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>
> Even longer ago, in the early 1980s, Data General put out "The INFOS
> Storybook," which told the story of how Frank Cotran saved the day for his
> clients by showing them how to implement the INFOS database. Customers loved
> it.
>
> But, as always, while it intrigued and instructed, it didn't cover all the
> bases. Wasn't intended to. For that, we had the usual ponderous tomes.
>
> Marguerite
>
It's a small thing, but let's not forget the National Semiconductor
product manuals from the 1980s. Some of the part titles were humorous.
One I remember is "Damn Fast Op Amp". Just the ticket to alleviate the
boredom of a long page of technical names.
This may have been due to Bob Pease, analog electronics guru at
National, who is on record as in favor of puns and other wordplay. From
the foreword to his book, "Troubleshooting Analog Circuits with
Electronics Workbench Circuits":
"Those earlier writings did a lot to burnish Bob's image as
a technical expert, but they had a secondary effect as well:
They made his sense of humor and his passion for puns
something of a legend. As a form of humor, plays on words
are denigrated by all too many people. However, at least
a few openly admit to enjoying puns, and that group includes
Bob and myself."
I also am in that group. While I would not advocate using puns in a
technical document, I do feel that the occasional vernacular word (like
"nifty") or a bit of humor can improve readability. The trick is to avoid
overdoing it.
Chris
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