Re: [Tails-project] #8948: Reconsider the terminology around…

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Autor: sajolida
Datum:  
To: Public mailing list about the Tails project
Betreff: Re: [Tails-project] #8948: Reconsider the terminology around "persistence"
moire:
> sajolida:
>> Usage
>> =====
>>
>> I went through our website and custom software to check how using
>> "Persistence" would work in practice. I've also used it myself for some
>> time in my emails and in Redmine.
>>
>> Below are some examples of usage taken from existing strings.
>>
>> I'll use these practical examples to finish discussing this with you and
>> especially with Cody. I will then use them to finally write new entries
>> about Persistence in our writing style guide.
>
> I feel like there are too many different cases/subtlties so I tried
> quite naively in the examples below to only use the word "Persistence"
> almost everywhere. Feel free to discard this proposal if it is silly ;)


It's good to see you on these public lists :)

I also considered dropping the article sometimes to simplify things and
I think that it's definitely worth exploring. I'm very curious to hear
Cody's opinion about it and we'll discuss it during our next meeting.
We really need a native speaker to get these details right I think.

Some comments on the concrete examples below that I felt were worth
sharing with you before we discuss the whole thing with Cody.

Note that my objective here is to differentiate use cases to provide
guidelines to writers while sounding clear to the readers. The ultimate
goal is to be easy on the readers, even if it's harder on the writers.

>> - This method might in rare occasions break the file system of your
>> Persistence.
>
> Here "the" is necessary, as in "the OS file system"
>
> - This method might in rare occasions break the Persistence file system.


Here you're creating what is called a "noun string" by removing the
preposition "of". Such noun strings are harder to read as some meaning
disappears with the preposition.

See the US plan language guidelines about this:

https://www.plainlanguage.gov/guidelines/words/avoid-noun-strings/

It feels to me that, in order to save the preposition, we really need
the article. "the file system of Persistence" sounds weirder than "the
file system of the Persistence".

>> For example:
>>
>> - To store your GnuPG keys and configuration across separate working
>>     sessions, you can activate the GnuPG persistence feature.

>
> - To store your GnuPG keys and configuration across separate working
> sessions, you can activate GnuPG in Persistence.


This sounds a bit more like if we were somehow activating GnuPG the
software itself.

>> the Persistent folder
>> ---------------------
>>
>> To refer to /home/amnesia/Persistent.
>>
>> For example:
>>
>> - Save the database as keepassx.kdbx in the Persistent folder.
>
> - Save the database as keepassx.kdbx in the Persistence folder.


Interesting point. I used "Persistent" because the folder is actually
called "Persistent" both in the interface and in the file system
(/live/persistence/TailsData_unlocked/). I'm a bit afraid that if we
change it's name to "Persistence" it will start looking like if all of
the Persistence was in the there, which is not the case.

Still, the difference between "Persistent folder" and "Persistence" is
indeed subtle and maybe we'll need to find a better name for this
folder, though I don't think that we need to do this right now.

--
sajolida
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