Blame Manuals/Userguide/Introduction/history.docbook

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<chapter id="intro-history" xreflabel="History">
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    <title>History</title>
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    <para>The CentOS Artwork Repository started around 2008 during a
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    discussion about how to automate the slide images of Anaconda, at
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    CentOS Developers mailing list (centos-devel@centos.org). In such
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    discussion, Ralph Angenendt rose up his hand to ask —Do you have
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    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 repository directory structures began to be documented
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    inside by mean of flat text files.  Later, documentation in flat
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    text files was moved onto LaTeX format and this way <quote>The
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    CentOS Artwork Repository Manual</quote> is initiated.</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 initialy conceived
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    to organize automation of most frequent tasks inside the
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    repository based in the conceptual idea of Unix toolbox:
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    <emphasis>create small and specialized tools that do one thing
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    well</emphasis>.  This way, functionalities inside
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    <command>centos-art.sh</command> were identified and separated one
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    another. For example, when images were rendered, there was no need
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    to load functionalities related to documentation manual. This
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    layout moved us onto common functionalities and specific
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    functionalities inside <command>centos-art.sh</command> script.
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    Common functionalities are loaded when
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    <command>centos-art.sh</command> script is initiated and are
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    available to specific functionalities.</para>
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    <para>There was no need to have links all around the
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    repository if a command-line interface could be created (through
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    symbolic links, in the 
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    class="directory">~/bin</filename> directory) and be called
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    anywhere inside the repository as it would be a regular
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    command.</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>The render, help and
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    locale functionalities were consolidated as the most
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    frequent tasks 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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</chapter>