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Subject:RE: From the Department of Redundancy Department From:MList -at- chrysalis-its -dot- com To:"TECHWR-L" <techwr-l -at- lists -dot- raycomm -dot- com> Date:Thu, 25 Sep 2003 16:24:41 -0400
Samuel Choy [mailto:schoy -at- us -dot- ibm -dot- com] challenged my insecurities with:
> I'm installing some software right now. Here is an excerpt
> from the manual
> (the software title has been changed to protect the guilty):
>
> Installing WidgetManager
>
> Before you can work with WidgetManager, you must install it
> on your system.
> If WidgetManager has already been installed on your computer,
> you can skip
> this chapter.
"WidgetManager must be installed on your system before you can
work with it."
Um... except for rewording the first sentence a bit, I actually
would have a first paragraph like that one you quote.
My reasons are:
There are two separate bits of information to convey, and
they must be conveyed to someone who may not have English
as a first language... or to someone who is translating.
Stitching to another thread today, there ARE applications
that are run via the web, so you don't necessarily need to
install an application before using it. It may be that you
(or somebody who had the computer before you came to it)
needs THIS application installed, but you may have come
to the document from a history of working with web-based,
browser-accessed apps.... thin client stuff or generic-client
stuff.
For various reasons, having to do with their own choices or
their history with the system, different users may come to
the process at different stages, or with different pre-existing
conditions on their systems. My document needs to accomodate
them all, while still presenting necessary activities in the
order that they will be encountered.
Even my own company has products that can be used (sorta)
piecemeal, where you don't HAVE to install them all, but
you do have to have certain bits installed before you can
install others.
Whew! All THAT out of a little poking fun. Aren't you glad?
<gdr&h>
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