On Tue, 3 Dec 2002, Javier Fernández-Sanguino Peña wrote: > It is my opinion that Debian should produce the Debian Free > _Documentation_ Guidelines which need not be related to the current DFSG > (but could use some tips from it, obviously). > > I am willing to produce such a draft but _only_ if people stop throwing > the DFSG against document writers. It does _not_ apply, we need to write a > new set of guidelines.
Hear, hear -- please do. Such a guide is long overdue; its development can only help bring more writers (as opposed to programmers) into the fold. And to those who would say: "There's no difference between software and documentation" I would reply -- sorry, but you really know nothing about writing; specifically, _why_ writers write. I believe I speak in knowledge of cause -- I have over half-a-century's experience of writing natural language long texts; and a quarter-of-a-century writing machine instructions in formal language. One has long been a profession; the other a (necessary) amateur skill. -- Martin Wheeler - StarTEXT / AVALONIX - Glastonbury - BA6 9PH - England [EMAIL PROTECTED] http://startext.demon.co.uk/ GPG pub key : 8D6B948B ECC6 D98E 4CC8 60E3 7E32 D594 BB27 3368 8D6B 948B - Share your knowledge. It's a way of achieving immortality. -
