Commentary: Living with the Software Engineer

Abstract

Whether they know it or not, software engineers have a great deal of power over the language we use. They may create new words, such as byte or debug, which in a remarkably short time can become commonly used far beyond their original context. The new words are accepted quickly and even eagerly as the proliferation of microcomputers and the software to run them advance so rapidly. Yet there is still a great deal of confusion and frustration among readers of software manuals about just what those manuals are trying to say. Part of the problem is that each technical field has its own jargon that any novice must learn. But in the case of software manuals, there is the additional problem of familiar words being used in unfamiliar ways. This article describes the ambiguity created for the reader when familiar words, such as function or folding, are used in the context of the software manual with new, specialized meanings.