August 22nd, 2007

Disclaimers and such

Statements made in a general sense may have exceptions even if such exceptions are not explicitly acknowledged. Example: “Dogs have four legs.” There are dogs which do not have four legs, but as a general rule, dogs have four legs. Statements are not independently fact-checked. They are based on personal experience and recollection, augmented by informed guesswork. Statements may even be intentionally incorrect for rhetorical purposes, for example, to avoid getting distracted by a side topic, or because it’s a joke. Not all quotation marks indicate literal quotation; some may represent an imaginary conversation or a fictionalization of a real conversation. All quotations are subject to editing, for example for reasons of space or privacy, but such editing is not meant to alter the basic sense of the original statement. Phrases such as “some people” do not exclude the possibility that those people may be Microsoft employees. Microsoft employees are people, too. Similarly, “some programs” might include Microsoft programs. There is no correction policy. Statements do not establish the official position of Microsoft Corporation. Recommendations and advice are those of the author (or people and organizations the author trusts). Contents are provided “AS IS” with no warranties and confer no rights.

In summary, readers are expected to employ critical thinking skills to evaluate statements in context.

Author

Raymond has been involved in the evolution of Windows for more than 30 years. In 2003, he began a Web site known as The Old New Thing which has grown in popularity far beyond his wildest imagination, a development which still gives him the heebie-jeebies. The Web site spawned a book, coincidentally also titled The Old New Thing (Addison Wesley 2007). He occasionally appears on the Windows Dev Docs Twitter account to tell stories which convey no useful information.

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