Read Me First!: A Style Guide for the Computer Industry [Paperback]

Sun Technical Publications (Author)

Book Description

ISBN-10: 0134553470 | ISBN-13: 978-0134553474 | Publication Date: December 1996

45534-5 The must-have reference for every technical writer, editor, and documentation manager. Circle-I stands for information, and Read Me First! provides all the information you need if you face the challenge of documenting hardware, software, or other computer products. 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. Read Me First! is a complete style reference. It compiles grammar and punctuation guidelines, typographic conventions, and pointers on creating a bibliography, including how to reference online source material. There's even practical guidance on indexing. It also covers how to document software running under a graphical user interface - something that is ignored in traditional style guides. If you're responsible for managing documentation, you'll find Read Me First! invaluable. It provides guidance on creating international and online documentation, working with illustrators, organizing the review process - even satisfying the lawyers.It's all here: hiring writers, working with printers, developing realistic schedules, and much more. You will immediately improve the way you write or manage documentation using the following: *Checklists and forms for editing, tracking manuscripts, and verifying production status. *Ready-to-use FrameMaker document templates. *Tables of technical abbreviations, acronyms and units of measurement. *Table of typographic conventions recommendations. There is no better book on writing, editing, and managing documentation for computer products. If you're involved in documentation in any way, Read Me First! will be the most useful book you ever own.

Editorial Reviews

From the Back Cover

The must-have reference for every technical writer, editor, and documentation manager.

Circle-I stands for information, and Read Me First! provides all the information you need if you face the challenge of documenting hardware, software, or other computer products.

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.

Read Me First! is a complete style reference. It compiles grammar and punctuation guidelines, typographic conventions, and pointers on creating a bibliography, including how to reference online source material. There's even practical guidance on indexing. It also covers how to document software running under a graphical user interface — something that is ignored in traditional style guides.

If you're responsible for managing documentation, you'll find Read Me First! invaluable. It provides guidance on creating international and online documentation, working with illustrators, organizing the review process — even satisfying the lawyers. It's all here: hiring writers, working with printers, developing realistic schedules, and much more.

You will immediately improve the way you write or manage documentation using the following:

* Checklists and forms for editing, tracking manuscripts, and verifying production status.
* Ready-to-use FrameMaker document templates.
* Tables of technical abbreviations, acronyms and units of measurement.
* Table of typographic conventions recommendations.

There is no better book on writing, editing, and managing documentation for computer products. If you're involved in documentation in any way, Read Me First! will be the most useful book you ever own.

CD-ROM contains the entire book in searchable FrameViewer and HTML format.

About the Author

THE MEMBERS OF SUN TECHNICAL PUBLICATIONS are senior editors and writers at Sun Microsystems, Inc. who have won numerous awards, notably in various regional and international competitions sponsored by the Society for Technical Communication.

Product Details

• Paperback: 250 pages
• Publisher: Prentice Hall (December 1996)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0134553470
• ISBN-13: 978-0134553474
• Product Dimensions: 9.2 x 6.8 x 0.6 inches
• Shipping Weight: 15.2 ounces
• Average Customer Review: 3.8 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (9 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #2,308,257 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

59 of 59 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Super Reference Book, with one small flaw!, April 28, 2000

By 

A. Lai (South San Francisco, CA USA) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

Amazon Verified Purchase

This review is from: Read Me First!: A Style Guide for the Computer Industry (Paperback)

I can't say enough good things about the information presented in this book - it has become a primary reference for me in all of my technical writing. I also use the Mcrosoft Sytle guide in conjunction with this book and find that the two balance each other very well. The one flaw with this book is -- as noted by another reviewer -- the CD. Frame Viewer is a product from the original authors of FrameMaker and, quite frankly, it's old! Also -- and this is most significant -- the files are .doc files, created with an older version of Frame. I found the best solution was to copy the .doc files into a separate folder, then open them directly with FM 5.5.6. The automatic conversion is performed and you can then save them as .fm files and even generate a pdf for personal ease-of-use.

60 of 61 people found the following review helpful:

3.0 out of 5 stars Good Book, but watch out for the CD!, October 21, 1999

By A Customer

This review is from: Read Me First!: A Style Guide for the Computer Industry (Paperback)

Reasonably good book, especially for style information, but found areas in the book where they did not follow their own advice.

The FrameViewer CD that accompanied the book caused considerable problems once loaded on my PC. Only after 3 long distance phone calls, taking better than 2 hours out of my day waiting on hold, being transferred, etc. did I find out who, exactly, was responsible for the software!

From what I saw (and what the techs at Adobe could determine) there is no way to uninstall this software! Buyer beware!

I had to work with Adobe Tech Support to at least get my other programs working reliably again! A very hard lesson learned, indeed! If you intend to use the FrameViewer software, take heed of these problems!

25 of 25 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Super Reference Book for Creating a Company Writing Style, December 9, 2000

By 

Todd Hawley (San Francisco CA) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Read Me First!: A Style Guide for the Computer Industry (Paperback)

This is an excellent book to read if you are in the position of having to create any kind of writing style guides for the company you work for. The book's sections include one on writing style itself and why it is important, working with an editor, working wit illustrations, writing for an international audience, legal guidelines, the "mechanics of writing," creating an index, among others. The book makes some good points and provides an informative reference for writing style questions.

Two small points against it. The CD is difficult at times to use and the Recommended Reading section lists some books that are out of print. Time for an update perhaps?

However, it's still an excellent book to have when having to make decisions about your own company's writing style. When I had to write a Writing Style Guide as a class assignment, this book was one of the ones I used as a reference.