Re: adopting the Style Guide

[Eric Baudais <baudais okstate edu>]

On Mon, Oct 15, 2001 at 07:45:47PM +0200, Rebecca J. Walter wrote:
> On Mon, 2001-10-15 at 19:43, Eric Baudais wrote:
> > On Mon, Oct 15, 2001 at 08:58:43AM -0400, Alexander Kirillov wrote:
> > > Yes, it is about time we make oficial guidelines for 2.0 docs. Style
> > > guide should be the first of them.
> > 
> > I feel that the Style Guide doesn't go into enough detail about what voice 
> > well formed documentation should be written in.  Currently there are some 
> > writers who are changing to docs from 2nd person to 3rd person, most notably 
> > the GIMP User's Manual.  Yet, still a lot of the docs currently written are 
> > in 2nd person.  Could someone either add a section to the Style Guide about 
> > the voice documentation should be written in or expand on an existing section?
> 
> 1) The GIMP is not GNOME
> 2) I haven't proofed it lately, but I'm sure syngin is doing a good job.
> 3) The GNOME style guide will NOT be applied to GIMP docs because GIMP
> is a different project.
> 4) If ANYONE touches the English GIMP docs and applies changes like
> plug-in to plugin or anything else without authorization from me will be
> in big trouble.  We are NOT part of the GNOME docs project.  We run
> under several platforms and have much different issues to consider.
> 5) If you would like to volunteer to work with the GIMP help project,
> please e-mail docs gimp org 
> 
> Like I said and have had to say to people on this list way too many
> times, GIMP is NOT GNOME!
> bex

1) GIMP, an OS independent project, is a major application in GNOME (and many 
other OSs).  I did NOT say that GIMP was a part of GNOME, but open software 
documentation writers whose software happens to run on GNOME are changing 
voice from 2nd person to 3rd person.  This was used as an example as to why 
the GNOME Style Guide should say something about voice as it is an issue in 
documentation of open software which happens to run on GNOME.

2) I said nothing about syngin or how well a job he is doing.

3) The Style Guide is not a law, but a suggestion.  There is nothing 
compelling a documentation project to put those suggestions to use.

4) I hope no one has does something like that in the past as it degrades 
the trust given to all people with CVS write access.

By sending this response I in no way intend to flame you, Rebecca, but to 
explain the validity of including a suggestion as to voice in the Style Guide 
since the GIMP documentation project has undertook the task of changing its 
documentation to 3rd person.

Maybe you can share with my why the GIMP documentation project chose to 
undertake this arduous task.

Eric Baudais