Re: Re(4): Slow Tech Writers

["Richard G. Combs" <richard -dot- combs -at- voyanttech -dot- com>]

<letoured -at- together -dot- net> treated his/her/its fellow writers to further
arrogance and condescension:

[letoured]>>Nonsense. -- It doesn't matter how long someone takes. What
matters is the
>>accuracy, the rework that is avoided, and how well it works for the
customer.

[Jan Henning]>Sorry to have to disagree, but it matters how long it takes to
write
>documentation. Even where the quality is very important, there is an amount
>of time, large though it may be, that is longer acceptable.

[letoured]<<Disagree all you want.  You are in the software writing
business. They are
market driven. Other industries have quality, integrity, and professional
concerns. >>

And of course, we all know that if you're "market driven," you can't
possibly have any integrity or be concerned with quality and professionalism
don't we?

[letoured]<<Furthermore, I didn't say the time didn't matter I said it takes
longer to do
it right >>

You said: "Nonsense. -- It doesn't matter how long someone takes."  Now
you're denying the plain meaning of your own words.

[Jan Henning]>>>Also note that "slow" and "methodical" aren't synonymous.
[...]
>>
[letoured]>>They are not synonymous in your view because of what?

[Jan Henning]>Are you seriously asking that? You might find the answer in a
dictionary, but
>here is how I understand the terms:

>- Slow: Taking a long time to do something

[letoured]<<How about if "slow" means it takes a long time to do it right --
does that
change the picture or the word for you? >>

And in which dictionary did you find that definition? Humpty Dumpty's?
("When I use a word... it means just what I choose it to mean...") In the
dictionaries I've seen, "slow" doesn't have anything to do with doing it
right, wrong, or left -- it merely describes the relative speed.

[Jan Henning]>- Methodical: Rigorously following a method in doing something

>It follows that there may be slow, unmethodical work as well as fast,
>methodical work.

[letoured]<<And your point is what?  Not everyone is as market driven and
working on
things as uncomplicated as software user manuals. >>

Somebody get me a shovel while I try to explain. Jan's point is that _slow_
doesn't mean the same thing as _methodical_ and that one's work can be
either, neither, or both. Are you still with me?

[letoured]>>Are you equaling slow
>>with lazy or bad or what?  I never said anything resembling that. Slow can
>>also mean requiring a long time. Check your dictionary.

[Jan Henning]>I'm wasn't equating slow with anything besides than "taking a
long time". In
>particular, I pointed out that slow cannot be equated with methodical.

[letoured]<<Actually, you're pole vaulting over a mouse. >>

<snipping an exchange demonstrating only extreme rudeness to Jan>

[Jan Henning]>I don't do htat. I merely pointed out that it is wrong to
automatically
>equate slow with careful as you seem to have done. If you did not mean to
do
>so, there does not seem to be an argument.

[letoured]<<You're pole vaulting over a mouse. Slow is careful in some
industries. You and
others here don't seem to be interested in getting that.>>

You're repeating yourself, and not to good effect. Being careful may
necessitate a (relative) reduction in speed, but it doesn't follow that
being slow _necessarily_ makes one careful.

Slow and careful aren't synonyms in any dictionary, letoured. Why do you
insist on confusing them and redefining them to suit your bias? Do you do
that with words in general? What about the need to be precise and accurate
and professional?

Harrumph! <g>
Richard

------
Richard G. Combs
Senior Technical Writer
Voyant Technologies, Inc.
richardDOTcombs AT voyanttechDOTcom
303-223-5111
------
rgcombs AT freeDASHmarketDOTnet
303-777-0436
------









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