RE: Meaning of the slash (/) mark

["Combs, Richard" <richard -dot- combs -at- Polycom -dot- com>]

C wrote: 

> When reviewing
>    the administrator's guide, I assumed that "LDAP/MAPI" 
> meant "LDAP or MAPI"
>    and asked the tech writer to clarify it for me. She told 
> me that it means
>    "LDAP and MAPI", which was a surprise to me. I didn't know 
> that the slash
>    could mean "or" and "and".

Actually, the slash could mean "or" OR "and." ;-) 
 
>    So, fellow techwhirlers, what is your understanding of the 
> best practices
>    for using the slash mark? I typically try to avoid using 
> it at all, and when
>    I do use it, it means "or".

Precisely because it's frequently ambiguous (and frequently used for
exactly that reason by people who don't want their meaning pinned down
or aren't sure of something), I avoid it, and I ask SMEs to clarify what
they mean when they use it. 

Richard


------
Richard G. Combs
Senior Technical Writer
Polycom, Inc.
richardDOTcombs AT polycomDOTcom
303-223-5111
------
rgcombs AT gmailDOTcom
303-777-0436
------




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