Can I submit an article for Linux+DVD? Of course, you can.
Linux+DVD magazine is open to all external submissions, independent on who you are. All that counts is what you know and how well are you able to explain it to others. See below for more information.
What kind of articles does Linux+DVD look for?
The mission of Linux+DVD is theory through practice. All our articles are prepared with that in mind, and so should be yours.
If you're wondering what theory through practice means, try to adhese to the following rules:

• Do not try to write a man page. Man pages are examples of... theory through theory. Have you ever tried to use a completely new application straight by looking at the man page? How long did it take you to reach information on how to use the tool in practice, going through various option descriptions etc.? Well, this is not what our readers want,
• Do not try to write an RFC. RFCs are also good examples of theory through theory,
• Do not try to write a program with comments. Programs with comments (even though they are better than the ones without comments...) are examples of practice through practice. Too little theoretical background is often available in the comments for the user to understand exactly what the program does.
• Our articles can be compared best to tutorials or how-tos. These are examples of theory through practice.

So, a good article for Linux+DVD should fulfill the following expectations:
Be based on a practical, working example . Say, you'd like to explain how some applications work in Linux+DVD (please treat this only as an example). Start by a simple example of a program, three-four lines. Then show step by step what happens when you want to show how it works in practice and what to do to complete the action. Use diagrams, use snippets of code, use memory dumps. Use everything you need to show the reader exactly what happens on every stage. If you need to go off into theory, use an inset (a box on the side) to explain some ideas, so that the reader doesn't wonder off with his thoughts.
If your article is to be more general, about some technology for example, remember to:

• first describe the technology,
• then show how it can be used in practice,
• then discuss who can use this technology (eg. end user, a remote user from the internal network, a remote user from an external network etc.),
• then discuss what consequences might this technology have (eg. leak of confidential data, loss of data, software failure etc.),
• finally show why one should use it.

This will guarantee your article will be as complete as possible. You can of course iterate this process for every technique or every technology.
If you'd like to write about some strategies, standards, more business-related issues, this is also a good subject for Linux+DVD, but it has to be approached also through practice. So if you'd like to write about an ISO norm for example, make sure you don't just copy the official documentation (even using your own words), but you describe an example implementation, step by step. What has to be done, how to do it, what are the risks associated with every step and what are your practical experiences with every step (we assume that if you'd like to write about something like that, you do have practical experiences).
If you're still wondering if your approach is right, feel free to contact us and ask. We don't bite! We're here to help you prepare the best article there can be, because then both our readers are satisfied, and you are satisfied because you receive the highest praises for it.
What language should the article be submitted in? You can use any of the languages our magazine is published in. However, each version of the magazine is managed by different staff, so for the English version write in English. If you're worried about your English not being good enough, don't worry. What matters most is that you're a specialist in your field. We have people who will "beautify" your English and make it suitable for all readers. There are many people who know English well, but there are not many people who can write about the things you can write about. Remember that.
Ok, I want to write. How do I start? Just write us an e-mail (at editors@lpmagazine.org).
The first step will be for you to propose a subject you specialise in and you'd like to write about. You don't have to be the top specialist in the world in that subject (although it's nice if you are). What matters is the quality of the article, its completeness, correctness, ease of reading, how interesting it is etc.

When we agree on the subject matter (we have to talk first to see whether this subject has been written about in the past, whether it's interesting for our readers etc.), then comes the article plan. We'll help you prepare one if you need us to. The plan is to show the article structure and the approach to the subject matter. A good detailed plan is the best way to see how the final article will look like, and a great help for you to write the article afterwards.

When the plan is agreed and accepted, you can start to write the article. When it's complete, it will be read by our editorial team and you will receive comments and suggestions as to possible changes. Then it will also be sent to our betatesting team, which might give you more suggestions on how to change or expand the article. When this is complete, the article will be published