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Subject:Re: New TECHWR-L Poll Question From:Janice Gelb <janiceg -at- marvin -dot- eng -dot- sun -dot- com> To:"TECHWR-L" <techwr-l -at- lists -dot- raycomm -dot- com> Date:Wed, 28 Nov 2001 10:21:18 -0800 (PST)
|Do notes, cautions, and warnings in documentation help
|readers notice and heed specific information?
|
|* Yes, they generally help readers
|* No, they generally do not help readers
|* Depends entirely on the context and situation
|* Other/none of the above
|
I think that if they're used correctly, they can help
readers. Our in-house editorial style guide specifically
defines their usage as follows:
Use Cautions whenever you describe a situation that has
the potential to cause injury to a person, or when there
is a risk of irreversible destruction to data or the
operating system. Also use a Caution whenever anything
you describe has the potential to cause damage to equipment,
data, or software.
Use Notes to break out related, reinforcing, or other
"special" information. Never use a Note to cite safety
information.
Use Tips to describe practical but nonessential information
to the reader that does not otherwise fit in the flow of
the text.
(We stopped using Warnings when IEC and UL standards stopped
requiring them. Instead, we change the glyph next to Cautions
to reflect electrical or heat risks.)
***********************************************************************
Janice Gelb | The only connection Sun has with
janice -dot- gelb -at- marvin -dot- eng -dot- sun -dot- com | this message is the return address. http://www.geocities.com/Area51/8018/index.html
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