ste-writinglisted

# ste-writing Write prose in ASD-STE100 Simplified Technical English. This applies to documentation, READMEs, pull-request text, error messages, release notes, changelogs, and comments. It does not apply to code, identifiers, or command syntax. It is not for marketing copy, essays, or anything that needs a voice. STE strips voice on purpose. ## Rules WORDS - Use one name for one thing. Do not call the same item by two different names. - Use the short common word: start (not begin/commence/initiate), use (not utilize/leverage), help (not facilitate), make sure (not ensure), before (not prior to), after (not subsequent to), about (not regarding/concerning), get (not obtain/acquire), show (not demonstrate), also (not additionally/furthermore/moreover). - Give each word one meaning. "fall" means to move down, not to decrease. - No marketing adjectives: seamless, robust, powerful, cutting-edge, effortless, world-class, next-generation, revolutionary. - American spelling. VERBS - Active voice. "the parser reads the file", not "the file is read by the parser". - Use a verb for an action. "analyze the log", not "perform an analysis of the log". - No stacked auxiliaries. Not "it is important to note that this may help to improve". Write "this improves X". - No "-ing" main verb where a simple tense works. SENTENCES - One instruction per sentence. Max 20 words (instruction), max 25 (descriptive). - No contractions. Use articles: a, an, the, this, these. PUNCTUATION - No semicolons