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"The User" solves that ambiguity, and temporal information like "The current user" is more precise. I can't think of many situations where user activity won't
by r0s 13y ago
"The User" solves that ambiguity, and temporal information like "The current user" is more precise.
I can't think of many situations where user activity won't also be automated, what's the gender of a testing script again?
There's really no good reason for gendered pronouns.
- jiggy2011 13y agoBut that's also clumsy because you end up with sentences like: "The user switches on the user's computer and types the user's name". Rather than the shorter and better flowing: "The user switches on her computer and types her name" We have the concept of "user stories" the idea of which is that they read like stories. Since stories tend to have gendered characters (even when not necessary) this is just the sort of writing that tends to work best in english.
- __pThrow 13y agoher is still better than them!
- tptacek 13y agoI don't understand how. Is the user female? Must she be? Why did the author choose a gendered pronoun when they had a gender-neutral one available to them? There must have been a reason; the author isn't assumed to be ignorant of basic English. Also, "her" is "still" better? "Still"?
- tunesmith 13y ago"The user switches on their computer and types their name"?
- r0s 13y agoMore like "the user switches on the computer and types a username." User stories a tiny portion of product development, not the sort of writing that works best for technical applications.