RE: official Note, Caution, Warning text for software, data, electronic devices?

["Gagne, Bernard (Bolton)" <bgagne@xxxxxxxx>]

The definitions below are from the Microsoft Style Guide:

Warnings
A warning advises users that failure to take or avoid a specific action
could result in physical harm to the user or the hardware. Use a warning,
not a caution, when such damage is possible.

Caution
Advises users that failure to take or avoid a specified action could result
in loss of data.

Notes
A note with the heading "Note" indicates neutral or positive information
that emphasizes or supplements important points of the main text. A note
supplies information that may apply only in special cases - for example,
memory limitations, equipment configurations, or details that apply to
specific versions of a program.

Best Regards,
Berny Gagne
Sr. Technical Writer
Husky Injection Molding Systems
Bolton, Ontario, Canada


-----Original Message-----
From: Stevens, Karen (GE Healthcare, non-ge)
[mailto:Karen.Stevens@xxxxxxxxxx] 
Sent: Wednesday, October 06, 2004 3:11 PM
To: framers@xxxxxxxxx
Subject: OT: official Note, Caution, Warning text for software, data,
electronic devices?

Hi all -- forgive the OT thread, but I first read about it here (years ago),
so thought some of you might remember... 'cause I sure can't find the info I
want online.

Regulatory wants us to use ANSI-standardized text for the explanations of
what Note, Caution, and Warning imply. The problem is, we're shipping
software -- so the equipment-centric definitions of these don't really
apply. (If a "Warning" means "imminent death if you do (or don't do)
something", I generally can't designate a bit of text as a "Warning".) 

Several years and companies ago, we used a different set of standardized
meanings for Note, Caution, and Warning. These were for data, electronic
devices, and the like, relating to data loss, equipment damage, and the
like. Those would be much more appropriate for 95% of what I'm working on. 

Does anyone know what standards the latter group of meanings is from? (The
more specific the info, the better... since we'll need to run the standards
by Regulatory if we want to use the text.) 

If we can't find those particular standards, does anyone have a good set of
synonyms for Note, Caution, and Warning? 

Many thanks...

K. Ananda Stevens
Contract Tech Writer
currently writing for GE Medical Systems



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