--- Bob W <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> wrote: > Hi, > > Thursday, July 22, 2004, 12:14:13 AM, graywolf > wrote:
> Before I was involved with computers, my background > was in languages > and linguistics. I'm also qualified to teach English > as a foreign language. > > I've been interested in controlled English for > writing specifications > for several years. The Cobuild dictionary has a very > good, clear style > for writing definitions - much clearer than most > conventional > dictionaries. It's a help to me because I've had > complaints from > programmers that I use too many long words which > they don't > understand. Something like Cobuild helps me to find > the simpler > equivalents or write a good definition. I found that > people were not > reading documentation that I wrote, which is worse > than not writing it > at all. > > I have a very large vocabulary and it's easy to > forget that many other > people do not. So I try to simplify the language I > use in the specs, > and write for the audience. > > However, I also have qualifications in discrete > maths and Z, which very few > of the programmers I spec for understand. So I try > to find a middle > ground between the 'Victorian novel' approach, and a > couple of pages > full of squiggles. Using an informal controlled > English approach helps > me do this. Bob, Sometimes, you scare the hell out of me... <vbg> cheers, frank ===== "The optimist thinks this is the best of all possible worlds. The pessimist fears it is true." -J. Robert Oppenheimer ______________________________________________________________________ Post your free ad now! http://personals.yahoo.ca
