Style guides for software documentation

If you need to write online help, a reference manual, or a user guide, we recommend the following style guides:

Read Me First! A Style Guide for the Computer Industry. Sun Technical Publications, 2003. ISBN 0-13-142899-3. Read Me First! is the best practical style guide that we know about.
Microsoft Manual of Style for Technical Publications, Third Edition. Microsoft Corporation Editorial Style Board, 2004. ISBN 0-7356-1746-5. Microsoft Manual of Style has much information about technical terms.
Apple Publications Style Guide explains the style and the use of Apple terms, including user interface terms (http://developer.apple.com/documentation/UserExperience/Conceptual/APStyleGuide/APSG_2008.pdf). The Apple style guide gives guidance on glossaries, indexes, and writing for an international audience.
The Missing Manual Authors' Guide (http://missingmanuals.com/author_guide_v3.pdf) is for technical authors who write for the Missing Manual series. The style guide contains useful general advice.

General style guides

Other excellent style guides are available, but they are for professional technical writers. We think that the style guides in the list above are the most suitable for people who are not professional technical writers, but who must produce software user documentation as part of their work.

A good free download is NASA SP-7084 Grammar, Punctuation, and Capitalization (www.sti.nasa.gov/publish/sp7084.pdf). The document is for technical editors.

For excellent general advice, see:

The Oxford Manual of Style
The Chicago Manual of Style
The Elements of Style, William Strunk (free to view, www.bartleby.com/141/)