Re: new document - how to help GNU

[Orion Buckminster Montoya]

Sorry to nitpick nitpicking, but when you say:

> -------------------------------
> "If you have questions, you can ask the developers (preferably via the
> developers mailing lists) but please be respectful of their time.  *
> (preferably via the developers mailing lists)=(Preferably via the
> developers mailing lists.)
and:
> -----------------------------
> 
> "(we trust that it's EMACS) and start learning how the program is put
> together. "
> * (we trust that it's EMACS)=(We trust that it's EMACS.)

are you saying that parentheticals should be capitalized and
period-terminated?  Or is something else going on here that I don't
understand?  Because "preferably via the developers mailing lists" is
not a complete sentence, and I can think of no reason to capitalize
it.  I'd leave both of these as-is.  (as-are).

> -----------------------------
> 
> "You need to be realistic about how much time you'll be able to spend so
> you don't overcommit yourself."
> * overcommit=over commit

I don't write 'under estimate' or 'super market' or 'in bound'.  The
only time I would write that sequence of characters with a space in
the middle is if there were some disagreement in a CVS system over
commit privileges or something.  Putting a space in the middle changes
the meaning for me.

> -----------------------------
> 
> "such as Debian GNU/Linux which is available at no cost over the
> internet or for low cost on CDROM."
> * internet=Internet
> -----------------------------

No way.  But this is an active controversy so do as you wish.

> Start by installing a GNU/Linux distribution such as Debian GNU/Linux
> which is available at no cost over the internet or for low cost on
> CDROM. 
> * Linux which is available=Linux, which is available
> * or
> * Linux which is available=Linux that is available

I'd say "Linux, which is available at no cost over the interent, or
for low cost on CDROM."  If you said "that" it would be explicitly
recommending only free or cheap-CDROM versions, whereas "which" is
giving extra information about Debian only.

> Richard Stallman launched the GNU Project in 1983 to develop a complete
> Unix-like operating system which is free software: the GNU system. 
> * system which=system, which  
> * or
> * system which=system that

This should be "that".

But where we have:
> (preferably via the developers mailing lists)

I kind of want "the developers' mailing lists", but I fear that may be
overzealous and I might rephrase to "development mailing list".

I will surely fall afoul of McKean's Law, which states that any
correction of the speech or writing of others will contain at least
one grammatical, spelling, or typographical error.