A "threefer": Mentoring help/'leaf vs. Frame/Assistance

["JACK P. SHAW" <jsh -at- SOFTWARE-AG -dot- DE>]

The mentoring idea for folks new to the tech. comm. field is
"topseying"--hopefully to the delight of everyone involved.

This started out as a question, but thanks to those of you with
some professional time under your (black?) belts that are willing
to share your experiences, one on one, it's beginning to be what
just could become a "first" for Internet (?)

But the 1:1 ratio of mentors to "mentees" means that more of the
former (mentors) are needed. Those of you who would be willing
to share/guide newcomers to the fold, here's a chance to help
someone avoid any mistakes you might have made, and to profit
from their experience, as well.

By the way, I have in no way set myself up as arbiter or honcho
of this thing. It's up to you as participants, which way it goes.
I will delight in being, to the best ability allows, an also-ran
just like the rest. But for the interim, I am pleased to serve as
middleperson to get things going, as needed.

So, anybody want to share their accumulated wisdom/mistakes/joys/etc.
with a willing partner? If so, just let me know and I'll send you
a list. To save us all time, I've asked mentors/mentees to indicate
preferences (female/others, software/hardware/mechanical industry,
etc.) to avoid mismatches and needless apologies, right from the
start.

Of course, mentees beyond those already signed on are welcome...
just please be patient until more mentors come on board.

Thanks to all...

                         ***

Second point: 'leaf vs. Framemaker indexing "bout".

I've only "digested" the thing so far. But as a seven-year vet.
of an intimate love/hate affair with 'leaf and having no knowledge
of Framemaker who just happens to be making a buy/steal decision
for a PC base, I have to ask: is Framemaker a keyword/kwic (tag-
the-word-in-the-text indexer?

If so, I don't see how one can compare, regardless of the scope
(library or "global" against book/document or "local"). The
mechanics of 'leaf for making a global/master index are certainly
not intuitive (being a keyboarder and not a rodent driver, this
grouch still bridles at the demise of 'leaf's PCEditor for
indexing and harmonizing entries--the low relearning curve isn't
a strong suit in the 'leaf world, IMEO...).

For example, having to move books themselves into a phoney
"book" just to run a master index is giving in to the software
developer's ignorance of the 'leaf user's world (and no online
help here to tell you of this illogic). And I don't even try to
use page number ranges anymore when they don't let you choose
a range separator longer than the chapter numbering separator
to avoid a page range indication that looks like a Russian license
plate number (I know, I know--but that's a separate thread,
and unto every purpose there is a use, to paraphrase Pete S.)

But are they really functionally comparable?

                        ***

Last point on Jim Gifford's suggestion to C. Fisher for a
class exercise:

Amen.

In my view, there isn't a better ROI choice than QFILER and the
ZIP family of (what I still assume are) shareware programs. For me,
they're the most-used PC prog's, and have shown themselves to
be worth much more than they cost. You'll give your students
something for just about any PC-related arena they enter, and
not just another theoretical exercise. I switched from my old
Etch-a-Sketch exercise in my evening class for my German tech.
comm. students here to the same thing, and I still get comments
back on how good the QFILER/ZIP stuff is...and what they got out
of it.

Jack Shaw/jsh -at- software-ag -dot- de
Software AG, D-64672
Darmstadt, Germany