The perils of "search & replace" in documentation.

[Adam Funk]

I was looking at a "Model PL09564 PLUG-IN POWER MONITOR" on the web
and printed out the product manual (one page), which I happened to
have in my jacket pocket when I was browsing in Maplin later that day
and came across the same product labelled "Model 2000MU-UK PLUG-IN
POWER MONITOR", which I bought.

The two products' sheets are the same except for such substitutions
as

Congratulations on your purchase, and welcome to Prodigit 2000M
Plug-in power monitor.

Congratulations on your purchase, and welcome to PL09564 Plug-in
power monitor.

and the captions under the figures ("Figure 1 2000M Front Panel";
"Figure 1 PL09564 Front Panel"). Both of them even have the same
"Funcion [sic] Configuration Table".

However, the one from Maplin is rated for "Altitude up to 2000m",
whereas the other is rater for "Altitude up to PL09564".

 

[JackShephard]

I was looking at a "Model PL09564 PLUG-IN POWER MONITOR" on the web
and printed out the product manual (one page), which I happened to
have in my jacket pocket when I was browsing in Maplin later that day
and came across the same product labelled "Model 2000MU-UK PLUG-IN
POWER MONITOR", which I bought.

The two products' sheets are the same except for such substitutions
as

Congratulations on your purchase, and welcome to Prodigit 2000M
Plug-in power monitor.

Congratulations on your purchase, and welcome to PL09564 Plug-in
power monitor.

and the captions under the figures ("Figure 1 2000M Front Panel";
"Figure 1 PL09564 Front Panel"). Both of them even have the same
"Funcion [sic] Configuration Table".

However, the one from Maplin is rated for "Altitude up to 2000m",
whereas the other is rater for "Altitude up to PL09564".

Hahahahahahaha! Form the PLeiostene period.

For a large database "replace all" is fine but chancy.

For as few changes as were in there, the guy should have stepped
through them one at a time.

Still better than the old chinese translation motherboard manuals used
to be.

 

[JackShephard]

A firm I worked for in the 90's wrote specifications for PUBLIC SAFETY
agencies. Somehow the proofreader's Word spellchecker program decided to
replace PUBLIC with PUBIC throughout the document. Worse yet, the
document was used as a basis for some other clients work.

You're "that top post guy".

You forgot the apostrophe in "client's", dope.

 

[John Nice]

You're "that top post guy".

You forgot the apostrophe in "client's", dope.

Aaah, but it might have been " clients' "

John




---
avast! Antivirus: Outbound message clean.
Virus Database (VPS): 000748-0, 07/06/2007
Tested on: 6/8/2007 13:49:37
avast! - copyright (c) 1988-2007 ALWIL Software.
http://www.avast.com

 

[Kevin S. Wilson]

You're "that top post guy".

You forgot the apostrophe in "client's", dope.

And you forgot the hyphen in the compound modifier "top-post" and
apparently never learned where to place commas in relation to
quotation marks, moron.

HTH. HAND.

 

[Adam Funk]

You're "that top post guy".

You forgot the apostrophe in "client's", dope.

He put it in "90s" instead (conservation of mass).

(What do you want from someone who doesn't know how to post in the
right order and in plain text?)

 

[Bill McCray]

And you forgot the hyphen in the compound modifier "top-post" and
apparently never learned where to place commas in relation to
quotation marks, moron.

I agree about "top-post", but you'd better check up on the differences
between the US and the UK in punctuation conventions concerning
quotation marks, Kevin. Although I live in the US, I have adopted the
UK convention myself. It's more logical than our standard.

Bill

 

[tony cooper]

I agree about "top-post", but you'd better check up on the differences
between the US and the UK in punctuation conventions concerning
quotation marks, Kevin. Although I live in the US, I have adopted the
UK convention myself. It's more logical than our standard.

I agree. I do the same thing. In all the years I've been posting in
alt.usage.english and alt.english.usage no one's ever commented on
this being wrong or different.

