[XML-DEV Mailing List Archive Home] [By Thread] [By Date] [Recent Entries] [Reply To This Message] Re: Improved writing -- who's going to pay for it?
Rick JELLIFFE wrote: > > Linda van den Brink wrote: > > > Whereas a tech writer, who is inside > > the organization, would presumably have good communication lines to the > > editors of specs and could ask them 'what is meant here' and THEN come up > > with a good rewrite. > > So would people be happier with > * a much more comprehensive Primer I am afraid this is not a solution. The Primer is already too long for my liking. Primer should be a gentle introduction to the basic concepts not a standard rewrite in more normal language. (Or actually it is a solution, write a very comprehensive primer, then make it normative and discard the spec :) ) > * splitting the Structures draft into two or three parts that were > more > self contained YES! YES! YES! > * a much terser algorithmic/logical treatment of the subject, less > comprehensible to Joe Database but smaller and more precise It will probably help some implementators but I am afraid it will not be of much use to XML Schema users. I am usually reading BNF or similar notations as a last resort when I do not see any other option > * a rewrite of structures based on the concrete syntax rather than > having the abstract components first > YES! YES! YES! I do not believe there are many people who can live on abstraction only. Abstraction is superb if you become proficient in the topic and application details cloud your vision. But it is much more difficult to directly understand abstraction than to proceed in few steps via much more specific and concrete applications. It is well known in children education, that many mathematical operations cannot be learnt by an average child before she reaches some age. Abstract operations like division or rational numbers just cannot be comprehended by 7 years old. XML was born a few years ago, we are just toddlers in the XML world, we have different parents and friends, please, be gentle to us. When we come to age we will appreciate poetry and operas but now we just want some nice toys to play with. Or I will start to send the standard authors manuals how to use a shampoo based on the top art chemistry knowledge. Unfortunately, they do not have to read it, but I have to theirs work. > Knowing some specifics might be helpful. > > Even knowing at what point you become confused might help: I know > paragraph clarification is not Simon's preferred way, but it is > not a waste of time. > > Cheers > Rick Jelliffe -- ****************************************** <firstName> Miloslav </firstName> <surname> Nic </surname> <mail> nicmila@i... </mail> <support> http://www.zvon.org </support> <zvonMailingList> http://www.zvon.org/index.php?nav_id=4 </zvonMailingList>
|
PURCHASE STYLUS STUDIO ONLINE TODAY!Purchasing Stylus Studio from our online shop is Easy, Secure and Value Priced! Download The World's Best XML IDE!Accelerate XML development with our award-winning XML IDE - Download a free trial today! Subscribe in XML format
|