Style guide

[Karsten Wade]

On Thu, 2004-08-19 at 15:11, Paul W. Frields wrote:
> As I write docs, e.g. my mirror-tutorial, I'm making stylistic decisions
> (i.e. self-editing). As I edit myself, I'm trying to make notes in my
> TODO for the eos-guide, which I hope will be incorporated in the
> eventual Style Guide. I'm hoping to do some major contribution to that
> guide, especially after having XML coded Strunk's book recently.
> 
> If you notice a stylistic decision that you are making consciously as
> you write, whether you think it is glaringly obvious or not, please feel
> free to send me a note about it -- off-list please, since I'll have the
> TODO available at my repo if you would like to look at or add to it. See
> <http://svn.frields.org>* for more information; the TODO is in the
> eos-guide folder.
> 
> I intend to use not just EOS, but also the GNOME Style Guidelines (which
> are licensed via the FDL), as source material for any work I can do on
> the Style Guide. If, perchance, anyone else has already started, I hope
> you'll consider this an offer of help. :-)

Awesome offer, both to get the Style Guidelines[1] started, and to
collect style tips from all of us.  I'll certainly send them.  I'd also
argue that your interest and activity so far should let you be the 
author/compiler of the Style Guidelines, at least initially.  As much as
the Doc Guide, the Style Guidelines will require group and editorial
approval, so you will have to return to us for consensus on what you
create more than any other doc you are likely to work on.

Once a style is set for a group, adherence to the style becomes the
goblin of the editors.  Changing even a small rule about punctuation can
have big ramifications.  We may want to consider that in terms of
keeping our rules light, meaningful, and standardized.

[1] I'm trying the sound-out the idea of "Guidelines" instead of
"Guide".  This way we can include outside resources by reference as part
of the guidelines, or just include sections of free sources like the
GNOME Style Guide (not Guidelines, I think) in their entirety.

> *Umm, I have mentioned that repo a few times, and I hope (Karsten, this
> means you especially) that *someone* will say something if my doing so
> is a faux pas. I am fully aware that it's not part of the FDP, nor is it
> intended to be. It's only a nice way for me to work on this stuff at
> remote locations, until the One True CVS appears, but I also wanted
> editors and collaborators to be able to reach it too.

I think the consensus so far is:

* We don't want outside repositories or hosted draft documents to be
seen _at_all_ as official, supported, backed-up, unrootkitted, or
anything sources for FDP docs or SCM (software configuration
management).

* We don't specifically recommend using personal hosting, but we do
mention it as an allowable part of the *writing* process (not the
*publishing* process) for FDP.

In essence, what you are doing isn't much different than my hosting
stuff at people.redhat.com.  Personally, I should be keeping all my
local work in local source control, anyway. :)

- Karsten

-- 
Karsten Wade, RHCE, Tech Writer
a lemon is just a melon in disguise
http://people.redhat.com/kwade/
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