RSS Feeds
Scott Abel
abelsp at netdirect.net
Sat Sep 16 05:37:54 MDT 2006
RSS feeds can and are indeed playing a BIG role in the delivery of the
right technical information to the right people in the right format at
a time of their choosing. I'll be chatting about RSS at both the
upcoming Documentation and Training Conference in boston and again at
the annual STC conference in Minneapolis next year. The prospects for
RSS are many. The primary challenge is not technology, it's changing
the way we create content that is the obstacle.
RSS readers can also be a challenge depending on what types of content
you want to syndicate and whether or not you are creating modular,
reusable XML content from the start. RSS readers are a lot like web
browsers -- you can't control which ones your user chooses to use (in
most circumstances) and that variety of choice introduces some
challenges.
In short, to accomplish anything significant with RSS, you need content
created with rich metadata and a strategy for delivery that addresses
the current shortcoming of the tools used to view RSS. That said, there
is BIG money and saving in RSS, so don't expect it to go away. If it's
not already on your radar screen, it should be.
More on this topic in the coming weeks.
Scott Abel
TheContentWrangler.com
New Contact Information
The Content Wrangler, Inc.
Office: +1 (317) 466.1840 Skype: abelsp
abelsp at netdirect.net www.thecontentwrangler.com
On Sep 7, 2006, at 2:00 AM, techwr-l-request at lists.techwr-l.com wrote:
> Send TECHWR-L mailing list submissions to
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> popular Help file format or printed documentation. Learn more at
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> ---
>
>
> Today's Topics:
>
> 1. Novice tech writer seeking advice on tools. (? ?)
> 2. RE: How you take notes in SME interviews (Monica Cellio)
> 3. Re: RoboHelp: How to make help for Linux platform?
> (Khizran Kaleem)
> 4. Re: Converting HTML docs to PDFs (Stuart Burnfield)
> 5. RE: Converting HTML docs to PDFs (Inbar, Paul)
> 6. Google Versioning? (Wade Courtney)
> 7. Re: RoboHelp: How to make help for Linux platform?
> (Khizran Kaleem)
> 8. Re: Integrating help with web based application (Khizran Kaleem)
> 9. Re: Converting HTML docs to PDFs (Ken Munro)
> 10. RE: Converting HTML docs to PDFs (Mike Feimster)
> 11. RE: Novice tech writer seeking advice on tools. (Martinek, Carla)
> 12. Re: Novice tech writer seeking advice on tools. (paul priola)
> 13. RE: Integrating help with web based application
> (Zuercher, Darrell)
> 14. Re: Novice tech writer seeking advice on tools. (Al Geist)
> 15. Training technical writers (Ron Scheer)
> 16. RE: Converting HTML docs to PDFs (Joyce Fetterman)
> 17. RE: Training technical writers (Robotti, Anne (Carlin))
> 18. RE: How you take notes in SME interviews (Diane Brennan)
> 19. Meaning of the slash (/) mark (C)
> 20. Troubleshooting broken cross-references in FrameMaker
> documents converted to PDF (C)
> 21. Re: Training technical writers (David Farbey)
> 22. Re: Novice tech writer seeking advice on tools. (David Loveless)
> 23. RE: Software "ownership" (Dan Goldstein)
> 24. RE: Novice tech writer seeking advice on tools.
> (technical writing plus)
> 25. Training technical writers? (Geoff Hart)
> 26. Programming quotes (Geoff Hart)
> 27. Re: Converting HTML docs to PDFs (Bill Swallow)
> 28. Re: Training technical writers (Dick Margulis)
> 29. Dash It All! -- Lines in FM (Pinkham, Jim)
> 30. RE: The Documentation Being Put Through Qual Assistance
> Process (Agnes Starr)
> 31. RE: Integrating help with web based application (Joe Malin)
> 32. translators (Ronald Schwarz)
> 33. RE: Novice tech writer seeking advice on tools. (Joe Malin)
> 34. RE: Converting HTML docs to PDFs (Joe Malin)
> 35. Simplified English (A.H.)
> 36. Looking for questions to ask in Arbortext training (David Castro)
> 37. Simplified English? (Geoff Hart)
> 38. Meaning of the slash (/) mark? (Geoff Hart)
> 39. RE: Meaning of the slash (/) mark (Combs, Richard)
> 40. Re: Simplified English (bryan johnson)
> 41. RE: Troubleshooting broken cross-references in FrameMaker
> documentsconverted to PDF (Fred Ridder)
> 42. RE: Meaning of the slash (/) mark (Elayne)
> 43. Re: How you take notes in SME interviews (Bill Swallow)
> 44. RE: Simplified English (Andrew Warren)
> 45. RE: Looking for questions to ask in Arbortext training
> (Pinkham, Jim)
> 46. TW Podcast (bryan johnson)
> 47. Re: Dash It All! -- Lines in FM (Keith Hood)
> 48. Re: Meaning of the slash (/) mark (Diana Ost)
> 49. RE: Dash It All! -- Lines in FM (Combs, Richard)
> 50. RE: Dash It All! -- Lines in FM (Pinkham, Jim)
> 51. Creating Thumbnail Index from an Acrobat Text Index
> (Thomas Mereen)
> 52. Re: Novice tech writer seeking advice on tools. (Paul Pehrson)
> 53. RE: The Documentation Being Put Through Qual Assistance
> Process (laura_johnson at agilent.com)
> 54. Consulting Fees (John Werfelmann)
> 55. Re: Looking for questions to ask in Arbortext training
> (David Castro)
>
>
> ----------------------------------------------------------------------
>
> Message: 1
> Date: Wed, 6 Sep 2006 10:39:24 +0800 (CST)
> From: ? ? <ck1168 at yahoo.com>
> Subject: Novice tech writer seeking advice on tools.
