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I Wekcomed Clippy's Disappearance

That stupid cartoon paper-clip, and another Microsoft used (an asterisk I think) were childish, needless gimmicks; and worse, were frankly patronising.

Microsoft software generally is bloated with needless ornamenting etc., but I don't like it trying dictate my style as well.

Why when MS 'Word' recognises a document is a letter, does it try to tell me how to write it? It does not need recognise it anyway.

The normal polite endings for letters are Yours Sincerely (informal use) and Yours Faithfully (formal, e.g. business). Not the Yours Truly some MS programmer wants me to use. Obviously the endings on more intimate letters between relatives, close friends or lovers are open to your own versions, like "Best wishes", or "Love".

I am accustomed to dates as day-month-year - I do not want some bloke 6000 miles away in California trying to change it to his own format.

I know the Greek and Roman plurals: formulae and fora, not formulas and forums as MS tries to enforce. (I also respect their etymology, which controls the spelling hence often the meaning, though that's not a Microsoft matter.)

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Basically, if I need technical help, I expect only the formal, direct, indexed Help glossary. I don't want puerile gimmicks and was very grateful that MS eventually dropped its animated paper-clip and asterisk.
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Sharon · F
My understanding is that letters beginning "Dear Sir/Madam" end with "Yours faithfully" and those beginning "Dear Mr/Ms" end "Yours sincerely". Also that, to be completely formal, letters to a business should always begin "Dear Sir" because one is writing to the office (deemed masculine), not the person.

"Yours truly" was an ending for letters beginning "Dear [first name]" but it seems to have fallen out of use. As I see it, if I know a person by first name I can devise my own ending appropriate to our relationship. In emails, "(Kind) Regards" seems quite common in all cases.
ArishMell · 70-79, M
@Sharon Oh, that is more or less as I always understood it, but Yours Truly that MS 'Word' tries to enforce among its other clutter, is an Americanism. So I regard my using it, as a Briton living in Britain, as much an affectation as calling my home, chez [Mell].

Informal letters, I agree, we begin and end with whatever is appropriate to the individuals, but I think the rise in "Dear Sir/Madam" is due to social egg-shell treading.
HoeBag · 51-55, F
@Sharon I wonder if the reason they got rid of the paper clip is because MS Office is not cheap and they figured that if someone bought it or is even using it, they mean business and not just chicken scratching BS like one does on a text file.
Sharon · F
@HoeBag I suppose that's possible. I don't touch M$ products myself. I run Linux and use OpenOffice for word processing etc.