[kde-guidelines] How to Write

[Frans Englich]

Hello all,

A lot have been commented -- but shallow -- on how the form of the new HIG 
should be, and I would like to know more about that.

Jan wrote:

> 3. As Frans pointed out, the HIG must serve also for external developers
> (and companies). And it is a sign to the world that usability (and
> accessibility) is taken serious at KDE. This is very important. Also,
> companies and public administration migrating to Linux on desktop must
> consider ergonomics and norms (ISO, DIN). If KDE does not meet them (in
> the future), it will be more difficult to conquer the desktops of this
> world. The norms are not that much magic, they are mainly strange
> formulations of usability (and accessibility) principles. However, I
> would like to make sure that the HIG conforms to these norms.

I responded:

"I would with interest hear more about this. Could you write a mail on what 
this exactly is, and how we need to adapt to it? For example: What standards 
are relevant(links), if and how we need to adapt writing form to it, and a 
detailed discussion on how the content actually will be affected. An 
orientation for those who will work on the HIG."

I looked after DIN/EN/ISO 9241 as Siegfried mentioned, but I only found German 
texts(doesn't help me :|).

In another thread, Ellen wrote:

"The Gnome HIG is well written and organised, but is not suitable as a quick 
reference for developers (as t is too extensive and does not provide a 
summary of guidelines)."

I personally don't understand that; I find the GNOME HIG usable, and in terms 
of form, similar to the Mac OS X HIG. If I was the maintainer, the future KDE 
HIG would look in that direction. It also puzzles me, because I think the 
GNOME HIG have clear guidelines, such as in:
http://developer.gnome.org/projects/gup/hig/2.0/desktop-notification-area.html
or:
http://developer.gnome.org/projects/gup/hig/2.0/windows-utility.html#toolbox-windows

But that's not as interesting as how it should be. Those who are to contribute 
and write drafts must know in what way they should write, in order to not 
work in vain. In other words, I don't know How the future HIG will look like, 
nor Why, and hence can't comment whether I like it, nor write accordingly.


I'm asking; could the maintainers elaborate? Could an exact text outline 
how the HIG will look like in terms of:

* Adaption to industry standards. What standards(links), and how that will 
affect the HIG; writing style and content

* Wording. Are we following any norm/standard, or is it just about having a 
exact, non-ambiguous, and in general sane, language? If a text is written 
like the GNOME or Mac OS X HIG, is that then ok?

* Anything else, such as special organization, markup, or formatting



Thanks in advance,

			Frans