Wired Style: The Manual of Style? - I think not.

I've been thinking more about Wired Style, and I just think that it's a failure as as far as a decent style manual is concerned. I think it really should be overhauled because it assumes that the reader knows how to recognize computer jargon or how to write. I guess it's unclear just who the book's audience is. For example, lots of literary style manuals like the MLA are written for people who kinda already write analytical papers, but it's broken down enough that you can get started if you've never written one before. If someone who hasn't really known how writing in print transfers to the internet or even how to write online or how to write about computer-related things, they won't get much out of the book. There should be an appendix of symbols and a separate appendix of abbreviations, as well as maybe a nifty timeline of important computer/writing events, just to put things in perspective. It's just not useful the way it's written, and I'm surprised that they haven't jumped on that "let's make a revision of the book every year just to make an extra buck" and instead they haven't really updated it at all. I might have to make my own revision (but of course, that takes work)
As for the style manual part, it doesn't tell you what the rules are, only that you should break them.
I say, to break or even bend the rules, you have to know what they are first. That is all.

P.S. Carl's comment on the "abandonment of all rules of English" is really funny if you haven't read it. (11/07/04)