Assistance with Tech Writing Practicum

[Charles Fisher <decrsc!charles -at- UUNET -dot- UU -dot- NET>]

I've been asked to teach a three-week segment of a graduate level
scientific and technical writing course at George Mason University.
The portion that I'm conducting is at the end of the term, when students
get a chance to apply all of the technical writing theory that they've
learned during the semester. The course is being held in a computer lab,
and I'd like to be able to have the students actually play with and write
documentation for a software program.

My question is this: does anyone know of a relatively simple PC-based
piece of software (i.e., one that can run on a 286 or 386 PC from one
floppy, with no hard disk drive) that I could copy and distribute to the
students for free (freeware/shareware)? I've heard of but am not familiar
with these offerings, so I would appreciate any guidance you could give
in getting copies of any software. I hope there are no sticky legal
issues here; if you think there might be problems in this area, please
advise.

I will also accept any other advice, both public and private.  Send
private responses to the email address below.

Thanks!
----
Charles Fisher
Senior Documentation Specialist
Program Manager/President-Elect, STC Washington DC Chapter

Datatel, Inc.
4375 Fair Lakes Court
Fairfax, VA  22033
(703) 968-4588 (voice)
(703) 968-4625 (FAX)
charles -at- datatel -dot- com