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Subject:Re: Using ragged right in technical publications From:Bill Burns <BillDB -at- ILE -dot- COM> Date:Tue, 16 Sep 1997 07:40:57 -0600
Mike Dannenberg calls foul on a specious justification:
======================
> Beth Agnew schrieb:
>
> > A study done at a company I used to work for (CAL Technologies Ltd.)
> > found
> > that ragged right was easier to read over right justified text
> because
> > it
> > provided a "relief" factor for large blocks of text with complicated
> > content. This was especially true for people who were not employed
> in
> > very
> > technical roles. It was also found that people who were continually
> > immersed in technology, such as developers and engineers, felt more
> > comfortable with justified and structured text when the content was
> > more
> > touchy-feely. This gave them a security factor when they had to deal
> > with
> > "wild" content. Technical "types" also preferred justified text for
> > *any*
> > type of documentation.
>
> I'm sorry, but this sounds like the worst piece of pop-psychology I've
> heard in quite a while. Like, yeah I'm an engineer, I get really
> scared
> when I read something that's not about maths or computers, so at least
> it should look real technical... Give me a break!
=====================
My understanding (and I gleaned this from someone a few years ago) is
that the irregular spacing between words in justified text creates a
readability issue, causing readers' eyes to move inconsistently along
the line they're reading. Unfortunately, I have no documentation
supporting this claim.
Bill Burns
Technical Writer
ILE Communications Group
billdb -at- ile -dot- com
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