Short-lived users

This forum is for the discussion of the business and craft of writing help. For example writing style, choices of HTML Help or WinHelp or browser-based and so on...

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Martin Wynne
Posts: 2656
Joined: Mon May 12, 2003 3:21 pm
Location: West of the Severn, UK

Short-lived users

Unread post by Martin Wynne »

This appeared in Michael Quinion's World Wide Words newsletter today:

"I'm a technical writer," e-mailed Jon Voskuil. "This instruction in one of my user guides managed to make it through five reviews before one of the engineers caught it:"
Be sure to place the document back on the platform promptly when the screen asks you to do so.

If the Placement Timeout (default 5 seconds) expires before you do, the system will not be able to read the chip successfully.
Martin.
ivka
Posts: 57
Joined: Fri Feb 10, 2006 8:05 am
Location: Russia

Unread post by ivka »

One of my favourites, astonishingly helpful:
"If everything is OK, nothing happens"
:lol:
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Tim Green
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Joined: Mon Jun 24, 2002 9:11 am
Location: Bruehl, Germany
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Unread post by Tim Green »

From a leaflet delivered with a hard drive:

"Instructions for installing the drive can be found in the file readme.txt stored on the hard drive."
Regards,
Tim (EC Software Documentation & User Support)

Private support:
Please do not email or PM me with private support requests -- post to the forum directly.
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Martin Wynne
Posts: 2656
Joined: Mon May 12, 2003 3:21 pm
Location: West of the Severn, UK

Unread post by Martin Wynne »

Tim Green wrote:From a leaflet delivered with a hard drive:

"Instructions for installing the drive can be found in the file readme.txt stored on the hard drive."
Hi Tim,

I purchased a Bosch shredder for the garden rubbish. Removing it from the box was extremely difficult and I cut my hand on some sharp hidden clips. There were no warnings on the box.

In a plastic bag inside the shredder was a leaflet " :!: TAKE CARE - SHARP EDGES: How to unpack your new shredder".

Martin.
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Dean Whitlock
Posts: 577
Joined: Thu Sep 01, 2005 5:59 pm
Location: Thetford Center, Vermont USA
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Unread post by Dean Whitlock »

"To assemble Japanese bicycle require great peace of mind."

From the assembly manual for a child's bicycle, as reported in "Zen and the Art of Motorcycle Maintenance", by Robert M. Pirsig (copyright 1973 or so). I like to chant this a few times before attempting to assemble anything from a kit. Helps with software installations, too.
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