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Andrew wrote:
> Chaos gets a really bad rap in many circles, and that is
> unfortunate. Chaos can be a very good thing. Chaotic
> environments can be very creative. Generally new things
> come from chaos, not from order.
I agree wholeheartedly. It's important to recognize the
strengths of both chaos and order: chaos can be inspiring
and can yield unpredictable results, which can be a good
thing; order can be efficient and can yield predictable
results, which can be a good thing.
> Hackos book contains a lot of interesting ideas that are
> more like goals that anything really usable. I have seen
> at least a dozen or more tech pubs organizations strive
> very hard to implement a lot of her ideas only to have
> their organization torn to shreads by layoffs or corporate
> restructuring, once again plunging those people back into
> chaos.
True, but the value of the approach depends on the
environment. In an organization with little face-to-face
communication and a lot of hands in the pie, that kind of
planning and documented signoff becomes pretty important.
> I would rewrite Confucius wisdom for writers to be:
> > "By three methods we may learn technical writing: First by
> education, which is noblest; second by methodology, which
> is easiest; and third by planting your butt in a chair and
> pecking out the damn document, which is the bitterest." -
> Andrew Plato, raging dweeb.
I love it. :-)
- Kate O'
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