RE: Looks like we'll have to agree...

["Darren Barefoot" <darren -dot- barefoot -at- capeclear -dot- com>]

Two quick points:

* The vast majority of us are not writing life-or-death documentation.
Personally, I wouldn't want that particular responsibility. Hence,
non-perfection in documentation is rarely going to have seriously
deleterious effects.

* A few years ago I heard a maxim that I tend to work by: "Get it done,
then get it right, then get it pretty." I sometimes don't have time to
get it right, let alone pretty. I'd submit the majority of your
copy-editors and proof-readers exist sometimes in the "right" category
and sometimes in the "pretty" category. The value in this approach is
that focus lies, as Mr. Plato often advocates, in getting the content
done as opposed to making it perfect. I'd rather have a complete
documentation set that's 90% accurate than an incomplete doc set that's
100% accurate. But then, that's me.

Thanks. DB.

> -----Original Message-----
> From: bounce-techwr-l-65243 -at- lists -dot- raycomm -dot- com 
> [mailto:bounce-techwr-l-65243 -at- lists -dot- raycomm -dot- com] On Behalf Of 
> Steve Hudson
> Sent: 29 January 2002 14:08
> To: TECHWR-L
> Cc: spearson -at- espial -dot- com
> Subject: RE: Looks like we'll have to agree...
> 
> 
<snip>
> 
> I did Y2K remediation work for the hospitals in SE syd, I 
> read on here that some folk write for equipment manufacturers 
> with safety instructions that come with fatal consequences.
> 
> Plus, if its perfection is so irrelevant, why does this 
> planet have so many copy-editors, proof-readers etc?
> 
> I cannot see promoting complacency or sloppiness as doing any good...
> 
>


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