> To: techwr-l at lists.techwr-l.com
> Message-ID: <20060906023924.26017.qmail at web30512.mail.mud.yahoo.com>
> Content-Type: text/plain; charset=iso-8859-1
>
> Hello everyone,
>
> I'm new to this list and to tech writing as well. This is my first tech
> writing job. The company makes software and I write the manuals.
>
> I manage about 27 documents, of which 16 are variants of two basic
> documents i.e. 95% of contents are the same. The manuals are small
> averaging 120 pages with around 100 odd images. I'm using Word 2000 and
> RoboHelp to produce MS Word, PDF and Windows HTML Help.
>
> Right now I'm looking for tools that will help manage all these and to
> cut down time on layout/formatting and let me focus on improving the
> contents.
>
> Lately Word has been crashing. I've read up on Framemaker and In Design
> but have never used either. Should I be using Framemaker? or In Design?
> or some other tools?
>
> thanks for reading!
> c.k.tan
>
>
>
> ____________________________________________________
> Yahoo! Singapore Answers
> Real people. Real questions. Real answers. Share what you know at
> http://answers.yahoo.com.sg
>
>
> ------------------------------
>
> Message: 2
> Date: Tue, 5 Sep 2006 23:03:13 -0400 (EDT)
> From: Monica Cellio <cellio at pobox.com>
> Subject: RE: How you take notes in SME interviews
> To: TECHWR-L <techwr-l at lists.techwr-l.com>
> Message-ID: <Pine.BSO.4.58.0609052301470.28738 at callisto.jtan.com>
> Content-Type: TEXT/PLAIN; charset=US-ASCII
>
> I use paper and pen (never pencil), exclusively. I rarely get through
> a
> discussion that doesn't involve *some* non-text notations; paper gives
> me the flexibility for inheritance diagrams, flow diagrams, schematics,
> circles and arrows connecting points after the fact, and even
> cross-outs. The last is particularly interesting to me: if *I* got it
> wrong initially then I have to be careful to make sure my reader
> doesn't
> as well, and if the *SME* changed his mind then this is something to
> follow up in the product itself. (Perhaps the design is unclear, or it
> was clear but we're using it inconsistently. Either way, that's going
> to trickle down to the users if we don't do something about it.
> [Insert
> standard comment about our jobs including being the proxy for the
> user.])
>
> I also sometimes use different pen colors, particularly if we're
> discussing what's in an interface (the signatures, class hierarchy,
> etc)
> versus annotations about why we did it that way. I also sometimes pull
> out the red pen to draw stars next to particularly-important things to
> come back to; text search doesn't always have the same impact.
>
> Monica Cellio
> Senior SDK Developer
>
>
>
>
>
>
> ------------------------------
>
> Message: 3
> Date: Wed, 6 Sep 2006 14:37:32 +0500
> From: "Khizran Kaleem" <khizran at gmail.com>
> Subject: Re: RoboHelp: How to make help for Linux platform?
> To: "Rick Stone" <rstone75 at kc.rr.com>
> Cc: techwr-l at lists.techwr-l.com
> Message-ID:
> <ad16a2c20609060237w115a7af0l1370e89e030592a3 at mail.gmail.com>
> Content-Type: text/plain; charset=ISO-8859-1; format=flowed
>
> Hi Rick,
>
> Thanks for your reply. I am currently using RoboHelp Office 2002 with
> both
> the flavours ofcourse. I have searched throught internet enough to
> find out
> that WebHelp would be cross-browser/cross-platform to some extent. But
> if I
> use a WebHelp output that would mean I would still have to use Windows
> to
> manage the source, right?
>
> Regards :)
> Khizran.
>
> On 8/31/06, Rick Stone <rstone75 at kc.rr.com> wrote:
>>
>> Hi Khizran
>>
>> It's not clear which "RoboFlavor" or version you are using. There are
>> basically two "flavors". RoboHelp for Word and RoboHelp HTML. Both
>> *MIGHT*
>> be capable of producing a loose, uncompiled version of your help
>> system
>> known as WebHelp. This depends on the version and depending on how
>> old the
>> package is, whether you purchased only RoboHelp for Word or RoboHelp
>> HTML
>> or
>> you purchased the complete RoboHelp Office package.
>>
>> Without more information, I can't be more specific. But if it's a
>> recent
>> version, you can probably produce WebHelp output. This is somewhat
>> "cross-browser" and should be able to be displayed on a Linux system.
>> Note
>> that it may appear slightly differently when displayed in a Linux
>> browser
>> than it will when displayed in Internet Explorer.
>>
>> Hopefully this helps... Rick :)
>>
>> ----- Original Message -----
>> From: "Khizran Kaleem" <khizran at gmail.com>
>> To: <techwr-l at lists.techwr-l.com>
>> Sent: Wednesday, August 30, 2006 5:24 AM
>> Subject: RoboHelp: How to make help for Linux platform?
>>
>>
>>> Hi,
>>>
>>> I have been working on robohelp creating WinHelp and HTMLHelp for
>>> different
>>> softwares but all have been Windows based. I have never worked on/for
>>> Linux.
>>> If I have the help contents how can use it on Linux. Can someone
>>> please
>>> help
>>> me with this or refer a website?
>>>
>>> Thanks.
