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When referencing or branching to another procedure or
document, do you use "per" or "in accordance with".
Referencing and branching are very common in the tech writing
I do, and I _always_ write, "Start the snarklefarb in
accordance with [procedure] xyzzy." Recently one of the
engineers I work with insists on changing to "per".
The usage notes for "per" in Webster's 9th seem to indicate
that this use of "per" is not per-ferred. Anyone care to
comment?
[When I first started tech writing, I had a manager who would
circle every "per" in a document and send it back with a note
on the cover: "Too many pussy cat noises!"]
