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:Re: Acronyms--RTFM From:"Wilcox, John (WWC, Contractor)" <wilcoxj -at- WDNI -dot- COM> Date:Fri, 7 Nov 1997 16:28:00 -0800
----------
From: Miark
>This was a new one for me. Does it mean what I think it means?
>
>read the F$%#! manual--?
Yes. It's a beaut, ain't it? And Marie Paretti came up with a variation
of
it: RTF*OL*M. OL=online. Although we could also use RTFOM.
--------------
Uh, that would be RTFO-LM. But personally, I think the F is tastless
and crude, adding nothing to the instruction and demeaning not just the
reader but the writer (if only because it's verbose). Why not just
leave it out?
Regards,
John Wilcox, Documentation Specialist
Timberlands Information Services
Application Delivery Group
Weyerhaeuser, WWC 2E2
Tacoma, WA 98477-0001 USA
253-924-7972 mailto:wilcoxj -at- wdni -dot- com
(I don't speak for Weyerhaeuser, and they return the favor.)