>>
>>
>>
>
>
> ------------------------------
>
> Message: 4
> Date: Wed, 6 Sep 2006 10:09:00 +0800
> From: Stuart Burnfield <sburnf at au1.ibm.com>
> Subject: Re: Converting HTML docs to PDFs
> To: techwr-l at lists.techwr-l.com
> Message-ID:
> <OFE9C97C6F.76404E67-ON482571E1.000B0CE0
> -482571E1.000BCF98 at au1.ibm.com>
>
> Content-Type: text/plain; charset=US-ASCII
>
> I used HTMLDOC to do this a few years ago and was happy with the
> result,
> though the appearance of the output wasn't very important for that job.
>
> It was free then but now costs $US 69. You can get a free 21-day demo
> license from:
> http://www.easysw.com/htmldoc/
>
> Stuart
>
>
>
> ------------------------------
>
> Message: 5
> Date: Wed, 6 Sep 2006 08:24:12 +0300
> From: "Inbar, Paul" <paul.inbar at intel.com>
> Subject: RE: Converting HTML docs to PDFs
> To: "Renee Bornstein" <rbornstein at AdvisorSoftware.com>,
> <techwr-l at lists.techwr-l.com>
> Message-ID:
> <D0122E209EBF8D4CAB38EC6A8AF244E5FF4585 at hasmsx412.ger.corp.intel.com>
> Content-Type: text/plain; charset="iso-8859-1"
>
> Hi Renee,
>
> I don't know what the level of complexity of your XML source is, but
> in similar situations I have produced HTML from the XML using XSLTs,
> and for print I load the XML into Structured Framemaker and use that
> to produce the PDF. Framemaker produces very nice PDFs. I generally
> need to modify the XML somewhat for that, and also to develop a
> structured application in Framemaker, but these are one-time efforts
> and once you've done it it's very easy to regenerate your documents
> whenever there's an update. You could also use Framemaker, instead of
> an XSLT, to generate the HTML if you like.
>
> I have also used Acrobat professional and Word to produce PDFs from
> HTML, as Dick Margulis mentioned, but as he said, these are middle of
> the road solutions that produce a PDF document that looks like a
> "there was no other alternative" solution. By contrast, the XML ->
> XSLT -> HTML solution and the XML -> Framemaker -> PDF solution
> produce professional looking documents.
>
> Good luck!
> Paul
>
> -----Original Message-----
> From: techwr-l-bounces+paul.inbar=intel.com at lists.techwr-l.com
> [mailto:techwr-l-bounces+paul.inbar=intel.com at lists.techwr-l.com] On
> Behalf Of Renee Bornstein
> Sent: Wednesday, September 06, 2006 12:43 AM
> To: techwr-l at lists.techwr-l.com
> Subject: Converting HTML docs to PDFs
>
> Hi all,
>
>
>
> Just joined; hope I'm not repeating earlier discussions.
>
>
>
> I've got an assignment to document an XML API. There are a few good
> tools for converting the XML to HTML, where the schema shows up in nice
> frames and tables, complete with helpful diagrams. But the boss says
> we
> must produce PDFs as well. I've been researching HTML-->PDF conversion
> tools and it seems there are two categories: free/cheap that don't do a
> very good job, and $3K+ that do wa-ay more than I need. The first
> category of tools produce PDFs that are either too small to read, or
> only capture part of the page (I could just print the original HTML if
> I
> wanted that), and don't have a clue about page breaks, etc. This
> category includes tools like HTML2PDF Pilot and PDFonlin. The second
> category of tools produce beautiful PDFs, including nested tables,
> table
> header continuations, and even the capability to put a Print To PDF
> button on my webpages. The best I saw was Corda HighWire. However, I
> don't have a budget for $3,000. I don't really have a budget at all,
> but
> might could talk my way into a program that's under $500. Anyone been
> through this and found a good HTML-->PDF converter?
>
> ^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^
>
> WebWorks ePublisher Pro for Word features support for every major Help
> format plus PDF, HTML and more. Flexible, precise, and efficient
> content
> delivery. Try it today! http://www.webworks.com/techwr-l
>
> Easily create HTML or Microsoft Word content and convert to any
> popular Help file format or printed documentation. Learn more at
> http://www.DocToHelp.com/TechwrlList
>
> ---
> You are currently subscribed to TECHWR-L as paul.inbar at intel.com.
>
> To unsubscribe send a blank email to
> techwr-l-unsubscribe at lists.techwr-l.com
> or visit
> http://lists.techwr-l.com/mailman/options/techwr-l/
> paul.inbar%40intel.com
>
>
> To subscribe, send a blank email to techwr-l-join at lists.techwr-l.com
>
> Send administrative questions to lisa at techwr-l.com. Visit
> http://www.techwr-l.com/techwhirl/ for more resources and info.
>
>
> ------------------------------
>
> Message: 6
> Date: Wed, 6 Sep 2006 09:42:56 +0100
> From: "Wade Courtney" <wade.courtney at gmail.com>
> Subject: Google Versioning?
> To: techwhirlers <techwr-l at lists.techwr-l.com>
> Message-ID:
> <c993fb6b0609060142v14d4c950o7f1a33c074ac4c0f at mail.gmail.com>
> Content-Type: text/plain; charset=ISO-8859-1; format=flowed
>
> Check out number 7.
>
> http://googlesystem.blogspot.com/2006/09/10-great-uses-for-google-
> desktop.html
>
> --
> Wade Courtney
> North San Diego County
> Yahoo: wcourtne
> http://blog.stinkingbadges.org
> http://www.frappr.com/elpicoso
> http://www.myspace.com/elpicoso
> http://www.linkedin.com/in/wadecourtney
>
> A leader is best when people barely know that he exists. Less good
> when they
> obey and acclaim him. Worse when they fear and despise him. Fail to
> honor
> people, and they fail to honor you. But of a good leader, when his
> work is
> done, his aim fulfilled, they will say, "We did this ourselves."
