RE: Contents, Focus of Developer's Guide

Subject: RE: Contents, Focus of Developer's Guide
From: Chris Gooch <chris -dot- gooch -at- lightworkdesign -dot- com>
To: "TECHWR-L" <techwr-l -at- lists -dot- raycomm -dot- com>
Date: Tue, 4 Nov 2003 15:54:22 -0000



Vlad wrote:

+++
My employer wants to prepare a developer's guide for a base product of a
suite of middleware products ...<snip> ... would not such a document merely
be a user guide for an audience that comprises developers? Can such a
document not be merely called a user guide for developers?
+++

Why would "User Guide for Developers" be clearer than "Developer's Guide"???

People will be arguing that "end-user" is redundant next :-)


If you're writing for developers, then you should:

* call the guide for developers something obvious like "developer's guide"
otherwise they will not notice it

* call any end-user information you provide for those developers to pass on
to their users something like "end-user information"

If on the other hand you're writing for end-users, then you should:

* call the end-user guide something like "user guide"


These simple rules could avoid developers;

a) not noticing that you did some docs aimed at them
b) hitting you round the face with a wet fish
c) forcing you to watch Tron until you agree you understand
the difference between a programmer and a user


Christopher Gooch, Technical Author
LightWork Design, Sheffield, UK.
www.lightworkdesign.com




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