Inclusive language: in more detail

I promised to revisit the topic of using more inclusive language that didn’t fit into some of the more general advice. The following sections cover this, but practically speaking, you can consider more inclusive writing to be generally better writing.

Overly negative language

Unnecessary negativity is rarely found in documentation but not completely unheard of. Documentation is not the place for opinions on your product or anyone else’s. It isn’t the place to criticize certain approaches or technical decisions or give your opinions on software development or the tech industry. It’s certainly not the place to make the reader feel inferior. It’s a place to help people learn how to use something. If you have opinions to share, save them for a personal blog post, podcast, or video.

Another less obvious use of negative language to avoid is when describing what the reader can and can’t do with what you...