Relay-Version: version B 2.10 5/3/83; site utzoo.UUCP Posting-Version: version B 2.10.1 exptools 1/6/84; site ihuxl.UUCP Path: utzoo!linus!decvax!harpo!ihnp4!ihuxl!walt2 From: walt2@ihuxl.UUCP (Walt Kurszewski) Newsgroups: net.flame Subject: To Read or Not to Read... Message-ID: <895@ihuxl.UUCP> Date: Tue, 7-Feb-84 11:27:10 EST Article-I.D.: ihuxl.895 Posted: Tue Feb 7 11:27:10 1984 Date-Received: Thu, 9-Feb-84 21:58:32 EST Organization: AT&T Bell Labs, Naperville, IL Lines: 30 Why are there authors of technical documents trying to become the next Shakespeare? I've got a document in front of me that's about 200 pages long. Everything that was said in that document could have been said in 20 pages with absolutely no meaning or clarity lost. The technical content would have remained the same. I needed about 3 sentences worth of information but I had to dig through 200 pages of shit to find the tidbit of Shineola that I needed. So what about the table of contents? I found it before I started reading - it was the LAST 2 pages of the document! What was it doing there?!? So I head to the section I need. See sections blah and blah. UGH!!! That document must have 50 pages of transfer vectors! Is this an evil plot to waste half of my life away? What is the purpose of all this useless garbage in a document? The author's only purpose is to be able to say "Lookit! Lookit boss! I spent the last 6 weeks writing a useless document the size of the Bible! NOW can I get promoted?" That felt good! Walt (Ma was right - I should have been a Solid Gold dancer.) Kurszewski ihnp4!ihuxl!walt2