Steve,
Ahm, perhaps SuSE could produce a book that gives a system level and component level description of their product. This book might also describe the basics of working with gcc, configure, make, etc. It should probably also have a basic description of how the kernel works, and how modules work in conjunction with the kernel. Perhaps a bit of discussion of how hardware dirvers work, and how they are written would be useful as well. Sample code for 'toy' implementation in these various areas would also be of interest. Of course there should be a section describing how to work with RPMs in the SuSE environment in such a way as to produce compatable RPM packages.
I like the idea but I think that your proposal addresses a different gap in the 'market'. This is really for tech-heads with a couple of years of messing around and administrating Linux (even if it is only your own box). What I'm aiming at is a quick way for people to get up and running making RPMs to contribute to the community. The information should be concise and straightforward.
In order to fill the gap between now and the time such a book might be completed, it could be released in sections to the portal. This would give the advantage of aquiering feedback as the product matures.
I like the idea of peer review during the writing process. A good example is the ZOPE book that has been developed on the ZOPE site and heavily influenced by zopistas.
You are correct about Mandrake being very community oriented. I'm sure there are downsided to this as well, and I would like to hear what others think these might be. To my mind SuSE would do well to present themselves as the orchestrators of the combined contributions of their user community.
That is one of the main differences that people leaving windows and coming to Linux find: the community spirit. Although I know from sales figures that SuSE (in Europe) is one of the best sellers it wasn't until I joined this mailling list that I made contact with other SuSE users. Everyone that I met in person in the UK was using some other distro (mostly redhat based). This community atmosphere which has sustained and nurtured Linux from it's inception needs to be fostered and cultivated. Although it doesn't appear on SuSE's balance sheet, SuSE's community is in the long run one of its' most valuable assets.
'Let others do the hard work, and then you put your name on it.' {;-)>
Aah. Reading this I have had a satori and reached enlightenment. I see what I've been doing wrong at work all these years!
I believe a conservative Mandrake-like approach would be good for SuSE.
Agreed. Jethro