I develop software, and by extension write a lot of text intended for another person, ranging from on-screen labels, full-blown user manuals, FAQs, tips, e-mails, even comments in code. Having to write means that when I read, I do so with a critical eye.I'm not qualified to give a complete overview of writing styles for different situations, but I can tell you one thing I hate wherever I read it: anthropomorphism.Anthropomorphism is making something human (see the Wikipedia definition here) - for example, the way help text is presented using the Office Assistant (Clippy). Any text that describes a non-human...