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Subject:Re: How do I document vaporware? From:"Downing, David" <DavidDowning -at- users -dot- com> To:<techwr-l -at- lists -dot- techwr-l -dot- com> Date:Wed, 28 Jan 2009 13:06:31 -0600
From: "Sarah Stegall" <sstegall -at- bivio -dot- net>
Subject: How do I document vaporware?
Having spent half a week taking all references to a certain feature OUT
of our software documentation, I am now informed that these references
are "placeholders" for future development. This means that when our
users (other software developers) browse through the command line
interface or the help menu, they are going to find undocumented commands
(that don't currently do anything anyway).
There's no telling when these "features" are actually going to be
implemented (software design plan? We don't need no stinking plan...).
What would be the best way to mention these in user documentation? I am
afraid our users will be very confused when they happen across
undocumented commands. Has anyone else had to deal with this? Thanks for
any feedback.
-----------------------
What I'd do is find some dignified way of describing the situation that involves the word ?future? - ?These commands will become available in the future,? or? These commands are reserved for future use,? or some such thing.
Interesting how an occasional part of our occupation is to document something stupid so that it sounds like it made sense to do it that way.
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