From: sl@stanleylieber.com
To: 9front@9front.org
Subject: Re: [9front] Argument lists in Plan 9 man pages
Date: Thu, 15 Mar 2018 21:20:29 -0400 [thread overview]
Message-ID: <5727ED416549AF09B9CA5BAFD544869E@5ess.inri.net> (raw)
In-Reply-To: 20180315033451.GA89773@wopr
>> I agree with Tufte, at least so far as this applies to man pages.
>> Flag options should be presented as a table.
>
> Counterpoint:
>
> Man pages should provide a full and well-articulated explanation of the
> software. Tufte's table advocacy is more appropriate for a 'usage'
> function that might describe invocation to a user who passed a help
> flag or fucked up the initial attempt.
>
> Tufte's USA Today stuff is fine for sales brochures and nutrition
> information labels -- man pages should be the developer speaking to the
> user, and that happens in English.
I want both English and legibility. I don't think tabulating flag options
violates any of this. Clarity shouldn't replace depth.
sl
next reply other threads:[~2018-03-16 1:20 UTC|newest]
Thread overview: 20+ messages / expand[flat|nested] mbox.gz Atom feed top
2018-03-16 1:20 sl [this message]
2018-03-16 1:32 ` Lyndon Nerenberg
2018-03-16 13:22 ` hiro
2018-03-16 13:23 ` hiro
2018-03-16 15:08 ` Stanley Lieber
2018-03-16 15:45 ` hiro
2018-03-16 18:00 ` Stanley Lieber
2018-03-16 22:04 ` hiro
2018-03-16 22:06 ` hiro
2018-03-17 21:12 ` Lyndon Nerenberg
2018-03-18 2:33 ` hiro
2018-03-18 10:15 ` Ethan A. Gardener
-- strict thread matches above, loose matches on Subject: below --
2018-03-16 1:25 sl
2018-03-15 2:57 sl
2018-03-15 3:33 ` Sean Hinchee
2018-03-15 3:34 ` Kurt H Maier
2018-03-15 4:54 ` Kyle Nusbaum
2018-03-18 10:07 ` Ethan A. Gardener
2018-03-18 10:17 ` Ethan A. Gardener
2018-03-15 1:53 sl
2018-03-15 2:19 ` [9front] " Kurt H Maier
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