[documentation] Hitchhikers guide to Drupal

[Jeremy Epstein]

Thanks for the suggestions, Robert (see my comments below):

On 1/6/06, Robert Castelo <robert.castelo at cortextcommunications.com> wrote:
> A few suggested edits below:
>
> On 6 Jan 2006, at 06:04, Jeremy Epstein wrote:
> > Drupal hitchhikers are regular users: that is, people who use
> > Drupal for their own needs, whether they be personal, corporate,
> > community-based, or otherwise.
>
> "regular users"
>
> Ambigiuos, could mean use regularly, or non-technical 'average Joe'
> users?
>
> Is there a better description we could use?

Perhaps we could add in the word "layman" (meaning 'average Joe')? As
long as the majority of readers are familiar with this word (perhaps
this might be too obscure a word for those from non-English
countries). E.g:

"Drupal hitchhikers are regular, layman users..."

> > However, as a hitchhiker, you're taking advantage of the generosity of
> > hundreds of other people
>
> 'benefiting' would be better than 'taking advantage'

Agreed. I'm fine with changing it to:

"...you're benefiting from the generosity of..."

> >  who have made Drupal the great platform that
> > it is, and you're doing it at no cost. As such, there is one basic
> > rule of etiquette that you should abide by,
>
> > in order to avoid getting
> > your legs bitten off by the lions at the back of the van:
>
> Technically inacurrate, newbies are fed to sharks not lions ;-)
>
> Joking aside, this makes Drupal sound like a dangerous place.
>
> Suggest:
>
> "to continue getting the full support of the Drupal community"

Hmmm... the idea was to make users think that if they make whingy
demands, then Drupal IS a dangerous place. ;-p

Personally, I think your suggested replacement is too soft. We want
readers to stay pleasantly amused, but also to kind of take our advice
seriously.

> > This
> > is a good way to annoy the top brass in Drupal, who do not deserve to
> > have their countless unpaid hours of service rewarded in this manner.
>
> "top brass" sounds like Drupal has a large formal management structure.
>
> suggest:
>
> "This is a way to annoy the Drupal community"
>
> or
>
> "This is a way to annoy your fellow passengers"

I used the term 'top brass' as a joke / parody, because I assume that
readers will be aware that Drupal is open source and is an open
community, and that it doesn't actually have 'management' (except for
3 people, who are too friendly to be managers anyway ;-) ). But if you
don't think people will "get it", then "This is a way to annoy your
fellow passengers" sounds like a good alternative to me.

> > Hitchhikers have no obligations, but as they say in the world of
> > taxi-driving, gratuities are appreciated. Here's some handy hints for
> > how to be a generous hitchhiker, and for how to start being more than
> > someone who's just getting a free ride:
>
> Mixing metaphors, suddenly we're in a taxi?!
>
> Maybe add something about volunteering to drive, change a tire, work on
> the engine or donating some petrol money.

Petrol money sounds good to me:

"Hitchhikers have no obligations, but if you've got some loose change
in your pocket, a bit of petrol money is always appreciated."