9780131428997

bull; The must-have reference for every technical writer, editor, and documentation manager bull; Provides all the information you need to document hardware, software, or other computer products bull; Written by award-winning documentation experts at Sun Technical Publications, Read Me First! is the most comprehensive guide to creating documentation that is clear, consistent, and easy to understand

The Members of Sun Technical Publications are award-winning senior editors and writers for Sun Microsystems, Inc.

Preface
Mechanics of Writing
Capitalization
Contractions
Gerunds and Participles
Numbers and Numerals
Pronouns
Technical Abbreviations, Acronyms, and Units of Measurement
Punctuation
Constructing Text
Headings
Lists
Tables
Code Examples
Error Messages
Cross-References
Endnotes, Footnotes, and Bibliographies
Notes, Cautions, and Tips
Part Dividers
Typographic Conventions
Key Name Conventions
Writing Style
Why Is Style Important? Stylistic Principles
Some Basic Elements of Style
Writing for the Reader
Style That Could Offend the Reader
Common Writing Problems to Avoid
Ways to Improve Your Style
Online Writing Style
About These Guidelines
Solving Online Writing Problems
Creating an Effective Document Structure
Writing Short, Self-Contained Topics
Constructing Scannable Paragraphs, Headings, and Lists
Preserving Context in Online Documents
Constructing Links
About These Guidelines
Where to Place Links
General Linking Strategies
Guidelines for Writing Link Text
Writing Tasks, Procedures, and Steps
Understanding the Relationship Among Tasks, Procedures, and Steps
Developing Task Information
Writing Procedures
Writing Steps
Writing for an International Audience
General Guidelines for Writing for Translation
Cultural and Geographic Sensitivity
Definitions and Word Choice
Grammar and Word Usage
Numbers, Symbols, and Punctuation
Illustrations and Screen Captures
Legal Guidelines
Copyrights
Trademarks
Third-Party Web Site References
Protection of Proprietary/Confidential Information
Types of Technical Documents
What Is a Documentation Set? Documentation Plans
Document Plan
Abstracts
Structure of Manuals
Descriptions of the Manual Parts
Types of Hardware Manuals
Types of Software Manuals
Other Product Documents
Training Documents
Working With an Editor
Technical Editor's Role
Editor's Role in Producing Online Documents
Types of Editing
Edit Schedules
Document Submission
Editing Marks
Edit Style Sheet
Working With Illustrations
Working With an Illustrator
Illustration Formats, Styles, and Types
Examples of Illustrations
Placing Illustrations
Writing Captions for Illustrations
Writing Callouts for Illustrations
Creating Quality Screen Captures
Creating Leader Lines
Simplifying Online Illustrations
Writing About Graphical User Interfaces
Using GUI Terminology
Writing About Windows, Dialog Boxes, and Menus
Writing About the Web
Glossary Guidelines
Glossary Content
Terms for an International Audience
When to Include a Glossary
Writing Good Glossary Entries
Indexing
What Is an Index? Style and Format
Creating an Index
Refining and Checking an Index
Bad Page and Column Breaks
Checking the Size of the Index
Global Index
Online Index
Developing a Publications Department
Establishment of a Publications Department
Scheduling
Documentation Process
Internationalization and Localization
Online Documentation Considerations
Final Print Production
Post-Production Considerations
Checklists and Forms.
Table of Contents provided by Publisher. All Rights Reserved.

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Read Me First! A Style Guide for the Computer Industry

Read Me First! A Style Guide for the Computer Industry

0131428993

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