Software Documentation by River Pease https://padlet.com/rivpease/6snz3pp67c6t2rgl Rhetorical analysis of software documentation, a genre of writing in the computer science discourse community. en-us 2022-04-11 14:32:11 UTC 2025-10-23 09:25:44 UTC hello@padlet.com https://padlet.net/icons/png/1f4bb.png The Community rivpease https://padlet.com/rivpease/6snz3pp67c6t2rgl/wish/2139273654 In the simplest sense, computer science is the study of the principles and usage of computers. In the computer science community, the majority of writing is professionally practical rather than academically focused. Computer scientists write summaries of errors encountered in code and details on the software development process, not peer-reviewed papers.

I plan on becoming a software developer, and as such, I'll need to be able to write effectively in the computer science community.]]> 2022-04-11 14:37:32 UTC https://padlet.com/rivpease/6snz3pp67c6t2rgl/wish/2139273654 Genres rivpease https://padlet.com/rivpease/6snz3pp67c6t2rgl/wish/2139274733 Project proposals
When proposing an idea for an app, website, or other pieces of software, computer scientists must write project proposals. Proposals tend to include an introduction to the project, the problem intended to be solved, and the methods by which this project will solve that problem.

Software documentation
The documentation describes newly released software. It's intended to detail how computer scientists resolved issues encountered during the development process, help users understand the product, and assist customers and the support team in finding information about the software.

Reports on error detection and resolution
In the development process, computer scientists often have to write reports on errors they encounter during this process. These reports include details on what the error is and how it was resolved.

Code itself
Perhaps the most important writing a computer scientist will do is write code, which is a series of commands designed to solve a problem or perform a task.
]]> 2022-04-11 14:38:13 UTC https://padlet.com/rivpease/6snz3pp67c6t2rgl/wish/2139274733 Circulation rivpease https://padlet.com/rivpease/6snz3pp67c6t2rgl/wish/2139276120 Because the primary writing in computer science is specific to a certain product/piece of software, most of this rhetoric is posted by the creators of the products, typically to company websites. 

GitHub is an online platform used to spread information about software. More specifically, GitHub is a service that helps developers store and manage their code, as well as track and control changes to their code.

