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Subject:RE: Don't say what you CANNOT do in documents From:"Victoria Nuttle" <vnuttle -at- cauto -dot- com> To:"TECHWR-L" <techwr-l -at- lists -dot- raycomm -dot- com> Date:Tue, 20 Apr 2004 09:43:39 -0500
-----Original Message-----
From: John Posada [mailto:JPosada -at- isogon -dot- com]
Sent: Tuesday, April 20, 2004 9:23 AM
To: TECHWR-L
Subject: Don't say what you CANNOT do in documents
<snip>
Assuming you know what the terms mean, what are the feelings about
putting something you cannot do in a document. The PM says it gives the
wrong impression. I say it doesn't give an impression one way or
another...it is just an instruction.
<snip>
We have a lot of "cannot" and "do not" notes in our documentation. I
tend to reserve them for things that either seem like common sense to
most but some need spelled out ("Do not use spaces in file names"), or
for things that R&D is working on adding ("You cannot perform that
function with the software at this time.") I understand where the PM is
coming from, "do not" notes often put ideas in the heads of users asking
"Hey, why can't we do that?" which can lead to requests for changes in
the software/hardware that just can't be squeezed in to the development
schedule.
------------------------------
Victoria J. Nuttle
Technical Writer, Creative Automation
vnuttle -at- cauto -dot- com
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