Re: Should vs. Will, Must and Can

[John Posada <jposada01 -at- yahoo -dot- com>]

> However, the developer in question has said before that he thinks
> it's nicer
> to say "should" than "must". Is there a nice way to say that I
> think it's better to be clear than nice?

Hi, Jane.

First of all, "Will" is not an "un-nice" word. Here's the problem I
have with "Should".

> -You should find that the elephant displays as follows:

What if it doesn't? I only use "Should" when there is a chance that
the results are not absolute.

Too many instructions say:

1) Select File -> Print from the top menu.
   The Print dialog should be displayed.
2) Press the Properties button.
   ...

In this case where "should" is used, it must be accompanied with 
instructions on what to do if it doesn't happen. 

1) Select File -> Print from the top menu.
   The Print dialog should be displayed. If it does not,
   verify that you have a default printer selected: 
   Start -> Settings -> Printers.
2) Press the Properties button.
   ...


=====
John Posada, Senior Technical Writer
mailto:john -at- tdandw -dot- com, 732-259-2874

__________________________________________________
Do You Yahoo!?
Send your FREE holiday greetings online!
http://greetings.yahoo.com

^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^
Collect Royalties, Not Rejection Letters! Tell us your rejection story when you 
submit your manuscript to iUniverse Nov. 6 -Dec. 15 and get five free copies of 
your book. What are you waiting for? http://www.iuniverse.com/media/techwr

Have you looked at the new content on TECHWR-L lately?
See http://www.raycomm.com/techwhirl/ and check it out.

---
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.