Le 2010-11-04 12:30, Jim White a écrit :
Quoting Michel Gagnon:
Finally, if we need to train people to the proper use of word-processing
software, I would suggest that emphasis be
given, in order to the following "nasty" habits:
- proper use of spaces and punctuation (hyphen vs n-dash vs m-dash);
- proper use of indents and tabulations (many people still use spaces or
default tabs in succession);
- proper use of "space before paragraph" and paragraph-chaining options
such as "keep with next paragraph", rather than
paragraph returns in series.
The problem is to define "proper use". This is an elusive attribute with
wide national and cultural differences that
would be hard -- if not impossible -- to enforce. Rigidly forcing people to
adhere to a "proper" usage when they have
other customs would be *most* offputting. This also starts to move into the
minefield of personal taste: I might prefer
one style while you might prefer something quite different.
P.
P.,
I think you missed Michel's point. The examples he gave of "proper use" are
those formatting features that will make re-formatting easier. If we
encourage such "proper use" through the design of the UI, as well as through
education, many will be happier with the product.
-JimW
I am thinking of "training" rather than "enforcing". Apart from that, I
am aware that there are cultural differences and typographical
preferences such as the use of a hard space before the colon and
semi-colon in French. But while having a 1-cm indent on the first line
of a paragraph is a matter of personal taste and cultural preference
(for lack of better expression), typing 10 or 20 spaces at the beginning
of the first paragraph instead of setting the 1st line indent at 1 cm is
NOT a cultural preference. It shows either laziness or a lack of
knowledge of the software.
And Jim got it right: if using the proper formatting techniques is easy,
more people will use it and less training will be needed.
--
Michel Gagnon
Montréal (Québec, Canada) -- http://mgagnon.net
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