Re: [PATCH 0/1] docs: Fix numerous minor mistakes in grub.info

[Hans Ulrich Niedermann]

On Thu, 16 Apr 2020 16:27:02 +0200
Daniel Kiper <address@hidden> wrote:

> On Thu, Apr 16, 2020 at 03:03:43PM +0200, Hans Ulrich Niedermann
> wrote:
> > This patch does not change the intended meaning of the text
> > and only touches about the first 1300 of about 7000 lines
> > in docs/grub.texi. If there is interest in picking up this
> > patch, I intend to read through the rest of grub.texi as
> > well to find more of these easy fixes while adding remarks
> > for bigger issues which require actual text changes.
> >
> > Then, I can start (with some help) addressing the issues
> > pointed to by these remarks like undocumented commands,
> > renamed commands, wrong and outdated instructions, remarks
> > about a future which has become present a long time ago, etc.  
> 
> It sounds like very interesting project! Nice to hear that you are
> taking a stab at it. I have a few comments.

> First of all, I will ask
> a few native speakers to make a review of your work.

While I have noticed and fixed a number of mistakes non-native speakers
make relatively frequently (such as the missing articles). However, I am
*not* a native speaker myself and will doubtlessly make some mistakes of
my own. My goal is for the text to contain fewer mistakes after my
changes, while hoping for zero.

> Then I want to
> ask you to continue your work on docs/grub.texi.

docs/grub.texi is what I want to start with.

> If you want to go
> deeper in this I would like to ask you to take a look at additional
> documents like docs/grub-dev.texi or Multiboot and Multiboot2
> specifications (you can find both of them in multiboot and multiboot
> branches of the GRUB git repository).

I already have multiboot and multiboot2 in my sights, as writing a bit
of an example kernel for multiboot and multiboot2 is what made me
notice the current deficiencies in grub.texi (such as missing
documentation for @command{module2}).

Regarding grub-dev.texi, I would not have the faintest idea about what
to change there apart from simple language fixes.

grub-dev.texi looks to me to be very much something to be written by
the core maintainers, describing what they want. I am really new to
grub development, so I have no idea whatsoever about that. Being a grub
user for a decade going on two does not help here at all.

> Of course I would prefer if you
> work on one document at a time. This should ease our cooperation.

It should also ease the load on my brain.

> Last but not least, some lines in these documents are very long. I
> would like to have them wrapped at around 80th column to ease
> reading. If you could do that in separate patch that would be
> perfect. I think that this should be last step in doing docs cleanups.

I'll try to remember that for the last patch.

> ...and if you could finish this work, at least for docs/grub.texi and
> docs/grub-dev.texi, before the 2.06 release that would be fantastic...

I have no idea what the grub release schedule is, what "2.06 release"
might mean when translated to a calendar date (2020-05-01? some time in
autumn 2020? some time in 2021?), and when and what a next release
might be. However, I am certain this will take a few weeks at the very
least to finish.

Uli