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> This shouldn't be very hard to communicate. All good docs
> share one common
> thread. They contain the information users need. That's all.
And can find it, recognise it and understand it without ambiguity -- this is
supported by good design, good writing, decent indexing, etc.
[...]
> mean that most users, while they will gleefully point such
> errors out to
> you, care most about finding the content they need. That's
> what makes a
> document good. Usability, readability, format, and style are
> all icing on
> the info-cake.
I think anyone who works with words is more sensitive to errors such as
typos, and don't realise how few are spotted by regular readers. A common
complaint from professional proof readers is that they no longer enjoy
recreational reading, as the typos spoil it for them. UK readers of this
list will appreciate how much of a chore reading _The Guardian_ becomes.
After a couple of months reading proofs as a production editor, I was
spotting typos flashed up on the TV in on-screen captions. Still spot 'em a
mile off.
But strangely enough, I could not spot any of the typos that made it into
the first manual what I wrote...
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