Justify My Love (But Please Not My Text)
Oooh, I feel sorry for you, Dina. You're dealing with someone who's got decidedly old-fashioned views on writing and typography. Being the new kid on the block, you need to tread carefully here. But it is possible to show her the light. It's been my experience that people generally do things in a particular way because they don't know any better, and conversely, rarely argue at length with an objective source (better yet, several sources). It's all in how you show them. You could try offering to redo the Frame template, one of your areas of expertise. Or you could mention that you've noticed a few things that vary from standard practice in tech writing/typography/whatever field you want to mention. Then I'd get a copy of the Microsoft Manual of Style to deal with the "click on X" and "is displayed" problems, and get out Robin Williams' great book The Mac (or PC) Is Not a Typewriter or any other of her books (I have one I can lend you if you like), in which she talks about how justified text is harder to read. And be prepared to persevere if you don't win in this round. Keep gently pointing out good examples of published manuals (Oh look! What a nice manual! Looks as if they've used X font...). Good luck, and remember time and the crushing weight of overwhelming evidence are on your side...