When it comes to general information about computer science, the following are all industry sources to stay up-to-date on goings-on (in no particular order):
1. MIT Technology Review
2. W3Schools
3. WIRED
4. Science Daily
5. Tech XPlore]]> 2022-04-11 14:38:55 UTC https://padlet.com/rivpease/6snz3pp67c6t2rgl/wish/2139276120 Software Documentation Details and Examples rivpease https://padlet.com/rivpease/6snz3pp67c6t2rgl/wish/2139277460 2022-04-11 14:39:41 UTC https://padlet.com/rivpease/6snz3pp67c6t2rgl/wish/2139277460 Forms of Software Documentation rivpease https://padlet.com/rivpease/6snz3pp67c6t2rgl/wish/2139278635 1. User tutorials that demonstrate how to perform tasks
2. Printed manuals or books with step-by-step instructions
3. Knowledge bases and FAQ pages on a company’s website]]> 2022-04-11 14:40:27 UTC https://padlet.com/rivpease/6snz3pp67c6t2rgl/wish/2139278635 Rhetorical Analysis rivpease https://padlet.com/rivpease/6snz3pp67c6t2rgl/wish/2139281348 2022-04-11 14:41:59 UTC https://padlet.com/rivpease/6snz3pp67c6t2rgl/wish/2139281348 Exigence rivpease https://padlet.com/rivpease/6snz3pp67c6t2rgl/wish/2139281984 Software documentation is written and created after a new piece of software is released. The exigence for documentation, or the inspiration for its creation, comes from the need for people to understand how to use the new software. Documentation helps the layperson know how to use software, and it helps developers understand how a certain product was made.]]> 2022-04-11 14:42:22 UTC https://padlet.com/rivpease/6snz3pp67c6t2rgl/wish/2139281984 Audience rivpease https://padlet.com/rivpease/6snz3pp67c6t2rgl/wish/2139283503 Software documentation is written for two groups: users of the product and other computer scientists/developers. Users of the product benefit from documentation because it helps them understand how to use a product. Developers benefit from documentation because it allows them to understand how a product was made in case they want to adopt some features of the product in their own work.]]> 2022-04-11 14:43:16 UTC https://padlet.com/rivpease/6snz3pp67c6t2rgl/wish/2139283503 Context rivpease https://padlet.com/rivpease/6snz3pp67c6t2rgl/wish/2139311417 The typical writer of software documentation varies greatly from company to company. Some of the best developers are entirely self taught, while many others have computer science or computer engineering degrees from a university. Education aside, software documentation is written by software developers. Documentation is usually created by a group rather than an individual, each developer creating documentation for the respective parts of the product they created. These developers have worked to build a piece of software from scratch over a few months or even years, and are thus intimately familiar with the product they document.]]> 2022-04-11 14:58:58 UTC https://padlet.com/rivpease/6snz3pp67c6t2rgl/wish/2139311417 rivpease https://padlet.com/rivpease/6snz3pp67c6t2rgl/wish/2139819073 2022-04-11 20:52:11 UTC https://padlet.com/rivpease/6snz3pp67c6t2rgl/wish/2139819073 Constraints rivpease https://padlet.com/rivpease/6snz3pp67c6t2rgl/wish/2139820534 Because software documentation can take on many forms, it is a loose writing genre. The only constraint on the writing is its purpose: software documentation must in some way describe a piece of software. Additionally, documentation must be easily accessible so that everyone who uses the product can have access to the documentation if they so choose.]]> 2022-04-11 20:53:43 UTC https://padlet.com/rivpease/6snz3pp67c6t2rgl/wish/2139820534 rivpease https://padlet.com/rivpease/6snz3pp67c6t2rgl/wish/2141274128 2022-04-12 18:13:19 UTC https://padlet.com/rivpease/6snz3pp67c6t2rgl/wish/2141274128 Knowledge Base rivpease https://padlet.com/rivpease/6snz3pp67c6t2rgl/wish/2142450563 Padlet.com has a "Features" section of their website. This section is software documentation, as it details how to use the software product Padlet.]]> 2022-04-13 14:06:53 UTC https://padlet.com/rivpease/6snz3pp67c6t2rgl/wish/2142450563 User Tutorial rivpease https://padlet.com/rivpease/6snz3pp67c6t2rgl/wish/2142455328 W3Schools contains documentation on using a variety of coding languages. This "HTML Tutorial" section describes everything you can do with the code language HTML, which is used to build websites.]]> 2022-04-13 14:09:54 UTC https://padlet.com/rivpease/6snz3pp67c6t2rgl/wish/2142455328 Printed Materials rivpease https://padlet.com/rivpease/6snz3pp67c6t2rgl/wish/2142510559 The creator of the coding language C++, Bjarne Stroustrup, wrote a book with all features of the language included.]]> 2022-04-13 14:45:06 UTC https://padlet.com/rivpease/6snz3pp67c6t2rgl/wish/2142510559 Developer Guides rivpease https://padlet.com/rivpease/6snz3pp67c6t2rgl/wish/2142515054 Slack has a special website dedicated to explaining how software developers and computer scientists can use their product. This information describes the product AND gives additional information targeted specifically to developers.]]> 2022-04-13 14:47:39 UTC https://padlet.com/rivpease/6snz3pp67c6t2rgl/wish/2142515054 FAQ rivpease https://padlet.com/rivpease/6snz3pp67c6t2rgl/wish/2142521828 Notion.io is an online platform with a section of their website featuring frequently asked questions, documentation of their product, and ways to seek additional support.]]> 2022-04-13 14:51:54 UTC https://padlet.com/rivpease/6snz3pp67c6t2rgl/wish/2142521828 Video Tutorials rivpease https://padlet.com/rivpease/6snz3pp67c6t2rgl/wish/2142544246 Alex Lee creates videos on YouTube teaching the coding language Java. Although he didn't create this language, his videos document how to use Java and are thus considered documentation.]]> 2022-04-13 15:05:29 UTC https://padlet.com/rivpease/6snz3pp67c6t2rgl/wish/2142544246 rivpease https://padlet.com/rivpease/6snz3pp67c6t2rgl/wish/2150300433 2022-04-20 13:17:46 UTC https://padlet.com/rivpease/6snz3pp67c6t2rgl/wish/2150300433 rivpease https://padlet.com/rivpease/6snz3pp67c6t2rgl/wish/2150302161 2022-04-20 13:18:49 UTC https://padlet.com/rivpease/6snz3pp67c6t2rgl/wish/2150302161 rivpease https://padlet.com/rivpease/6snz3pp67c6t2rgl/wish/2150302675 2022-04-20 13:19:04 UTC https://padlet.com/rivpease/6snz3pp67c6t2rgl/wish/2150302675 rivpease https://padlet.com/rivpease/6snz3pp67c6t2rgl/wish/2150303245 2022-04-20 13:19:24 UTC https://padlet.com/rivpease/6snz3pp67c6t2rgl/wish/2150303245 rivpease https://padlet.com/rivpease/6snz3pp67c6t2rgl/wish/2150304114 2022-04-20 13:19:55 UTC https://padlet.com/rivpease/6snz3pp67c6t2rgl/wish/2150304114 References rivpease https://padlet.com/rivpease/6snz3pp67c6t2rgl/wish/2156605178 I referenced the articles below. All images are from Pinterest.]]> 2022-04-25 14:02:09 UTC https://padlet.com/rivpease/6snz3pp67c6t2rgl/wish/2156605178 rivpease https://padlet.com/rivpease/6snz3pp67c6t2rgl/wish/2156606187 2022-04-25 14:02:43 UTC https://padlet.com/rivpease/6snz3pp67c6t2rgl/wish/2156606187 rivpease https://padlet.com/rivpease/6snz3pp67c6t2rgl/wish/2156607724 2022-04-25 14:03:32 UTC https://padlet.com/rivpease/6snz3pp67c6t2rgl/wish/2156607724 rivpease https://padlet.com/rivpease/6snz3pp67c6t2rgl/wish/2156609334 2022-04-25 14:04:19 UTC https://padlet.com/rivpease/6snz3pp67c6t2rgl/wish/2156609334