>
> -- Lao-Tzu
>
>
> ------------------------------
>
> Message: 7
> Date: Wed, 6 Sep 2006 14:43:50 +0500
> From: "Khizran Kaleem" <khizran at gmail.com>
> Subject: Re: RoboHelp: How to make help for Linux platform?
> To: "Sean Wheller" <sean at inwords.co.za>
> Cc: techwr-l at lists.techwr-l.com
> Message-ID:
> <ad16a2c20609060243w62ae6a35qaeb3da8ad0ab1ed4 at mail.gmail.com>
> Content-Type: text/plain; charset=ISO-8859-1; format=flowed
>
> Thanks for your help Sean! So this means that the tools change and
> everthing
> changes for Linux. What about the contents i already have? That can be
> imported right?
>
> Thanks
>
> Khizran.
>
>
> On 8/31/06, Sean Wheller <sean at inwords.co.za> wrote:
>>
>> On Wednesday 30 August 2006 12:24, Khizran Kaleem wrote:
>>> I have been working on robohelp creating WinHelp and HTMLHelp for
>> different
>>> softwares but all have been Windows based. I have never worked on/for
>>> Linux. If I have the help contents how can use it on Linux. Can
>>> someone
>>> please help me with this or refer a website?
>>
>> Khizran,
>>
>> There are basically two major desktop environments for Linux - GNOME
>> and
>> KDE
>>
>> Both provide help systems. In the case of GNOME there is Yelp. In the
>> case
>> of
>> KDE there is KHelpCenter.
>>
>> The best solution is to integrate your help into either of these two
>> help
>> viewer environments.
>>
>> With Yelp you can write help directly in docbook and it will be
>> converted
>> to
>> HTML on-the-fly.
>>
>> With KhelpCenter you need to use HTML.
>>
>> If you are accustomed to producing help for Windows systems, then I
>> suggest
>> you forget everything you learned about the packaging component of
>> Help
>> production.
>>
>> In order to produce help that is integrated on Linux desktops you
>> need to
>> learn and setup the GNOME or KDE document project tools, then you
>> need to
>> learn how to build your help into RPM or DEB packages, depending on
>> the
>> platform you are using.
>>
>> If you need help, just contact me off-list.
>>
>> Hope this helps,
>>
>> --
>> Ask me about the Monkey.
>>
>> Sean Wheller
>> Technical Author
>> sean at inwords.co.za
>> +27-84-854-9408
>> http://www.inwords.co.za
>>
>
>
> ------------------------------
>
> Message: 8
> Date: Wed, 6 Sep 2006 15:12:18 +0500
> From: "Khizran Kaleem" <khizran at gmail.com>
> Subject: Re: Integrating help with web based application
> To: "Maria Peera" <maria_husain at yahoo.com>
> Cc: techwr-l at lists.techwr-l.com
> Message-ID:
> <ad16a2c20609060312y54497ff5m6e1eea9991251eee at mail.gmail.com>
> Content-Type: text/plain; charset="iso-8859-1"
>
> Hi Maria,
>
> I have been looking up information regarding creation of
> context-sensitive
> HTML help for web applications for some time now. According to
> RoboHelp,
> context-sensitive HTML help is compatible with applications developed
> in C
> and C++ only, therefore we won't be able to use Map IDs as we do for
> desktop
> applications using WinHelp.
>
> However, there is one method to integrate the help pages with the
> relevant
> application page. This can be done by getting the path or the name of
> the
> relevant application page and then opening the particular help page in
> a new
> window using the name retrieved from the web application.
>
> For reference, I am attaching a presentation i downloaded from
> www.userfirst.net. It gives a sample code for all kinds of context
> sensitive
> helps.
>
> I think you need to give the exact file names for each HTML page of
> your
> help to the developer for integration.
>
> Hope this helps.
>
> Regards,
> Khizran
>
> On 8/31/06, Maria Peera <maria_husain at yahoo.com> wrote:
>>
>> Hi All,
>>
>> I have created web-based help with a freeware tool called Helpmaker. I
>> need to integrate the help with our product which is a web-based
>> application. How do I integrate them, what are the files that I need
>> to
>> give to the developer ??
>>
>> Any useful links would be appreciated.
>>
>> regards
>>
>>
>> ---------------------------------
>> How low will we go? Check out Yahoo! Messenger's low PC-to-Phone call
>> rates.
>> ^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^
>>
>> WebWorks ePublisher Pro for Word features support for every major Help
>> format plus PDF, HTML and more. Flexible, precise, and efficient
>> content
>> delivery. Try it today! http://www.webworks.com/techwr-l
>>
>> Easily create HTML or Microsoft Word content and convert to any
>> popular
>> Help file format or printed documentation. Learn more at
>> http://www.DocToHelp.com/TechwrlList
>>
>> ---
>> You are currently subscribed to TECHWR-L as khizran at gmail.com.
>>
>> To unsubscribe send a blank email to
>> techwr-l-unsubscribe at lists.techwr-l.com
>> or visit
>> http://lists.techwr-l.com/mailman/options/techwr-l/khizran%40gmail.com
>>
>>
>> To subscribe, send a blank email to techwr-l-join at lists.techwr-l.com
>>
>> Send administrative questions to lisa at techwr-l.com. Visit
>> http://www.techwr-l.com/techwhirl/ for more resources and info.
>>
>>
>
> ------------------------------
>
> Message: 9
> Date: Wed, 6 Sep 2006 09:03:33 -0300
> From: "Ken Munro" <kenmunro at gmail.com>
> Subject: Re: Converting HTML docs to PDFs
> To: "Renee Bornstein" <rbornstein at advisorsoftware.com>
> Cc: techwr-l at lists.techwr-l.com
> Message-ID:
> <973d71e00609060503g5278eb79ib9dfe8ca58f77e88 at mail.gmail.com>
> Content-Type: text/plain; charset=ISO-8859-1; format=flowed
>
> Hi.