 

[tony cooper]

Either they have you killfiled, or they're so distracted by your
inconsistent use of whitespace after periods ("full stops" to the
non-native English speakers) that

Nothing inconsistent about my use of periods. Bang the thumb twice on
the spacebar after the period at the end of a sentence. Conditioned
response to learning to type in high school on a manual typewriter.

No space after the mark in a newsgroup name. Nor should there be.

Periods are also a "full stop" to a native English speaker if that
native English speaker happens to be from the UK.

OBaeu: What is the mark called in a newsgroup name? It's read out as
alt dot english dot usage, but is there a name for it other than
"dot"?

 

[Doctroid]

I agree. I do the same thing. In all the years I've been posting in
alt.usage.english and alt.english.usage no one's ever commented on
this being wrong or different.

When the English get all smug about how we spell color wrong or
pronounce aluminum wrong or don't know how to use "shall" and "will"
properly I just want to punch their smarmy English teeth down their
condescending English throats.

But when it comes to punctuating in the proximity of quotation marks,
they've got it right and I cheerfully defected to the enemy years ago.

 

[Don Salad]

Periods are also a "full stop" to a native English speaker if that
native English speaker happens to be from the UK.

Handful of straw!
HANDFUL OF STRAW!

Thanks,
Don

 

[Doctroid]

That's weird cos I get the same reaction when people generalise wildly
by lumping all of us in with 'the English'.

That's weird because I have no recollection of ever having lumped "all
of you", whoever that plural you might be (I seem not to be very
successful at reading your mind this morning) in with "the English".

By the way, I don't imagine anyone's really ever told you that you
pronounce 'aluminum' wrong or indeed that you spell 'color' wrong.

Your lack of imagination is not my problem.

 

[Kevin S. Wilson]

I agree about "top-post", but you'd better check up on the differences
between the US and the UK in punctuation conventions concerning
quotation marks, Kevin.

Thanks for the helpful hint, Bill (if that is you're real name). I
assure you that I was quite aware of the differences when I posted,
and quite aware that you were posting from the U.S.

Although I live in the US, I have adopted the
UK convention myself. It's more logical than our standard.

Particularly on a global communication medium such as the Usernet
(TM), your use of the UK conventions is unremarkable, except when
accompanied by a usage flame and name-calling, idiot.

 

[Bill McCray]

Thanks for the helpful hint, Bill (if that is you're real name). I
assure you that I was quite aware of the differences when I posted,
and quite aware that you were posting from the U.S.

My parents named me William, but I choose to go by Bill.

I wouldn't have written except that it looked like you weren't aware
of the difference.

Particularly on a global communication medium such as the Usernet
(TM), your use of the UK conventions is unremarkable, except when
accompanied by a usage flame and name-calling, idiot.

Uh, what flame? And the only name I called you was Kevin. I think
that was how your post was signed. If not, I apologize. However it
appears that you have called me "idiot", which I think is uncalled
for.

Bill

 

[ehsjr]

That's weird because I have no recollection of ever having lumped "all
of you", whoever that plural you might be (I seem not to be very ^^^^^^^
whomever
successful at reading your mind this morning) in with "the English".




Your lack of imagination is not my problem.

 

[[email protected]]

^^^^^^^
whomever

Wrong. I'm sure the kind folks in a.u.e can explain why. Or the
unkind ones.

BW

 

[Otto Bahn]

^^^^^^^
whomever

It tolls for thee, silly.

--oTTo--

 

[Martin Ambuhl]

Doctroid wrote:
^^^^^^^
whomever

Would you care to explain the basis of your hypercorrection? I
understand that you might have some difficulty, since you are without
any doubt completely wrong.

 

[Adam Funk]

It tolls for thee, silly.

You missplet "trolls".

 

[Glenn Knickerbocker]

Uh, what flame? And the only name I called you was Kevin. I think
that was how your post was signed. If not, I apologize. However it
appears that you have called me "idiot", which I think is uncalled
for.

I don't know, which do you think is uncalled for? We usually end
questions with question marks (or interrobangs) around here, by the
way. And just how many ways can it appear that Kevin has called you
"idiot," anyway?

¬R