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Subject:Re: Shortcut vs. Accelerator keys From:"Ridder, Fred" <F -dot- Ridder -at- DIALOGIC -dot- COM> Date:Fri, 6 Jun 1997 09:43:22 -0400
In response to Buck Buchanan's post about the Microsoft Manual of
Style for Technical Publications, Bev Parks wrote:
>It is quite possible that not all people want to be Microsoft zombies.
>There just *may* be a better way out there. Maybe someone at Microsoft
>made a poor decision. It could happen.
This is not intended as a flame any more than your post or Buck's was.
I have no argument whatsoever with your sentiments regarding Microsoft.
In fact, there have been many times when I have chosen not to follow the
Microsoft style guide.
But I think your response missed the underlying point of Buck's post,
which is that the first place technical writers should look for answers
to style and terminology questions is the style guide that is on their
desk rather than TECHWR-L. I think it's a little unfair to the general
list
membership when some members treat the list like a substitute for
a $25-30 style guide that should be part of their professional tool kit.
(This is not far removed from posting a general question to the list
without first checking the archive to read the last two or three times
it has been answered.) On the other hand, I do think it's perfectly
legitimate to ask the list whether members agree with a particular
usage promoted by one of the standard style guides--whether it be
Microsoft, or Chicago, or AP, or whatever--simply because *nobody*
(other than one's own deity, I suppose) is correct on *every* issue.
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