>
> I think to get PDFs from XML for free or under $3000 it would be best
> to use
> either an Apache tool called FOP, or you can buy something called
> XSLFast
> which uses FOP but has a GUI front-end on it to speed up your style
> sheet
> design. Using FOP alone, you will have to code your own XSLT file by
> hand.
> (Fun at first, but the novelty wears off quick.)
>
> FOP can be found at:
> http://xmlgraphics.apache.org/fop/
>
> XSLFast can be found at:
> http://www.xslfast.com/
>
> I have done both, and it sure helps to have a tool like XSLFast. It
> goes for
> $890EU or $1200USD.
>
> Good luck. I think you will have fun with this.
>
> Ken Munro
>
> --
> email: kenmunro at gmail.com
> website: http://www.kenmunro.com/
> podcast: http://www.kenmunro.com/kenmunro.rss
>
>
> On 9/5/06, Renee Bornstein <rbornstein at advisorsoftware.com> wrote:
>>
>> Hi all,
>>
>> Just joined; hope I'm not repeating earlier discussions.
>>
>> I've got an assignment to document an XML API. There are a few good
>> tools for converting the XML to HTML, where the schema shows up in
>> nice
>> frames and tables, complete with helpful diagrams. But the boss says
>> we
>> must produce PDFs as well. I've been researching HTML-->PDF conversion
>> tools and it seems there are two categories: free/cheap that don't do
>> a
>> very good job, and $3K+ that do wa-ay more than I need. The first
>> category of tools produce PDFs that are either too small to read, or
>> only capture part of the page (I could just print the original HTML
>> if I
>> wanted that), and don't have a clue about page breaks, etc. This
>> category includes tools like HTML2PDF Pilot and PDFonlin. The second
>> category of tools produce beautiful PDFs, including nested tables,
>> table
>> header continuations, and even the capability to put a Print To PDF
>> button on my webpages. The best I saw was Corda HighWire. However, I
>> don't have a budget for $3,000. I don't really have a budget at all,
>> but
>> might could talk my way into a program that's under $500. Anyone been
>> through this and found a good HTML-->PDF converter?
>>
>> ^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^
>
>
> ------------------------------
>
> Message: 10
> Date: Wed, 6 Sep 2006 08:26:49 -0400
> From: "Mike Feimster" <mike.feimster at acstechnologies.com>
> Subject: RE: Converting HTML docs to PDFs
> To: <techwr-l at lists.techwr-l.com>, <rbornstein at AdvisorSoftware.com>
> Message-ID: <FD4F843837B2B4409811EA15A1DA443901141C8B at AXCVS.ACS.TECH>
> Content-Type: text/plain; charset="us-ascii"
>
> Renee,
>
> It might be easier to convert the XML to PDF. There are a couple of
> alternatives.
>
> 1. Use XSLT and XSL-FO to create the PDF. Apache FOP is a free XSL-FO
> processor and there are commercial processors available as well. There
> are several free XSLT processors. The dollar cost for tools is low, but
> the pain might be high. This requires programming and it might be
> quicker to hire a consultant.
>
> 2. Both FrameMaker 7.x and Word 2003 allow you to import XML docs. The
> specifics are different, but basically you create a template and some
> supporting files. When you import the XML doc, you have a nicely
> formatted Frame or Word doc.
>
> Finally, do you have a HATT, such as RoboHelp or Doc2Help? If so, and
> it
> has a Print Doc feature, you could always create a new project, import
> the HTML files into the project, and then generate the PDF from there.
> The upside is that you can get a PDF quickly. The downside is that it
> is
> not repeatable; you'll need to go through the whole process for every
> change.
>
> Mike
>
>
> ------------------------------
>
> Message: 11
> Date: Wed, 6 Sep 2006 07:43:46 -0500
> From: "Martinek, Carla" <CMartinek at zebra.com>
> Subject: RE: Novice tech writer seeking advice on tools.
> To: <ck1168 at yahoo.com>, <techwr-l at lists.techwr-l.com>
> Message-ID:
> <56BB7301E340C54291D9728333B94F0907F2A21B at 03s03exch02.zebra.lan>
> Content-Type: text/plain; charset="iso-8859-1"
>
> The first thing to consider is where you want to be one, two, or five
> years from now with your documentation. I think moving away from Word
> is a good idea since you're already experiencing the wonderful
> crashing feature that it has when you start to get more complex
> documents.
>
> Do you ever plan to move your content into regular XML or DITA XML?
> What about a content management system? If so, those should figure
> into your plans before you make any kind of switch. You could still
> choose to use Frame (Structured Frame if you're going to XML), or you
> could choose to move to an XML-authoring package like XMetal.
>
> If you have to make a decision NOW, with what you are describing, I
> would say to use FrameMaker. I suggest going through some training
> for it to bring you up to speed quickly. The three days invested in
> that will save you considerable time later on. You can also use the
> Framers list @ www.frameusers.com as a great reference and help
> source.
>
>
> Hope that helps.
>
> Carla
> cmartinek|zebra|com
>
> - CONFIDENTIAL-
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> ------------------------------
>
> Message: 12
> Date: Wed, 6 Sep 2006 05:44:16 -0700 (PDT)
> From: paul priola <mayarasta at yahoo.com>
> Subject: Re: Novice tech writer seeking advice on tools.
