RE: Simply

[Stuart Burnfield <slb -at- westnet -dot- com -dot- au>]

Chris B said:
 > Now I'm wondering how much other marketing-speak has crept into
 > technical documentation, which should be free of that entirely.

It used to be common to pad the first page of a software manual with 
marketing fluff in a misguided attempt to flatter the reader.

"Congratulations on your wise purchase of Copro Lite Gold for Windows 
Professional (Executive Edition), the powerful industry-leading 
enterprise-wide business-to-business multi-tier solution..."

A manual should begin with a very short, clear statement of what it's 
for and who uses it.

I remember reading something on the art of sales that said, "As soon as 
you've made the sale--stop selling!" That is, don't keep listing the 
virtues of the product and don't keep assuring the customer that they've 
made a great decision. Manuals should be written on the assumption that 
the sale has already been made, and now it's time to get to work.

Stuart
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