RE: Is this too Offensive for a manual?

["Lippincott, Rick" <Rick -dot- Lippincott -at- flir -dot- com>]

Claire asked:

>There are some phrases used in reference to the meter readers that make
me >balk at including them.  For example:
>Arising from incompetent, lazy or crooked meter readers...
>...reward performance and punish incompetence.
>In some cases these comments are absolutely true and the cause of
>significant business losses that the software is used to control. 

I'd balk at those, also. IMHO, they cross over the line from simply
documenting the product and into editorializing. There's a place for
editorializing, but a company's documentation isn't it. 

To use an absurd hypothetical (at least I hope it is) example, a manual
for a chainsaw might include a warning for the operator to keep face and
hands away from the chain while at all times. It wouldn't be necessary
to explain that the warning was included because some bozo fired his up
and tried to stick it in his mouth because he thought it would be a good
way to floss his molars. 

Take the comments out, they're inappropriate.

--Rick Lippincott
  Billerica, MA

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