Fwd: Re: Reply to various thoughts of the day for June 1

["Bonni J. Graham" <bgraham -at- ELECTRICITI -dot- COM>]

<Sorry -- I sent this before I added the Techwr-l address.  GRRR>
Judith Grobe Sachs notes:
"So, in all the documentation I write, I always "enter" commands (or type
blah then
press Enter), and I try to make sure it's done that way in all the
documentation we produce."

I used to use "enter [command or text string]" until I watched an entire
class of Window's beginners exit out of one dialog after another by
pressing ENTER when they should have pressed TAB (the writer of the
curriculum had used the "enter" construction).  Their hostility level wnet
up measurably, because they were used to "enter" meaning "type your stuff
and press ENTER."

So the good news is that's an accepted and understandable convention.   I
still use for DOS prompts, or where it won't exit a dialog.  BUT, be sure
they really should press ENTER before you use "enter," which is why I use
the construction Judith notes in parens more often, even though it's
wordier.

Just a word of warning from one nearly pelted with rotten tomatoes (if
there had been any in the class...).  Hyperbole of course, but the
sentiment was there.

Bonni
Bonni Graham
Manual Labour
Director, Region 8 Conference
bgraham -at- electriciti -dot- com