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Subject:Caution, warning, and danger From:David Oberstadt <daveo -at- VNET -dot- IBM -dot- COM> Date:Fri, 3 Jun 1994 10:06:02 PDT
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From: "Vollbach, Elizabeth" <evollbach -at- CCLINK -dot- LOGICON -dot- COM>
"what do we use instead (of using "should, "must," etc.) to convey an
imperative that should not be taken lightly?" Easy.
Do like they do in mil-specs and standards. Add a "Caution" or
"Warning."
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Our marketing people will not allow such a thing. I think OSHA
(Occupational Safety & Health Admin. or something) has official
standards for these--something like:
Caution - follow instructions or your equipment may be damaged
Warning - follow instructions or may be injured
Danger - follow instructions or you may be seriously injured or die
When working with software, the worst that could happen is you
destroy all of your data. Yes, this could cost millions of dollars,
but according to OSHA standards, does not constitute a caution,
warning, or danger message.
What do you do in such instances? Important instructions sometimes
require more than a little box that says 'Note:'. I rather favor
the international exclamation point and sometimes the circle with
line through it (the DO NOT symbol). They are quickly identified
and don't carry definitions given by OSHA or others (as far as I
can tell). Is there a CUA standard for this I don't know about?
David Oberstadt Santa Teresa Lab
daveo -at- vnet -dot- ibm -dot- com San Jose, California
