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Topic : Re: Formatting to show system errors in fiction? Okay, here's the thing. I'll keep it simple. I use double quotes for general dialogues. Single quotes for flashback dialogues and italicized letters - selfpublishingguru.com

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Short Answer....
Yes. Doable.

But, there are a few other things programmers do...

Formatting the Text with Decorators...

Often times, computer errors will be presented with some type of inline decoration. It is generally safe to assume that putting the '>' character in front of every new line of text will help make your error text look like computer generated text. Example:

>kernel error: line segmentation fault in address 0x83af3a

Some programmers will add additional decorations for bringing the viewers eye to the fact that a warning is present:

>::SYSTEM ERROR - FAULT CRASH:: line segmentation dump on daemon 0x002201

Proper Font Selection is your Best Friend...

The standard computer code font is some variation of 'Courier.' So, your original hunch is solid on font selection.

You could also investigate other fonts, especially if two computers are communicating. To do so, you'd probably want to incorporate multiple computer type fonts which need to look hard-core, no-frills. These fonts will be monospaced. There are many examples of it on the web. Here's another link that lists other programming fonts: hivelogic.com/articles/top-10-programming-fonts Most of these are good choices, but I'd stay away from any that have rounded corners.

Using Good Jargon....

I know the OP hasn't asked about this specifically, but I'd recommend getting to know some cool and useful computer jargon. Some catchy and ultra techy computer terms that could add authenticity are:

kernel
dump
address
0x000000 <--- the hexadecimal representation of numbers where each digit is 0-9 and a-f. So this is a perfect example: 0xaa983d.
stack
heap
compiler
interpreter
command list
argv*
varargs
instruction set

Programmer syntax...

Anything that a programmer writes for a human to read will be short, to the point, and nearly devoid of emotion. So, the errors and reports in your story, would be more authentic if the text was extremely abbreviated with shortened sentences that border on sentence fragments.


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