Hardware Requirements for a New Job

[Beth Agnew]

There's a good case to be made for having a machine to run the product 
on that is as close to the user's typical setup as possible. While it's 
great to have all the bells and whistles on our own working machines, 
for properly documenting the product it's best to see how it runs on a 
system that can't call on a library of .dlls, scripts, or other goodies 
the code might go looking for.

How many of us end up installing the product on the same machine we 
write on? Too many, I'd bet. That's why when it crashes first time you 
install it, the developer always says "Well, it works on MY machine." 
See what your manager says when you ask for TWO computers. :-)

Bill Swallow wrote:
> It has yet to hit me. Really, it's a no-brainer, especially if you're
> documenting multiple products. You need something on par with theirs
> so you have no performance issues and can run VM images if needed.
>
> Me, I'm in a situation where I need VS.NET, as well as VM images, tech
> writing tools, and office productivity tools. My demands for machine
> specs are incredibly high, and are justified.
>
> On 10/6/06, John Posada <jposada01 at yahoo.com> wrote:
>> Maybe, maybe not. I can see environments where a technical writer may
>> need to whole Visual Studio suite along with all Microsoft and
>> Borland tools, and in that case, Gene's statement is true...I for one
>> am not one.
>>
>> However, if your management knows that you aren't a developer and yet
>> you ask for a development machine, your request for what you REALLY
>> need may hit a credibility snag.
>

-- 
Beth Agnew
Catch the Buzz: http://bethbuzz.blogspot.com
STC Presentation archived at:
http://www.301url.com/podcasting

Professor, Technical Communication
Seneca College of Applied Arts & Technology
Toronto, ON 416.491.5050 x3133
http://www.tinyurl.com/83u5u