Re: software style

Article View: bit.listserv.copyediting-l

Article #74

Back to bit.listserv.copyediting-l Previous Next

#74

From: Cheong Yun Wan
Date: Thu, 11 Aug 1994 03:55

30 lines
2369 bytes

> ...we are debating style on computer software, games, CD-Roms etc. We are
>thinking of italicizing the titles of specific products but not more general
>products such as DOS, Windows, etc. The debate is where to draw the line with
>such a style rule. We'd be interested in hearing the thoughts of our
>colleagues out there.

Do the computer trade publications italicize names of software systems and
applications? I don't think so (cf. _Infoworld_, _MacUser_). The computer
manuals and How-to books that I've seen don't italicize titles of products
too, usually just initial caps or caps in the middle (Novell Netware,
Mosaic, QuickMail, PageMaker), or all caps where applicable (DOS, TCP/IP,
OS/2).

Perhaps the only category that you might really want to seriously consider
italicizing are the multimedia titles, periodicals, encyclopaedias and
dictionaries on CD-roms, but the data on CD-rom is of no use without the
presentation/search application software. And since the computer trade
publications don't italicize application software titles either, perhaps
CD-rom titles don't need to be italicized?

Just my 2cts worth.


-m-w-m-w-m-w-m-w-m-w-m-w-m-w-m-w-m-w-m-w-m-w-m-w-m-w-m-w-m-w-m-w-m-w-m-w-m-

Y.W. Cheong, editor, Institute of Southeast Asian Studies, Singapore
e-mail: yunwan@merlion.iseas.ac.sg
Opinions expressed are mine.

-m-w-m-w-m-w-m-w-m-w-m-w-m-w-m-w-m-w-m-w-m-w-m-w-m-w-m-w-m-w-m-w-m-w-m-w-m-

Technical Details

Message-ID: <199408110352.LAA23192@merlion.iseas.ac.sg>

Path: arc1-ca.pugleaf.net!bga.com!news.sprintlink.net!primenet!netnews.asu.edu !netnews.asu.edu!netnews

Show Full Headers

Complete Article Headers

X-Google-Language: ENGLISH,ASCII-7-bit
X-Google-Thread: 168819,abc359d7253e759d
X-Google-Attributes: gid168819,public
X-Google-ArrivalTime: 1994-08-11 10:24:04 PST
Sender: Postmaster@netnewsinre.asu.edu
Newsgroups: bit.listserv.copyediting-l
Path: arc1-ca.pugleaf.net!bga.com!news.sprintlink.net!primenet!netnews.asu.edu      !netnews.asu.edu!netnews
Comments: Gated by news.asu.edu
Comments: gating comments -> Thom.McCarty@asu.edu
Return-Path: <copyediting-l@cornell.edu>
Errors-To: bgl1@cornell.edu
Message-ID: <199408110352.LAA23192@merlion.iseas.ac.sg>
Comment:  Copy Editors and Editing
Originator: copyediting-l@cornell.edu
Errors-To: bgl1@cornell.edu
Reply-To: copyediting-l@cornell.edu
Sender: copyediting-l@cornell.edu
Version: 5.5 -- Copyright (c) 1991/92, Anastasios Kotsikonas
From: yunwan@merlion.iseas.ac.sg (Cheong Yun Wan)
Subject: Re: software style
Date: Wed, 10 Aug 1994 23:55:57 -0400
Lines: 33