Page talk:Gesenius' Hebrew Grammar (1910 Kautzsch-Cowley edition).djvu/78

Proposal: ordered lists

A general Proposal for this work:

• use lists that are properly spaced, in the sense of modern styles of online page layout --- in contrast to the squashed lists as they appear on the printed page: all strung out in running text.

For an example: see item (l) on this page.

The main Rationale is Readability --- elucidated in a number of style books:

1. Follow the principal rule "Favor the reader, not the writer!" --- meaning: the objective of good layout is to facilitate the reading process, rather than the writing process; assist in the reader's task, rather than the writer's task.
2. On a good page, writers are few, whereas readers are many; thus it makes sense to cater to the majority.
3. Traditionally, on the original, printed pages, the overarching concern had always been to conserve physical space --- as more space implies longer text, increases the number of pages, and leads to higher printing costs. Printed books aimed to be compact. In our, online case --- in digital format --- this is no longer a valid and productive. The main consideration in our format should be the convenience for the reader. Excessive abbreviations were necessary on the printed page to reduce the space; but they hamper the reading process, since the reader must first decipher each abbreviation (however common it be) to fully grasp the content. Readability is also facilitated greatly by vertically spaced lists, and other layout devices.

Saparagus (talk) 05:56, 23 May 2024 (UTC)