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Subject:Re: Not reading manuals like a novel From:SuePStewrt -at- AOL -dot- COM Date:Tue, 14 Mar 1995 08:37:22 -0500
>>One of the basic tenets of tech writing, of course, is that people
don't read from page 1 to the end, like they do with a novel.<<
I'd have to say that, as a tenet, this is NOT correct. It is true about a
number of types of tech writing, but by no means all. For example, people
read an installation manual sequentially; many training guides (please
remember that not all technical training guides have to do with hardware or
software) must be read sequentially.
It's the usual thing: No generalization is worth a durn -- not even this
one.