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Subject:Two Techwriting Issues From:Matthew Wong <wong -at- ACEC -dot- COM> Date:Fri, 17 Dec 1993 12:37:20 PST
Dear Techwriters,
"Bitter constraint and sad occasion dear
Compels me to disturb your season due;" (Milton, Lycidas)
Indeed, debates in my documentation dept. has prompted this call for advice
in regard to the following two issues:
Issue 1:
We are presently rewriting our reference manuals, and a proposal has been made
to rewrite them in the second person instead of the third person. In essence,
where
the old manual addresses the user as user, the new manuals will now address the
user
as you. I would appreciate some opinions on this matter.
Issue 2:
As we rewrite the new manuals (in Framemaker 4), we are hoping that we can
easily use the
files to develop the on-line help for the Windows applications that these
manuals document.
Unfortunately, as far as we know, all Windows online help packages (such as
RoboHelp) use
Microsoft Word files. This makes it necessary to maintain two files: the
Framemaker file for
the documentation and the Word file for the on-line help. Can anyone out there
offer some
possible resolution to this matter.
Thanks for your interest in these matters. Best to you and yours for the
holidays and the
new year.