> To: " " " " <ck1168 at yahoo.com>, techwr-l at lists.techwr-l.com
> Message-ID: <20060906124417.25527.qmail at web55201.mail.re4.yahoo.com>
> Content-Type: text/plain; charset=iso-8859-1
>
> I've never used In Design but my short answer is anything but word.
> Been a Frame person for 12 years and have few complaints. We do SW
> manuals, 1500 page HW manuals and 50 page data sheets. Works great for
> all. Generates PDF easily and with webworks publisher generates HTML.
> paul
>
> <ck1168 at yahoo.com> wrote:
> Hello everyone,
>
> I'm new to this list and to tech writing as well. This is my first tech
> writing job. The company makes software and I write the manuals.
>
> I manage about 27 documents, of which 16 are variants of two basic
> documents i.e. 95% of contents are the same. The manuals are small
> averaging 120 pages with around 100 odd images. I'm using Word 2000 and
> RoboHelp to produce MS Word, PDF and Windows HTML Help.
>
> Right now I'm looking for tools that will help manage all these and to
> cut down time on layout/formatting and let me focus on improving the
> contents.
>
> Lately Word has been crashing. I've read up on Framemaker and In Design
> but have never used either. Should I be using Framemaker? or In Design?
> or some other tools?
>
> thanks for reading!
> c.k.tan
>
>
>
> ____________________________________________________
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> Real people. Real questions. Real answers. Share what you know at
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> You are currently subscribed to TECHWR-L as mayarasta at yahoo.com.
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> To unsubscribe send a blank email to
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> ------------------------------
>
> Message: 13
> Date: Wed, 6 Sep 2006 09:12:22 -0400
> From: "Zuercher, Darrell" <dzuerche at tva.gov>
> Subject: RE: Integrating help with web based application
> To: "Khizran Kaleem" <khizran at gmail.com>, "Maria Peera"
> <maria_husain at yahoo.com>
> Cc: techwr-l at lists.techwr-l.com
> Message-ID:
> <C30CEAB331E621438DDCE4662F9C856F1A45E4 at TVACOCXVS2.main.tva.gov>
> Content-Type: text/plain; charset="us-ascii"
>
> Hi Maria,
>
> I have used RoboHelp to create HTML-based, context sensitive help using
> Map IDs. The developer (ASP.Net and VB.Net) calls the help this way:
>
> Adds a reference to RoboHelp's javascript file:
>
> <script src="RoboHelp_CSH.js"></script>
>
> Then, calls a function from this file:
>
> <INPUT onclick="javascript:RH_ShowHelp(0, 'HelpFileName.htm',
> HH_HELP_CONTEXT, MapID)" type="button" value="Page Help">
>
> I hope this helps.
>
> Darrell Zuercher
> Tennessee Valley Authority
> Business Analyst
>
>
> -----Original Message-----
> From: techwr-l-bounces+dzuerche=tva.gov at lists.techwr-l.com
> [mailto:techwr-l-bounces+dzuerche=tva.gov at lists.techwr-l.com] On Behalf
> Of Khizran Kaleem
> Sent: Wednesday, September 06, 2006 6:12 AM
> To: Maria Peera
> Cc: techwr-l at lists.techwr-l.com
> Subject: Re: Integrating help with web based application
>
>
> Hi Maria,
>
> I have been looking up information regarding creation of
> context-sensitive
> HTML help for web applications for some time now. According to
> RoboHelp,
> context-sensitive HTML help is compatible with applications developed
> in
> C
> and C++ only, therefore we won't be able to use Map IDs as we do for
> desktop
> applications using WinHelp.
>
> However, there is one method to integrate the help pages with the
> relevant
> application page. This can be done by getting the path or the name of
> the
> relevant application page and then opening the particular help page in
> a
> new
> window using the name retrieved from the web application.
>
> For reference, I am attaching a presentation i downloaded from
> www.userfirst.net. It gives a sample code for all kinds of context
> sensitive
> helps.
>
> I think you need to give the exact file names for each HTML page of
> your
> help to the developer for integration.
>
> Hope this helps.
>
> Regards,
> Khizran
>
> On 8/31/06, Maria Peera <maria_husain at yahoo.com> wrote:
>>
>> Hi All,
>>
>> I have created web-based help with a freeware tool called Helpmaker. I
>> need to integrate the help with our product which is a web-based
>> application. How do I integrate them, what are the files that I need
> to
>> give to the developer ??
>>
>> Any useful links would be appreciated.
>>
>> regards
>>
>>
>> ---------------------------------
>> How low will we go? Check out Yahoo! Messenger's low PC-to-Phone call
>> rates.
>> ^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^
>>
>> WebWorks ePublisher Pro for Word features support for every major Help
>> format plus PDF, HTML and more. Flexible, precise, and efficient
> content
>> delivery. Try it today! http://www.webworks.com/techwr-l
>>
>> Easily create HTML or Microsoft Word content and convert to any
> popular
>> Help file format or printed documentation. Learn more at
>> http://www.DocToHelp.com/TechwrlList
>>
>> ---
>> You are currently subscribed to TECHWR-L as khizran at gmail.com.
>>
>> To unsubscribe send a blank email to
>> techwr-l-unsubscribe at lists.techwr-l.com
>> or visit
>> http://lists.techwr-l.com/mailman/options/techwr-l/khizran%40gmail.com
>>
>>
>> To subscribe, send a blank email to techwr-l-join at lists.techwr-l.com
>>
>> Send administrative questions to lisa at techwr-l.com. Visit
>> http://www.techwr-l.com/techwhirl/ for more resources and info.
