RE: Should software documenters learn to read code?

Subject: RE: Should software documenters learn to read code?
From: "Downing, David" <DavidDowning -at- users -dot- com>
To: "John Posada" <jposada99 -at- gmail -dot- com>
Date: Thu, 12 Feb 2009 09:27:56 -0600

You don't think that really getting into the code could influence your
thinking?

-----Original Message-----
From: John Posada [mailto:jposada99 -at- gmail -dot- com]
Sent: Thursday, February 12, 2009 10:10 AM
To: Downing, David
Cc: techwr-l -at- lists -dot- techwr-l -dot- com
Subject: Re: Should software documenters learn to read code?

> But there is a danger. One reason programmers tend to make bad
> documenters is that they think in terms of the mechanics of the
program,
> rather than in terms of the tasks the end user needs to perform. I
> technical writer who starts reading code might start thinking this way
> as well.

David...technical writers don't think in terms of tasks because they
don't know something. They think in those terms because they DO know
something; that it's the right way to do what they do.

I don't think that knowing how to read some code is going to change
that, unless they think that way to begin with.
--
John Posada
Senior Technical Writer
NYMetro STC President

Looking for the next gig.
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References:
Should software documenters learn to read code?: From: Downing, David
Re: Should software documenters learn to read code?: From: John Posada

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