!subnode General questions
!ignore_links

!begin_description

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!item [Why is UDO names ''UDO''?] ~

When I began programming UDO I had no better idea than naming it ""UDO"",
the abbreviation for ""(!B)U(!b)niversal (!B)DO(!b)cument"".

By the way: The author's prename isn't Udo, he's called Dirk!

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!item [How to I pronounce ''UDO''?] ~

''UDO'' is pronounced like the prename Udo: ''Ooh-do''. Pronounce the ''U''
like the ''u'' in ''butcher'', the ''do'' like the ''do'' in ''document''.
Please don't pronounce it like ''You do''.


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!item [How can I get the current versions?] ~

You can download the current version from a BBS and via FTP or from the
World Wide Web.

The current versions are always available in the BBS called ""Maus MK2
Iserlohn-Kalthof"" (+49 2371 944925) in the ""Gruppenprogrammteil UDO.Pub"".
After the login press ''P'' for ''Programmteil'', press ''G'' for
''Gruppenprogrammteil'' and enter ''UDO.Pub''. You can list all archives by
pressing ''A'' (''Ausführliche Liste'') and ''L'' (output list). Remember
the number of the archive and start the download by pressing ''D'' and
entering the number of the archives.

To download the current version from the World Wide Web open the URL
(!T)http://members.aol.com/UDODH/index.htm(!t). Here you will find links to
the UDO archives.

To download them via FTP open a connection to
(!T)members.aol.com/UDODH/(!t)(!N)not ftp.members.aol.com!(!n),
(!T)members.aol.com/UDOENG/(!t) or (!T)members.aol.com/UDOADD/(!t).

If you don't own a modem and you don't have access to the Internet you can
get the current version by simply sending me a formatted floppy disk besides
a readdressed envelope and 2~DM for stamps. Please tell me which operating
system you use.

!raw [tex] \pagebreak[3]

The names of the archives are constructed in the following way:

!begin_quote
!begin_verbatim
udorlyyy.sss
   ||| ||  |
   ||| |+--+--- .zip: ZIP archive
   ||| |        .tgz: tar gzip archive
   ||| |
   ||+-+------- beo:  version for BeOS
   ||           hp4:  version for HP-UX, 300/400
   ||           hp8:  version for HP-UX, 700/800
   ||           lin:  version for Linux
   ||           mac:  version for MacOS
   ||           nex:  version for NeXTStep
   ||           sin:  version for SINIX
   ||           sun:  version for SunOS
   ||           tos:  version for Atari ST and clones
   ||           dos:  version for DOS, OS/2 and Windows
   ||           man:  source files of this manual
   ||
   |+---------- g:    version with German manual
   |            e:    version with English manual
   |
   +----------- Release number: 6 for UDO Rel. 6
!end_verbatim
!end_quote

The archive containing the English version for MS-DOS is called
(!V)udo6edos.zip(!v), the archive containing the English source files of
this manual is called (!V)udo6eman.zip(!v).

The Unix version may have longer names like (!V)udo6_ger_linux.tar.gz(!v) or
(!V)udo6_eng_hp-ux-34.tar.Z(!v).

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!item [Will there be versions for other operating systems?] ~

At the moment UDO is available for the following operating systems:

!begin_itemize !short
!item	Atari TOS
!item	BeOS
!item	DOS, OS/2, Windows
!item	HP-UX 9.x for 300/400 and 700/800 models
!item	Linux i86
!item	MacOS
!item	NeXTStep
!item	SINIX
!end_itemize

UDO was completely written in highly portable C. The source code doesn't
call any system specific functions. Due to this fact UDO could be ported to
any operating system a C compiler is existing for.

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!item [Can UDO generate formats from other systems?] ~

Sure. E.g. you can run UDO on a Windows PC and save Linuxdoc-SGML files. You
can run UDO on a Linux PC and save Windows Help files. No problem. UDO has
the same functions on any operating systems it's available for.

Maybe you have only to convert the file with GNU-Recode later if the
charsets are not the same.

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!item [Can I write my source files ""here"" and translate them ""there""?] ~

Yes, you can e.g. write your source files on a Windows PC and convert them
on a BeBox or Apple Macintosh. UDO knows the charsets of all operating
system it's available for. You have only to say UDO which charset was used
for writing the source files by using the commands like (!I)!/code_iso(!i)
or (!I)!/code_mac(!i).

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!item [Do you want to support other destination formats in the future?] ~

Yes, I want to support the following formats if I will get any information
about them and if I'm allowed to generate them without paying any licences
to anybody:

!begin_itemize !short
!item	Apple Guide
!item	HP HelpTag SGML
!item	OS/2-Help
!item	Portable Document Format ''PDF'', Adobe Acrobat Reader
!item	Postscript
!end_itemize

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!item [May the UDO syntax change in the future?] ~

!index Syntax changes

UDO is that kind of software that is improved day by day. New commands will
appear in the future, that's for sure.

In some cases it will be necessary to change the syntax of some commands.
But I will tell you about these changes. Just take a look at the ""History""
to get to know about the changes in the past.

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!item [How does UDO work?] ~

UDO reads the source file(s) in two passes.

In the first pass UDO reads in the switches, macros, definitions and the
chapter titles that are needed for referencing.

In the second pass UDO will convert and layout the text. UDO will save all
lines in an internal buffer until it reads an empty line or an UDO command.
A command or an empty line tells UDO to layout the last paragraph and to go
on reading the source file.

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!item [How does UDO reference other parts of the document?] ~

UDO inserts links in hypertext formats (except for the ST-Guide)
automatically to other parts of the documentation. UDO references chapter
titles, labels and aliases.

!index !/autoref

Using the switch (!I)!/autoref~[off](!i) you can tell UDO not to insert any
references until you use the switch (!I)!/autoref~[on](!i).

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!item [How can I link to parts of the current page?] ~

Because UDO doesn't insert links to labels of the same page you have to
insert a explicit link to this label by using the (!I)(!/link~[~](!i)
placeholder. An example:

!autoref [off]
!begin_verbatim	
!node  Test
!label Test top
[...]
(!link [Back to top of page] [Test top])
!end_verbatim
!autoref [on]

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!item [How can I display images in the table of contents?] ~

You have to make your own table of contents, that means you have to leave
the (!I)!/tableofcontents(!i) command. An example:

!begin_quote
!begin_verbatim
!begin_document
!maketitle
!node Contents
!image foo
!toc [all]

!node First chapter
!end_verbatim
!end_quote

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!end_description

