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Re: minimal does not equal minimalist and other comments
Subject:Re: minimal does not equal minimalist and other comments From:LaVonna Funkhouser <lffunkhouser -at- HALNET -dot- COM> Date:Thu, 2 Jun 1994 15:56:45 -0500
Fred is correct about why I put minimalist in quotation marks.
I meant "using few words" not "adhering to Carroll's theory of
minimalist documentation." Sorry about any confusion.
Fred also makes a valid point that brief does not necessarily
equal clear. I chose a *very* simple example (Closes the active window.),
but for more complex ideas I am likely going to have to stick with
writing in sentences.
Thanks to the replies received so far today, I now feel that I
can use fragments that finish the thought in my online help doc.
BTW, I've been reading Horton's _Designing & Writing Online
Documentation_ this afternoon. He does not cover the use of
sentence fragments. He does, however, admonish us to "Say more with
fewer words in less space." On pages 200-201, but skipping his
examples and text, his subheads give good writing advice:
Write simple sentences
Write active sentences
Make positive statements
Keep syntax simple
Sounds like good advice to me! Thanks for all your input!
