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Reply-to:      copyediting-l@cornell.edu
From:          yunwan@merlion.iseas.ac.sg (Cheong Yun Wan)
To:            Multiple recipients of list <copyediting-l@cornell.edu>
Subject:       Re: software style
Date:          Wed, 10 Aug 1994 23:56:15 -0400

James Sowders wrote:

    ...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.

Carol Roberts and Cheong Yun Wan both questioned the need for 
italicizing the names of software products. I am as yet undecided on 
this myself, but I can think of an example where italicization clarifies 
matters.

Suppose you come across a reference to SomeProgram for Windows. It 
is unclear whether the actual name of the software is 'SomeProgram' or 
'SomeProgram for Windows'; appropriate italicization would tell you. 
Microsoft had Word X for DOS and Word X for Macintosh, but when they 
later came to launch the Windows version, instead of naming it Word X 
for Windows (where X would be the current version of the DOS and 
Macintosh versions) they named it 'Word for Windows 1', with 'for 
Windows' being an integral part of the product's name. To clarify this 
one could write _Word X_ for DOS but _Word for Windows Y_.

Italicization also helps if the reader comes across the following 
sentence:

    Access is this month's hot topic.

Granted that context would probably make the reader realize that the 
first word was a proper noun, but italicization would prevent any initial 
misunderstanding.

On the other hand, your text can become rather peppered with italics, 
especially if you are setting something like a manual or product review. 
Hence my own indecision.   :-( 


==========================================================
Hamish Lawson, School of Computing and Mathematics,
University of Teesside, Middlesbrough, Cleveland,
United Kingdom, TS1 3BA

Tel: +44 (0)642 342693
Email: H.Lawson@teesside.ac.uk