[Date Prev][Date Next][Thread Prev][Thread Next][Date Index][Thread Index]
RE: Slashdot reply (draft 0.1)
On Fri, 11 Feb 2000, Gregory Leblanc wrote:
> <flame>This is really stupid. I'm sure there's a logic behind this, but I
> can't grasp what it is. I understand why these were put in place, but not
> why they're still in use. We should abolish silly distinctions to allow
> authors to more easily submit documents, especially since we're accepting
> DocBook. Hugo van der Wahls (I think I spelled that right) has made some
> RPMs of the new versions of SGMLTools, so at least some people can do the
> translation from DocBook to other formats. Calling your document a FAQ
> because you don't know any breed of SGML other than HTML is silly. If we're
> going to use the terms "FAQ", "HOWTO", "GUIDE", and whatever else, it should
> be because the document logically is a FAQ, because it's a series of
> questions, or a HOWTO, because it tells HOW TO do something. If we're going
> to classify documents by their format, let's just DO IT, and make categories
> based on format. But the best thing for users is to classify documents by
> structure/content, and keep sections like HOWTO, FAQ, etc. If necessary, we
> could break sections down something similar to:
<Water>
The author seems to mix Hugo van der Kooij and Norman Walsh. So this
bucket of water will cool the heat of this flame.
</Water>
But I agree the distinction between the various types should be made based
on the content.
So I suggest:
- Howto Focus on getting the job done
- Guide Focus on telling you what the subject is al about
- FAQ Questions and Answers
- Others
It's hard to draw a straight line as a Howto may end up becoming a Guide
in the long run. The goal should be to allow as many technical formats as
possible. That would mean document written in:
- Linuxdoc SGML
- DocBook SGML
- ASCII
- HTML
- LaTeX
Just my 0.02 Euro's.
Hugo.
--
Hugo van der Kooij; Oranje Nassaustraat 16; 3155 VJ Maasland
[email protected] http://home.kabelfoon.nl/~hvdkooij/
--------------------------------------------------------------
Use of any of my email addresses for unsollicited (commercial)
email is a clear intrusion of my privacy and illegal!
--
To UNSUBSCRIBE, email to [email protected]
with a subject of "unsubscribe". Trouble? Contact [email protected]