Re: FAQ Clean-Up

Dr J R Stockton wrote:
In comp.lang.javascript message <gc0bna$qqh$1@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx>
, Wed, 1 Oct 2008 10:23:36, dhtml <dhtmlkitchen@xxxxxxxxx> posted:

Did I miss an announcement of an appointment
while my preferred news service was broken?


There may be some disagreement about including google groups links to
things like Prototype.js or jQuery google group. The reasoning behind
that is we do in fact get a good number of questions on the list where
the OP wants nothing more than to "make it work" using jQuery. A link
to the library's group would help direct those who are looking for
that, so that they can ask their question in a more appropriate place.

A subsection which was a more tactful version of "GO AWAY! <list of
appropriate directions>" would indeed be appropriate.


What do you mean?


from: clj
to: c.l.javascript

While the pseudo-word clj should not be used (though CLJ is acceptable),
there seems no point in going three-quarters of the hog to the ugly
c.l.javascript - use comp.lang.javascript, CLJ, or c.l.j for it. I use
CLJ.


OK.

Please remove from the FAQ all CSS that affects the display within
ordinary text paragraphs such as in Sec 2.1. In informative technical
material, text formatting should be as the reader has chosen. Also,
don't change the <pre> <tt> <code> font.


There's no css for the display of <p>. We have:

p {
font-size: 100%;
margin-bottom: 0.5em;
margin-left: 2.5em;
margin-top: 0.5em;
}

(inherited values:)
html {
color: #000000;
font-family: sans-serif;
}

I'd like to remove margins (which have been applied to all the block elements) and use browser defaults for things like <p>, <hn>, et c.

I would also like to lighten the color for <pre> examples.

Code within paragraphs should always be in <code> or <tt>, as in Sec 4.4
but not as in 2.3 para 2, 4.6, 4.7 end, and maybe elsewhere.

It is rather annoying when text just stops and one has to think, however
briefly, as to whether that's the end. At a minimum, please try <hr>
after "checks the links." I use

body { color: black; background: #FFFFB0; font-size: 100%;
margin: 0; padding: 1ex;
border-top: ridge lime 1ex; border-bottom: ridge lime 1em; }


If body has some margin, it can give a little space. Its a little easier on the eyes.
but please don't use exactly those colours - moderately similar is fine.


No worries :-D


<Hn> markup is misused in the list before Section 1; it should be a
List.


I agree. I will make this change.

Clarify the status of the Notes. Your FAQ should say whether or not you
maintain them, and if not then who does.


Where is the 'status of the notes'?

Do you mean: 5.2 How do I make a suggestion?


Take the whole browser view, and copy'n'paste into Word or similar.
Most of its grammar/spelling suggestions will be wring, but some will be
right.


Or a <textarea> in Firefox.

Omit trailing whitespace !

from ?


FAQ 2.2 title is negative; change to "What questions are on-topic for
CLJ?".

Done. Does the answer seem too lengthy?


FAQ 2.2 "What do I have to do before posting to clj? " to "2.3 What
should I do before posting to CLJ?"


That's 2.3 - 2.3 What do I have to do before posting to clj?

Changed to :
What should I do before posting to CLJ?

Does the answer seem a little verbose?
FAQ 2.11 Subject - move first sentence into some paragraph.

FAQ 3.1 "The errata should be considered a must read along with the
book." is ugly. "The errata should be read along with the book.".


Done.

FAQ 3.2 : use Lists.


Agreed.

I have gone over that list a lot. I have a few lists for that. As I mentioned in the first post on this topic, four lists:
EcmaScript Resources
DOM Resources
Browser Documentation
JavaScript Library Groups (Google Groups) [New]

It's on my local drive.

In order not to overload yourself or your reviewers, I suggest that much
of the editing of each section should be done after Bart has posted it
cyclically; once it is known that FAQ updating is in hand, regulars will
be able to propose changes after seeing the daily section.


Cyclically? I'll have to get in touch with Bart, then. The changes you suggested are not live.

I've made a few other changes to the code that generates the HTML. The other changes (which are live) include:
AJAX to:
<dfn title="Asynchronous JavaScript and XML">Ajax</a>,
and
<h3><a name='FAQ4_44'>...

<h3 id='FAQ4_44'>...
</h3>


I will raise some of the items as individual discussion topics. Wrapping everything up on one meta seems a little too much for everyone involved.


Firefox 2 is 2.0.0.17.


?

Garrett
.