Re: Logon question

[Gil Yaker <gyaker -at- CSC -dot- COM>]

First of all, I always prefer to go with login and log in. It's more UNIXy,
more standard, and how dare MS change years of doing it one way just to
make tech writers deal with more standards for confusing the end user.

But anyway, you can write something to the effect of "Sign on the system at
the logon (login) prompt." or "Enter your user ID at the login prompt.
Enter your password at the password prompt." Using "Log in" and "Log on" as
verbs requiring the preposition like wired suggested is fine in some cases,
but I'd consider it slang and would leave it out of documents that might
ever target first-time users. Let the users adapt those phrases to their
lives, but when we write a manual, a statement like "Log in at the login
prompt." gets confusing.

I have always been fascinated at how certain prepositions and verbs are
used to represent virtual actions and relationships.  A recent annoyance is
how people use the verb "shoot" to describe the act of sending e-mail or
moving a file across a network. "I'll shoot you that proposal right away."
(ack!!) Is Fax a verb?

Of course, now if you use "Sign on the system..." you'll be plagiarizing me
and I'll sue :)

NTWRR: I can't verify my source, but I heard that at the MS trial the
lawyers and non tech people were pronouncing logon as 'low-dgon' (soft g).

Gil Yaker
gyaker -at- csc -dot- com
Computer Sciences Corporation
Federal Black Lung Project





KD> We're embroiled in an office brouhaha over the terms "logon" and "log
on."
KD> According to the Wired Style Guide "logon" is a noun and "log on" is
the
KD> verb form with a necessary preposition for completing the action.  What
I
KD> want to know is how you all state any instructions telling the user to,
and
KD> this is how I put it, "Log onto the system."  A colleague insists it's,
KD> "Log on the system."  We've already dismissed the tester who demands
that
KD> we write, "Logon the system."  Ideas?


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