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>
> Good docs do convey a message. But they also convey a tone of "I have command
> over this topic." Standards and conventions are not a replacement nor do they
> supercede accurate and authoritative content.
>
> Andrew Plato
So again after some wild exaggeration followed
by vigorous back-pedalling we end up at the predictable
stand-off.
One side of the formulation is "presentation is
immaterial if the content is wrong."
The other side is "the accuracy of the content doesn't
matter if it isn't presented in usable form."
Who would argue with either of these positions? Yet
dancing around them seems to be techwhirlers' tango
these days.
To me the only interesting thing here is what is
revealed in the comment that "good documents
convey a tone of 'I have command over this topic.' "
This reminds me of the old cliché about 'writing
to impress' versus 'writing to express'. I've read
many documents that convinced me of the
writer's "command over the topic" while also
convincing me of the writer's chronic lack of
concern for the reader. These don't qualify,
according to my own standards, as "good
documents", though they *might* pass muster
for the Alexander Platos of the world. But it's hard
to tell whether that's the case because their terms
of argument change whenever they are asked to
explain themselves.
--
Michael West
Technical Writer
Melbourne, Australia
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