>>
>>
>
>
> ------------------------------
>
> Message: 14
> Date: Wed, 06 Sep 2006 09:43:54 -0400
> From: Al Geist <al.geist at geistassociates.com>
> Subject: Re: Novice tech writer seeking advice on tools.
> To: techwr-l at lists.techwr-l.com
> Message-ID: <44FED09A.8070403 at geistassociates.com>
> Content-Type: text/plain; charset=ISO-8859-1; format=flowed
>
>
>
>> I manage about 27 documents, of which 16 are variants of two basic
>> documents i.e. 95% of contents are the same. The manuals are small
>> averaging 120 pages with around 100 odd images. I'm using Word 2000
>> and
>> RoboHelp to produce MS Word, PDF and Windows HTML Help.
>>
>>
> Can we assume that you are using RoboHelp for Word and conditional
> text? If you are, then creating print documents from RoboHelp is
> fairly
> straight forward, but the images usually suck.
>
>> Right now I'm looking for tools that will help manage all these and to
>> cut down time on layout/formatting and let me focus on improving the
>> contents.
>>
>>
> Have you searched the archives on this subject?
>
>> Lately Word has been crashing. I've read up on Framemaker and In
>> Design
>> but have never used either. Should I be using Framemaker? or In
>> Design?
>> or some other tools?
>>
>>
> It all depends on what you need to do; where you want to be five years
> down the road and how much money you want to spend. A lot of my fellow
> writers are FrameMaker fanatics, but it is expensive and has a
> relatively steep learning curve, especially if you're learning
> technical
> writing at the same time. In Design is less expensive, will handle 120
> page documents and works well if you're mission includes marketing
> communications. I've had no problem using Word with documents up to
> 200
> pages, but you have to know it's limitations.
>
> Hope that helps.
>
> --
>
> Al Geist
> Technical Writing, Online Help, Marketing Collateral, Web Design, Award
> Winning Videos, Professional Photography
> Voice/Msg: 802-658-3140
>
> Cell: 802-578-3964
> E-mail: al.geist at geistassociates.com
> <mailto:al.geist at geistassociates.com>
> URL: www.geistassociates.com <http://www.geistassociates.com> (online
> portfolio/resume)
>
> See also:
> URL: www.geistimages.com <http://www.geistimages.com> (fine art prints
> for home or office and note cards for all occasions)
>
> "When they call the roll in the Senate, the Senators do not know
> whether
> to answer "Present" or "Not guilty.""
> Theodore Roosevelt
>
>
>
>
> ------------------------------
>
> Message: 15
> Date: Wed, 06 Sep 2006 07:02:04 -0700
> From: "Ron Scheer" <ronschee at college.usc.edu>
> Subject: Training technical writers
> To: <techwr-l at lists.techwr-l.com>
> Message-ID: <44FE7271.14D2.0073.0 at college.usc.edu>
> Content-Type: text/plain; charset=US-ASCII
>
> Quick question: Does STC or any other professional organization have a
> recommended curriculum for training technical writers?
>
> Ron
>
> ____________________________
> Ron Scheer, PhD
> Senior Lecturer, Writing Program
> University of Southern California
> Los Angeles
>
>
>
> ------------------------------
>
> Message: 16
> Date: Wed, 6 Sep 2006 10:07:56 -0400
> From: "Joyce Fetterman" <Joycef at gtsoftware.com>
> Subject: RE: Converting HTML docs to PDFs
> To: "Renee Bornstein" <rbornstein at AdvisorSoftware.com>,
> <techwr-l at lists.techwr-l.com>
> Message-ID:
> <0158FA377E8AB14382178AC20C6D7A8D081765 at gtmail.gtsoftware.com>
> Content-Type: text/plain; charset="us-ascii"
>
> Renee Bornstein wrote:
> << I've been researching HTML-->PDF conversion tools and it seems there
> are two categories: free/cheap that don't do a very good job, and $3K+
> that do wa-ay more than I need. The first category of tools produce
> PDFs that are either too small to read, or only capture part of the
> page
> (I could just print the original HTML if I wanted that), and don't have
> a clue about page breaks, etc. This category includes tools like
> HTML2PDF Pilot and PDFonlin. The second category of tools produce
> beautiful PDFs, including nested tables, table header continuations,
> and
> even the capability to put a Print To PDF button on my webpages. The
> best I saw was Corda HighWire. However, I don't have a budget for
> $3,000. I don't really have a budget at all, but might could talk my
> way
> into a program that's under $500. Anyone been through this and found a
> good HTML-->PDF converter?>>
>
>
>
> We use HTMLDOC for the basic HTML to PDF conversion, then I use tools
> from the Organic Master Toolbox to tweak the result. I did have to
> modify my HTML templates somewhat to work well with HTMLDOC but it
> wasn't difficult.
>
> HTMLDOC: <http://www.easysw.com/htmldoc/>
>
> Organic: <http://www.organicsw.com/mastertoolbox.htm>
>
> I've been especially happy with the products and support from Organic
> Software.
>
> Joyce
>
>
> ------------------------------
>
> Message: 17
> Date: Wed, 6 Sep 2006 10:21:25 -0400
> From: "Robotti, Anne \(Carlin\)" <ARobotti at CarlinGroup.com>
> Subject: RE: Training technical writers
> To: "Ron Scheer" <ronschee at college.usc.edu>,
> <techwr-l at lists.techwr-l.com>
> Message-ID:
> <2BC1891575B27A4189851638D93E62C93B3387 at 666-02-MSG.carlingroup.com>
> Content-Type: text/plain; charset="us-ascii"
>
>
>> Quick question: Does STC or any other professional
>> organization have a recommended curriculum for training
>> technical writers?
>
> Ron, would you mind posting a summary of responses to this question?
