Jeremy Stanley
2018-05-16 17:05:15 UTC
On 2018-05-16 18:24:45 +0200 (+0200), Petr Kovar wrote:
[...]
I suppose replacing a style guide nobody can access with one
everyone can (modulo legal concerns) is a step up. Still, are there
no style guides published under an actual free/open license? If
https://www.ibm.com/developerworks/community/terms/use/ is correct
then even accidental creation of a derivative work might be
prosecuted as copyright infringement.
http://www.writethedocs.org/guide/writing/style-guides/#selecting-a-good-style-guide-for-you
mentions some more aligned with our community's open ideals, such as
the 18F Content Guide (public domain), SUSE Documentation Style
Guide (GFDL), GNOME Documentation Style Guide (GFDL), and the
Writing Style Guide and Preferred Usage for DOD Issuances (public
domain). Granted adopting one of those might lead to a need to
overhaul some aspects of style in existing documents, so I can
understand it's not a choice to be made lightly. Still, we should
always consider embracing open process, and that includes using
guidelines which we can freely derive and republish as needed.
[...]
I'd like to propose replacing the reference to the IBM Style Guide
with a reference to the developerWorks editorial style guide
(https://www.ibm.com/developerworks/library/styleguidelines/).
This lightweight version comes from the same company and is based
on the same guidelines, but most importantly, it is available for
free.
[...]with a reference to the developerWorks editorial style guide
(https://www.ibm.com/developerworks/library/styleguidelines/).
This lightweight version comes from the same company and is based
on the same guidelines, but most importantly, it is available for
free.
I suppose replacing a style guide nobody can access with one
everyone can (modulo legal concerns) is a step up. Still, are there
no style guides published under an actual free/open license? If
https://www.ibm.com/developerworks/community/terms/use/ is correct
then even accidental creation of a derivative work might be
prosecuted as copyright infringement.
http://www.writethedocs.org/guide/writing/style-guides/#selecting-a-good-style-guide-for-you
mentions some more aligned with our community's open ideals, such as
the 18F Content Guide (public domain), SUSE Documentation Style
Guide (GFDL), GNOME Documentation Style Guide (GFDL), and the
Writing Style Guide and Preferred Usage for DOD Issuances (public
domain). Granted adopting one of those might lead to a need to
overhaul some aspects of style in existing documents, so I can
understand it's not a choice to be made lightly. Still, we should
always consider embracing open process, and that includes using
guidelines which we can freely derive and republish as needed.
--
Jeremy Stanley
Jeremy Stanley