Linux HOWTOs are documents which describe in detail a certain aspect of configuring or using Linux. For example, there is the Installation HOWTO, which gives instructions on installing Linux, and the Mail Administrator HOWTO, which describes how to set up and configure mail under Linux. Other examples include the Net HOWTO and the Printing HOWTO.
HOWTOs are comprehensive docs - much like an FAQ but generally not in question-and-answer format. However, many HOWTOs contain a FAQ section at the end.
There are several HOWTO formats available: plain text, PostScript, PDF, and HTML.
