<chapter id="intro-history" xreflabel="History">

    <title>History</title>

    <para>The CentOS Artwork Repository started around 2008 during a

    discussion about how to automate the slide images of Anaconda, at

    CentOS Developers mailing list (centos-devel@centos.org). In such

    discussion, Ralph Angenendt rose up his hand to ask —Do you have

    something to show?—.</para>

    <para>To answer the question, I suggested a bash script which

    combined SVG and SED files in order to produce PNG images in

    different languages —together with the proposition of

    creating a Subversion repository where translations and image

    production could be distributed inside The CentOS

    Community—.</para>

    <para>Karanbirn Sighn considered the idea intresting and provided

    the infrastructure necessary to support the effort.  This way the

    CentOS Artwork SIG (https://projects.centos.org/trac/artwork/) and

    the CentOS Artwork Repository

    (https://projects.centos.org/svn/artwork/) were officially

    created.</para>

    <para>Once the CentOS Artwork Repository was available, I uploaded

    the bash script for rendering Anaconda slides; Ralph Angenendt

    documented it very well; and people started to download working

    copies of CentOS Artwork Repository to produce slide images in

    their own languages.</para>

    <para>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.</para>

    <para>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

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

    would want to produce the same artwork 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.</para>

    <para>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.</para>

    <para>The concepts about corporate identity began to be

    considered. As referece, it was used the book <quote>Corporate

    Identity</quote> by Wally Olins (1989) and Wikipedia related links

    (e.g., 

    />). This way, the rendition script main's goal becomes to:

    automate production of a monolithic corporate visual identity

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

    CentOS Project.</para>

    <para>The repository directory structures began to be documented

    inside by mean of flat text files.  Later, documentation in flat

    text files was moved onto LaTeX format and this way <quote>The

    CentOS Artwork Repository Manual</quote> is initiated.</para>

    <para>Around 2010, the rendition script changed its name from

    <command>render.sh</command> to <command>centos-art.sh</command>

    and became a collection of functionalities where rendition was

    just one among others (e.g., documenting and localizing).</para>

    <para>The <command>centos-art.sh</command> was initialy conceived

    to organize automation of most frequent tasks inside the

    repository based in the conceptual idea of Unix toolbox:

    <emphasis>create small and specialized tools that do one thing

    well</emphasis>.  This way, functionalities inside

    <command>centos-art.sh</command> were 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 <command>centos-art.sh</command> script.

    Common functionalities are loaded when

    <command>centos-art.sh</command> script is initiated and are

    available to specific functionalities.</para>

    <para>There was no need to have links all around the

    repository if a command-line interface could be created (through

    symbolic links, in the 

    class="directory">~/bin</filename> directory) and be called

    anywhere inside the repository as it would be a regular

    command.</para>

    <para>The <command>centos-art.sh</command> script was redesigned

    to handle command-line options trough <command>getopt</command>

    option parser.</para>

    <para>The repository directory structure was updated to improve

    the implementation of concepts related to corporate visual

    identity.  Specially in the area related to themes which were

    divided into <emphasis>design models</emphasis> and

    <emphasis>artistic motifs</emphasis> to eliminate the content

    duplication produced by having both image structure and image

    visual style in the same file. Now, both

    <command>centos-art.sh</command> and repository directory

    structure are able to produce themes as result of arbitrary

    combinations between design models (structures) and artistic

    motifs (visual styles).</para>

    <para>In the documentation area, the documentation files 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, copied) interactively

    throuch <command>centos-art.sh</command>. Additionally, the

    <command>texi2html</command> program was used to produced XHTML

    output customized by CSS from The CentOS Webenv.</para>

    <para>Around 2011, the <command>centos-art.sh</command> script was

    redesigned to start translating SVG and other XML-based files

    (e.g., XHTML and Docbook files) through the

    <command>xml2po</command> program and shell scripts files (e.g.,

    Bash scripts) through GNU <command>gettext</command> tools.  This

    configuration provided a stronger interface for graphic designers,

    translators and programmers to produce localized content. The SED

    files are no longer used to handle translations.</para>

    <para>The render, help and

    locale functionalities were consolidated as the most

    frequent tasks performed inside the repository. Additionally, the

    prepare and tuneup functionalities are

    maintained as useful tasks.</para>

    <para>The <command>centos-art.sh</command> script is updated to

    organize functionalities in two groups: <quote>the administrative

    functionalities</quote> and <quote>the productive

    functionalities</quote>.  The administrative functionalities cover

    actions like: copying, deleting and renaming directory structures

    inside the repository.  Also, preparing your workstation for using

    <command>centos-art.sh</command> script, making backups of the

    distribution theme currently installed,  installing themes created

    inside repository and restoring themes from backup.  On the other

    hand, the productive functionalities cover actions like: content

    rendition, content localization, content documentation and content

    maintainance.</para>

</chapter>