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Date: Wed, 22 Jan 1997 08:39:44 -0600
From: peter@taronga.com (Peter da Silva)
Message-Id: <199701221439.IAA10759@bonkers.taronga.com>
To: doc@freebsd.org
Subject: Re: Typographic conventions
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In-Reply-To: <32D2D2C5.700C@fsl.noaa.gov>
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The convention I try to use is that computer text is typewriter font, with
bold for emphasis and oblique for variable material. For example, using HTML
markup because I'm not that familiar with the SGML yet:

Usage: <code>ls [-<i>options</i>] [<i>filename</i>...]</code>

In an example, I have user input bold, computer output plain:

<pre>
prompt% <b>ftp <i>site</i></b>
Username: (<i>site</i>:<i>yourname</i>): <b><i>CR</i></b>
Password: <b><i>your-email-address</i></b>
ftp> <b>binary</b>
Type set to I
...
</pre>


In article <32D2D2C5.700C@fsl.noaa.gov> you write:
>> Command- Executable program, or the entry a user makes to execute a command

>Urg.  Good question.

Typewriter font, possibly boldface.

>> ComputerOutput- Data presented to the user by a computer

>Fixed width font.

Typewriter font, distinguishable from input.

>> Function- Subroutine in a program or external library

>Body copy font.

Typewriter font.

>> GUIButton- Text on a button in a graphical user interface

>Body copy font, but with capitalization verbatim from the UI.

If the copy font is serif (which it should be) I'd make GUI elements
san-serif, since most GUI text is san-serif. It's a handy visual cue.