[kde-doc-english]documentation style

[Éric Bischoff]

On Wednesday 08 May 2002 20:13, Philip Rodrigues wrote:
> > This is with regard to proof reading documentation.
> >
> > 1. Is active voice to be changed to passive voice?
>
> I personally would say no, not necessarily, unless the active voice is
> untidy. I think overuse of the passive voice can be too 'dry', and we want
> the documentation to be at least slightly friendly (I assume). Others may
> know better than me.

I agree. Using passive voice, like using noun constructs instead of verbs, is 
often referenced as "heavy" style.

> > 2. Is the use of first person (as in "I will call this meta DTD...") by
> > the documentation author to be removed?
>
> I have no strong opinion, but in a list of "Proposed message string
> standards", forwarded to me by Malcolm, it says that the proofreading team
> will not change the voice or style of the documentation, so I guess that
> rules out changing the person used.

This time I do not agree. Using "I" or "me" sounds unprofessional.

> > 3. Where can I find a list of names for standard controls in GUIs? For
> > example, which is correct - spin box or spin control?
>
> The 'Visual Guide to KDE' in khelpcenter is what you're looking for. It's
> under Tutorials, and gives spinbox as the correct form of what you're
> looking for.

Yup.