Re: Extremes

["Michael West" <mbwest -at- bigpond -dot- net -dot- au>]

"Andrew Plato" wrote 

> I have wild, ludicrous ideas like:
> 
> Prioritize your efforts!
>  
> 1. Accuracy
> 2. Completeness
> 3. Relevance
> 4. Insight
> 5. Sell more products
> ...
> 692. Fonts
> 693. Dirt under your nails
> 694. STC competitions

Thank you for ignoring the virtue of
"completeness" by omitting the other 686 
priorities.

Seriously though, the problem is that 
"completeness" is relative. Too much
detail can be a hindrance. 

If by "completeness" you mean "an appropriate
level of detail based on analysis of audience needs",
then I think you'd be right on the money. If, on
the other hand, you mean "inclusion of all the
technical details regardless of their usefulness
to the end user" then I think you've described one
of the most common failures of documentation
written by programmers who have been asked to 
write.

--
Mike W
Melbourne


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