TechWhirl (TECHWR-L) is a resource for technical writing and technical communications professionals of all experience levels and in all industries to share their experiences and acquire information.
For two decades, technical communicators have turned to TechWhirl to ask and answer questions about the always-changing world of technical communications, such as tools, skills, career paths, methodologies, and emerging industries. The TechWhirl Archives and magazine, created for, by and about technical writers, offer a wealth of knowledge to everyone with an interest in any aspect of technical communications.
> Subject: Re: readme.txt or readme.doc?
>
>
> Robert asked:
> <snip>
> >Have any of
> >you ever written a README file in .doc format and in what contexts?
>
Victoria answered:
> I've written them in HTML, but never in Word format. The critical point is
> that ALL your customers must be able to read it without presuming any
> particular software. For NT, that's probably Notepad as you suggest.
To which I add:
I'm fairly sure that if you know your users are using a current version of
Windows, you can also assume the presence of WordPad. My users are required
to have Win 95 or later, or NT 4.0. We therefore send readme files in *.WRI
format, which is readable by WordPad or Word 6. Unlike *.txt format, it
allows decent text formatting and the insertion of graphics.