TechWhirl (TECHWR-L) is a resource for technical writing and technical communications professionals of all experience levels and in all industries to share their experiences and acquire information.
For two decades, technical communicators have turned to TechWhirl to ask and answer questions about the always-changing world of technical communications, such as tools, skills, career paths, methodologies, and emerging industries. The TechWhirl Archives and magazine, created for, by and about technical writers, offer a wealth of knowledge to everyone with an interest in any aspect of technical communications.
Subject:COMPUTER WORDS From:Janie Bergen <BERGEN -at- UNTVAX -dot- BITNET> Date:Mon, 4 Oct 1993 23:21:09 -0500
Regarding the E-mail/email/etc. thread....
As a new technical writer I've found most style guides to be insufficient
when it comes to computer terminology. Since many technical writers
are employed by computer companies to write software and hardwaare
manuals, why are there no style guides for technical writing?
At the company I worked for (until last week :-( ) we had problems
with on-line vs. online, Token-ring vs Token-Ring vs. token-ring, and
a host of other terms. Usually we sought the manufacturer's documents
for product standards, but even these documents were not standard. We
had a few computer dictionaries, but they also used different spellings.
Finally, we just had to make a decision and stick to it. I hope that
someday someone somewhere will write a style guide that we can all
live with.
As for those of you who use style guides (not the in-house kind), what
do you use? Chicago Manual of Style? Others? I'd really like to know.
If you answer, please state the kinds of writing you do.
