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:Peter G Margaritis <chief -at- NCMS1 -dot- CB -dot- LUCENT -dot- COM> Date:Mon, 10 Nov 1997 08:41:00 -0500
Wilcox, John (WWC, Contractor) wrote:
>
> ----------
> 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
Sorry, mate. First of all, RTFM is one of MY favorite
expressions, a) because it is SO true so often, and b)
it expresses its own point beautifully.
The `F' must stay in, to drive the point home.
Of course, I'm a retired navy chief, so the `F'
is a congenital part of my vocabulary (albeit,
the verbal, `mumbling' portion)...
Pete Margaritis
Technical Writer
Lucent Technologies