[kde-doc-english] "Documentation not found" handbook in KHelpcenter - terminology

[Jack]

On 2010.09.22 14:57, Burkhard Lück wrote:
> Am Dienstag, 21. September 2010, um 23:32:35 schrieb Jack:
...

>> One question - it would be nice if we could be consistent with use  
>> of the words documentation, manual, and handbook.  They seem to be  
>> used almost interchangeably.  This confused me a bit as a new KDE  
>> user, until I just got used to the terminology.  I don't know if  
>> this is addressed anywhere in the KDE documentation.

> Me did not notice an inconsistency so far, but from a new KDE users  
> PoV that could be really different.
Maybe it is not as much of a problem as I thought.

> An attempt for a definition of these terms from my pov:

> 1) Handbook -> the application help lanched via F1/Help menu
This is always clear, although I have sometimes referred to the  
handbook as the manual.  KDE seems to use handbook specifically for  
this, where non-KDE apps and systems might use manual.  In English, I'm  
not sure the difference between the words is significant.

> 2) Manual -> man(ual) page
I'm so used to Unix-speak, that I had almost forgotten that "man" was  
short for "manual."  I don't think I've ever seen anyone say manual  
instead of man-page.  In general English usage, I think of most  
man-pages as a summary or abbreviated form of a manual, although there  
are certainly exceptions.  Perhaps it is best just to explicitly say  
man-page and avoid use of the work manual.

> 3) Help for System Setting modules, ioslaves and the like,  
> technically usually a docbook article, what to use for them?
Perhaps help-page can be used as a general reference for anything too  
short or too narrow in scope to be called a handbook, and not written  
in the specific style of a man-page (or not documenting a single  
command).

> Documentation as general term for all types of help (1-3)
I agree.

> In bugreports often the term "Help" is used.
I would use Help in a broader way, including documentation, but also  
any context-sensitive assistance provided within an application itself,  
such as tool-tips.

> Jack, could you please give some examples for this inconsistent usage?
I don't have any concrete examples - it is mainly from memory, so  
probably nothing needs to be done about this unless anyone else speaks  
up.  I just need to stop saying manual when I mean handbook.
> 
[....]
> Excellent improvement, I'll use it in the docbook.
Thanks.


Jack