olins (1989) and Wikipedia related links
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    (e.g., 
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    />). This way, the rendition script main's goal becomes to:
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    automate production of a monolithic corporate visual identity
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    structure, based on the mission and the release schema of The
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    CentOS Project.</para>
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    <para>The directory structures started to be documented inside the
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    repository using text files without markup.  Later, documentation
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    in flat text files was moved to LaTeX format and this way
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    <quote>The CentOS Artwork Repository Manual</quote> started to
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    take form.</para>
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    <para>Around 2010, the rendition script changed its name from
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    <command>render.sh</command> to <command>centos-art.sh</command>
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    and became a collection of functionalities where rendition was
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    just one among others (e.g., documenting and localizing).</para>
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    <para>The <command>centos-art.sh</command> was created to organize
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    automation of most frequent tasks inside the repository.  There
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    was no need to have links all around the repository if a
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    command-line interface could be created (through symbolic links,
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    in the <filename class="directory">~/bin</filename> directory) and
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    be called anywhere inside the repository as it would be a regular
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    command.</para>
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    <para>Inside <command>centos-art.sh</command>, functionalities
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    started to get identified and separated one another. For example,
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    when images were rendered, there was no need to load
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    functionalities related to documentation manual. This layout moved
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    us onto common functionalities and specific functionalities inside
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    <command>centos-art.sh</command> script. Common functionalities
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    are loaded when <command>centos-art.sh</command> script is
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    initiated and are available to specific functionalities.</para>
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    <para>The <command>centos-art.sh</command> script was redesigned
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    to handle command-line options trough <command>getopt</command>
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    option parser.</para>
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    <para>The repository directory structure was updated to improve
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    the implementation of concepts related to corporate visual
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    identity.  Specially in the area related to themes which were
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    divided into <emphasis>design models</emphasis> and
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    <emphasis>artistic motifs</emphasis> to eliminate the content
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    duplication produced by having both image structure and image
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    visual style in the same file. Now, both
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    <command>centos-art.sh</command> and repository directory
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    structure are able to produce themes as result of arbitrary
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    combinations between design models (structures) and artistic
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    motifs (visual styles).</para>
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    <para>In the documentation area, the documentation files in LaTeX
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    format were migrated to Texinfo format.  In this configuration,
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    each directory structure in the repository has a documentation
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    entry associated in a Texinfo structure which can be read, edited
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    and administered (e.g., renamed, deleted, copied) interactively
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    throuch <command>centos-art.sh</command>. Additionally, the
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    <command>texi2html</command> program was used to produced XHTML
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    output customized by CSS from The CentOS Webenv.</para>
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    <para>Around 2011, the <command>centos-art.sh</command> script was
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    redesigned to start translating SVG and other XML-based files
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    (e.g., XHTML and Docbook files) through the
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    <command>xml2po</command> program and shell scripts files (e.g.,
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    Bash scripts) through GNU <command>gettext</command> tools.  This
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    configuration provided a stronger interface for graphic designers,
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    translators and programmers to produce localized content. The SED
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    files are no longer used to handle translations.</para>
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    <para>Consolidate the render, help and
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    locale functionalities as the most frequent tasks
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    performed inside the repository. Additionally, the
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    prepare and tuneup functionalities are
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    maintained as useful tasks.</para>
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    <para>The <command>centos-art.sh</command> script is updated to
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    organize functionalities in two groups: <quote>the administrative
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    functionalities</quote> and <quote>the productive
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    functionalities</quote>.  The administrative functionalities cover
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    actions like: copying, deleting and renaming directory structures
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    inside the repository.  Also, preparing your workstation for using
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    <command>centos-art.sh</command> script, making backups of the
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    distribution theme currently installed,  installing themes created
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    inside repository and restoring themes from backup.  On the other
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    hand, the productive functionalities cover actions like: content
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    rendition, content localization, content documentation and content
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    maintainance.</para>
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</preface>