TechWhirl (TECHWR-L) is a resource for technical writing and technical communications professionals of all experience levels and in all industries to share their experiences and acquire information.
For two decades, technical communicators have turned to TechWhirl to ask and answer questions about the always-changing world of technical communications, such as tools, skills, career paths, methodologies, and emerging industries. The TechWhirl Archives and magazine, created for, by and about technical writers, offer a wealth of knowledge to everyone with an interest in any aspect of technical communications.
RE: What do you assume as basic audience vocabulary?
Subject:RE: What do you assume as basic audience vocabulary? From:"Kim McGarghan" <kmcgarghan -at- nssolutions -dot- com> To:"TECHWR-L" <techwr-l -at- lists -dot- raycomm -dot- com> Date:Thu, 18 Jan 2001 13:17:02 -0500
Okay. Winston Churchill also advocated using the simple $0.05 words rather
than the more expensive ones. <grin>
BUT
Here's where the plot thickens:
There are important differences (I am told) between "initialize" and
"format". There are even more important differences between the concepts
when you speak of UNIX versus Windows, both of which are used by my users.
I'm quasi-techie, though, so I sometimes have to rely on my developers to
make me understand it enough that I can make my users understand it.
***
If I understand the distinctions:
Formatting overwrites a disk, preparing it to be written to.
Initialization not only overwrites a disk, it also lays down a file system.
Initialization can only be done once; thereafter it is a _re_initialization.
***
Our compromise is that we're now changing everything to read
"initialize/format", which is inelegant but which seems to suit the purposes
of my developers and my technical editor.
If anyone out there can add to, or correct my understanding of, the
distinctions, I'd be grateful.
-----Original Message-----
From: Bruce Byfield [mailto:bbyfield -at- progeny -dot- com]
Sent: Thursday, January 18, 2001 1:12 PM
To: kmcgarghan -at- nssolutions -dot- com
Cc: TECHWR-L
Subject: Re: What do you assume as basic audience vocabulary?
Bruce Byfield wrote:
<snip>
> In other words, unless "initialize" carries some important meaning
> than "format" doesn't, don't use it. I can't see that it does, but I
> doubt I know the whole context.
^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^
Develop HTML-Based Help with Macromedia Dreamweaver 4 ($100 STC Discount)
**WEST COAST LOCATIONS** San Jose (Mar 1-2), San Francisco (Apr 16-17) http://www.weisner.com/training/dreamweaver_help.htm or 800-646-9989.
Sponsored by DigiPub Solutions Corp, producers of PDF 2001
Conference East, June 4-5, Baltimore/Washington D.C. area. http://www.pdfconference.com or toll-free 877/278-2131.
---
You are currently subscribed to techwr-l as: archive -at- raycomm -dot- com
To unsubscribe send a blank email to leave-techwr-l-obscured -at- lists -dot- raycomm -dot- com
Send administrative questions to ejray -at- raycomm -dot- com -dot- Visit http://www.raycomm.com/techwhirl/ for more resources and info.
