'log in to' or 'log into'?

[Janice Gelb]

Claire Conant wrote:
> Feel free to disagree, but your rationale is just like saying, well, the 
> masses do it, so it must be okay. Many people smoke, that doesn't make it 
> healthy. Just because your preferred term gets an unusually high number of 
> Google hits does not make it an authoritative source.
> 
> I don't believe the original poster made any differentiation between 
> computer or internet. Either way, you are accessing a software application. 
> You don't get in to the computer or application, you log on to the 
> application.

The difference between "in" and "on" in this case IMHO is
really not subject to much logic. You technically don't get
"on" the computer or application any more than you get "in"
it. One could also make the argument that the noun "login"
is much more common that the noun "logon" and that the verb
form for the method of providing your login information is
to "log in." Ultimately, it's more a case of preference or
house (or platform) style.

 >
> Most editors of software documentation (of which I'm one) 
> would change your content.  But then, I could be wrong and I'm sure someone 
> will speak up and correct me.
> 

The only reason I'm speaking up is to say that in the
tech writing industry, it's always dangerous to posit
that a single term is the one, the only, the absolutely
correct form. Your original response was to say that the
Microsoft Manual of Style calls for "log on," which is
certainly an authoritative source. But this follow-up
post seems to imply that your preferred term is the
only correct form. As I indicated in a previous email,
the Sun style is different, and no doubt there are other
sources that are different to either one of these
preferred terms.

-- Janice

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