creating online Help for Java applications

["Martin, Chuck" <chuckm -at- EVOLVESOFTWARE -dot- COM>]

I just began a new job for a company that is developing applications
written in Java (not applets). I am trying to find out if anyone has any
experience in creating online Help for Java applications, and if so,
what tools they used.

Currently I know of 5 that are specifically for Java applications:

*       JavaHelp (from Sun, due to be released 1Q or 2Q next year)
*       HotJava HTML Component
*       Helplet
*       jHelp
*       Jelp

Has anyone used any of these tools? Can anyone give me recommendations
one way or another? Do other tools exist? What about the ease of
integrating these tools with the programming environments (we use
Symantec's Cafe)?

Background: this Java application will run on multiple platforms. It
will not require a web browser. HTML probably isn't a good option,
largely because (as I understand it) Java 1.0 has no capability to
display HTML, although Java 1.1 apparently does.

I can find no other newsgroup or mailing list that deals with online
Help in general, although I know that the WINHLP-L list is taking on a
lot of HTML-based Help messages. Any sources where this question might
also get useful responses are also appreciated.

"You don't look American."
"Everyone looks American, because Americans are from everywhere."
                                                            - Doonesbury
Chuck Martin
Technical Writer
Evolve Software                  | Personal
chuckm -at- evolvesoftware -dot- com        | writer -at- grin -dot- net
www.evolvesoftware.com           | www.grin.net/~writer

Posts: mailto:techwr-l -at- listserv -dot- okstate -dot- edu
Commands: mailto:listserv -at- listserv -dot- okstate -dot- edu (e.g. SIGNOFF TECHWR-L)
Archives: http://listserv.okstate.edu/archives/techwr-l.html,
	http://www.documentation.com/, or http://www.dejanews.com/
Subjects: JOB:, QUESTION:, SUMMARY:, ANNOUNCE:, or none of these.