TO: Specified Recipients

FROM: Brian Horch

DATE: September 12, 2019

SUBJECT: GCC Installation Manual Analysis

For this assignment I have chosen to analyze the installation manual for the GNU Compiler
Collection (GCC). GCC is a common piece of free software that is used to compile code from
several languages, such as C and C++, into machine language for various versions of Linux. The
installation manual can be found online at https://gcc.gnu.org/install/.

The Rhetorical Situation

GCC is a piece of software for computers that run a Linux operating system. This results in many
differences in how the installation is handled because there is no one unified “Linux” operating
system. This causes it to be different than a manual for a similar program for other operating
systems, like Windows or MacOS, which are homogenous. In addition, GCC is a piece of open
source software. This fact makes it very different from similar pieces of non-open source
software in many ways. These differences include the fact that the audience for the manual is
different than that of similar software. The open-source nature of the software creates an
audience that is not just someone who is looking for a specific program, but one that is looking
for an open source Linux program. This leads to design choices like using a common font for
Linux terminals whenever something that is seen in a terminal is shown and reminding people to
look at specific installation instructions for their specific system.

The complex installation method required for the software necessitates the existence of the
manual. If this manual did not exist, few people would be able to deduce the steps necessary to
properly install the software. If that were the case, the software would be meaningless since the
point of software is to be used. In addition, the program is a compiler, which are specifically
designed to be used only by people who can write code. These factors trim the audience to those
with a certain level of technical skill. This fact is exploited by the manual for brevity and self-
improvement, the latter of which is a notable trait of open source software.

The fact that the document is a manual is not lost on the authors. Since the primary goal of the
writing is to get instructions across, most formal writing conventions are not used. This fact
informs many of the design choices used throughout the manual. Examples of this include the
existence of several lists, (most of the configuration section is a large list of all the configuration
options and what they do), varying fonts, and line breaks after every point. All these decisions;
however, are still good, since they provide some other benefit that helps the manual do what it is
designed to do, instruct.
How the Authors Handle the Rhetorical Situation

Since this manual is designed to instruct an already skilled audience, the tone carries a
considerable amount of importance. If the tone is too condescending, people may simply ignore
the manual out of pride, leading to many lost hours of work and potentially worse. To prevent
the tone of the manual from becoming condescending, the authors decided to only include the
instructions that were important for installing the software. This means that there is little
secondary instruction and information was added. Readers who are less technically skilled, or
even less informed, will have to learn additional information in order to even fully understand
the manual, let alone follow its instructions properly. However, this is less of a problem than it
initially seems because the audience is already presumed to be of notable skill and have
considerable knowledge of how to use their computer and what each instruction is doing.
Therefore, the lack of supplementary information is a good idea in the long run.

The authors build credibility in two distinct ways. First, they all come from the same group of
people who made GCC in the first place. Therefore, they have experience with using the
software and that experience transfers into credibility. Second, the audience can send feedback
directly to the authors. Normally a system like this would not be very effective, but since the
intended audience is also skilled, it allows for potential flaws in the manual to be found and
corrected quickly. These two methods of building credibility create a logical appeal which
informs the reader that the manual will provide the correct instructions. Because the main goal of
the manual is to instruct, this appeal is all the authors need to strive to. Therefore, they do not
need to attempt to create other types of appeal.

In terms of format, most of the manual is in plain text. There is very little in terms of stylistic
variation and there are no visual aids. However, there is one major variation in font for shell
commands and arguments. This one variation, which is only in font and occasionally background
color stands in stark contrast to the rest of the manual. The fact that items that directly involve
commands are the only ones to be in a different font is a crucial decision. Since there is only one
set of items, there is no ambiguity as to what the different font means. This is especially
important because commands must be delivered accurately, or else problems would arise that
would take hours to diagnose and fix. In addition, the manual is text only, and that makes it a
small computer file. This makes it easier to share with others, a feature that is always welcome
with anything that is open source. These ideas further the goals of the authors by making the
manual simpler, and therefore more usable.

Is the Document Effective?

The manual is effective, given that its audience is meant to be technically experienced and able
to fully understand the instructions. This manual has the benefit of being direct and to the point.
If you were to follow the instructions given, along with version-specific supplementary
instructions, you will successfully install GCC on your computer without a problem. This
straightforwardness makes the manual very effective at its goal. Since any manual has only one
goal, to instruct a person on how to do something, and this manual does do that effectively, this
manual is effective.
There is one major problem that should not be overlooked. The manual is only effective if you
understand the instructions. If you do not understand the instructions, it is more than likely that
you will fail to install the program properly and must start from scratch again. On one hand, this
is a problem that all manuals must grapple with, and this one clearly does an average job at best.
On the other hand, this manual has a far more specific target audience than most, and this fact
mitigates the problem somewhat, making the manual less ineffective than it would be if it were
to have a more general audience. Therefore, the manual is still effective with this consideration;
although, it is less effective than it could have been.

Recommendations for Revision

This manual has several notable flaws which could use some revision. First and foremost, the
entire manual is arcane at best, the instructions imply that you are very familiar with certain core
programs such as “make” as well as the relevant terminology. This could be fixed by simply
stating in the beginning what skills the manual will presume you have and provide links to
supplementary material that can teach those skills. However, this change should be considered
thoroughly since it could shift the tone to a more condescending one if handled poorly.
Therefore, this revision is recommended with the knowledge that it is not an unconditional
improvement.

Another possible revision is to make the article more than black text on a white background. This
makes it so that the article is less homogenous and, by extension, harder to get lost in as you are
looking back and forth between it and your screen. This could be done in many ways, such as
making subsections with distinct headers or highlighting important passages. However, like the
former revision, this one has drawbacks as well. If these changes were to go into effect, the file
size would be larger, and you run the risk of the manual to not properly display on programs that
it can display on currently. The drawback is not as large as the previous revision’s, but it is still
there, and could inhibit accessibility. Therefore, I suggest having two versions of this manual,
one that is just plain text, and one that is more readable.