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Subject:RE: When the thesaurus attacks... From:Stephen McDermott <Stephen -dot- McDermott -at- PREMERA -dot- com> To:"TECHWR-L" <techwr-l -at- lists -dot- raycomm -dot- com> Date:Mon, 10 Dec 2001 14:39:14 -0800
Word choice. You're getting entirely too uptight. Invoke, summon, Call
forth... what's the difference, as long as there is a clear and concise
CAUTION: prior to the invocation? Something like, "Ensure you are safely
within the pentagram prior to invoking the program."
Seriously, though, if you have a style guide or older documentation sets
there, use them as precedence and start/open/run/execute the program and
move/relocate the "small, rectangular overlay in the middle of the screen
blocking your view".
It can be hard at times to do a peer edit because you have to fight the urge
to impose your own style on someone else's work. All this does is create
more work for you and, knowing most of us, create workplace friction.
I'd suggest reviewing the thread last week about peer edits and use it as a
guide on how far you should go with it. It includes ensuring the use of
standard terminology.
Steve McDermott
-----Original Message-----
From: M Rassmussen [mailto:mrassmussen -at- hotmail -dot- com]
Sent: Monday, December 10, 2001 2:00 PM
To: TECHWR-L
Subject: When the thesaurus attacks...
She wrote: "From the piece of electronic equipment, INVOKE the software
program."
I would have gone with "run" or "open" because "invoke," as I explained to
her, makes me think of pasty-faced Satanic teens frolicking in the woods
trying to animate Our Dark Lord.
Later on, she told the user to RELOCATE a window to an undisplayed area.
Wouldn't "move" be okay?
She thinks my points are silly, but I think it boils down to keeping it
simple. What do you fine people think? Should she keep those verbs or go
with my WONDERFUL suggestions?
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