> I'm
> going to have to train a few people myself and would be very
> interested.
>
> Thanks,
>
> Anne
>
>
> ----------------------------------------------------------------------
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> ------------------------------
>
> Message: 18
> Date: Wed, 6 Sep 2006 10:37:55 -0700 (PDT)
> From: Diane Brennan <dalaine00 at yahoo.com>
> Subject: RE: How you take notes in SME interviews
> To: TECHWR-L <techwr-l at lists.techwr-l.com>
> Message-ID: <20060906173755.10578.qmail at web37912.mail.mud.yahoo.com>
> Content-Type: text/plain; charset=iso-8859-1
>
> I've also been doing technical/SDK writing for many years and pen and
> paper is far more flexible than laptops when it comes to interviewing
> SMEs. But after reading your e-mail and the responses, I realized that
> I have been using some tricks for a long time. So here's a few tricks:
>
> --Use the big yellow legal pads. They have more real estate.
> --Write on only one side of the page. That way you can squeeze info
> back in a previous section, if needed.
> --When the topic changes, which is usually quite abruptly, draw a
> line halfway across the page to indicate a new subject.
> --When a SME goes back to provide more explanation on a previous
> point, start writing on the back of the page where the original
> discussion happened. Another trick I use all the time is to put an A
> with a circle around it in the border next to the point that is being
> expanded upon, and put an A in a circle in the point in my notes where
> I am continuing the dicussion. I usually end up with a B, C, D for a
> lengthy discussion since SMEs have a tendency to go back to previous
> points. Since I have lines between topics, I can see where the
> original part and new part of the discussion begins and ends.
> --Another advantage of using the legal pad is that you can divide up
> information using notes in the right-hand border.Like Monica, I put a
> star next to important info, a question mark next to stuff I don't
> get, a note about the information that will help me organize it later
> (like if the dev is talking about two subsystems, I may annotate the
> name of the subsystem being discussed so I don't get the two confused
> when I look at my notes later).
> --Sometimes while the SME is talking he'll say something about the
> customer like "our customer needs to know how to do X." In that case,
> in the border I write TASK and I note the task just mentioned so I
> know that I need to get specific information for a task-oriented topic
> or walkthrough.
> --When you use a question mark to indicate that you didn't
> understand something, leave your question until the end of the
> discussion so you don't break the SMEs train of thought. In your mind,
> set the expectation that the SME will get to your point without your
> having to ask. Nothing is more irritating to a SME than being
> constantly interrupted when trying to explain something. Be patient
> and concentrate with your entire mind on what is being said. At the
> end of the discussion, or at the point where the SME asks if you have
> questions, you can go back to the question mark and ask the question
> if it hasn't been answered. Don't worry about forgetting the
> question--read your notes and you will remember the question. If you
> don't remember, then the question wasn't important.
> --If the SME makes a reference to something that you can look up,
> don't bother asking for an explanation unless you are really feeling
> lost. I often take notes without completely understanding some aspect
> of the discussion and learn about that unknown subject at a later
> time. If you have taken thorough notes, then when you learn about the
> stuff you didn't understand, you will be able to go back to your notes
> and understand what was being said. This may raise new questions, but
> you can meet with the SME again or send e-mail to get answers to your
> new questions. The key is to not waste the SMEs time by asking him to
> teach you things that you can easily teach yourself by doing research
> on the Internet.
>
> Whiteboarding:
>
> When the SME gets up to the whiteboard to draw an illustration, if
> he is talking while whiteboarding then do not start drawing on your
> notes--that's the advantage of having it on the whiteboard--you can go
> back later and draw it in. Instead, concentrate on learning and asking
> for clarification of points. This is how I get my illustrations. I
> listen and keep clarifying things so that the SME keeps erasing parts
> of the illustration and drawing things in a way that makes more sense
> until we get to the point where I have a diagram that I can put into
> the docs. If the SME wants to erase the whole thing to create an
> entirely new drawing, then at that point I will stop him so I can put
> the information in my notes. Otherwise we just move to another
> whiteboard.
>
> Diane Brennan
> Programming Writer
>
> "My favorite place to be is on the steep part of the learning
> curve." Sally Jewell
>
>
> Monica Cellio <cellio at pobox.com> wrote:
> I use paper and pen (never pencil), exclusively. I rarely get
> through a
> discussion that doesn't involve *some* non-text notations; paper gives
> me the flexibility for inheritance diagrams, flow diagrams, schematics,
> circles and arrows connecting points after the fact, and even
> cross-outs. The last is particularly interesting to me: if *I* got it
> wrong initially then I have to be careful to make sure my reader
> doesn't
> as well, and if the *SME* changed his mind then this is something to
> follow up in the product itself. (Perhaps the design is unclear, or it
> was clear but we're using it inconsistently. Either way, that's going
> to trickle down to the users if we don't do something about it. [Insert
> standard comment about our jobs including being the proxy for the
> user.])
>
> I also sometimes use different pen colors, particularly if we're
> discussing what's in an interface (the signatures, class hierarchy,
> etc)
> versus annotations about why we did it that way. I also sometimes pull
> out the red pen to draw stars next to particularly-important things to
> come back to; text search doesn't always have the same impact.
>
> Monica Cellio
> Senior SDK Developer
>
>
>
>
> ^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^
>
> WebWorks ePublisher Pro for Word features support for every major Help
> format plus PDF, HTML and more. Flexible, precise, and efficient
> content
> delivery. Try it today! http://www.webworks.com/techwr-l
>
> Easily create HTML or Microsoft Word content and convert to any
> popular Help file format or printed documentation. Learn more at
> http://www.DocToHelp.com/TechwrlList
>
> ---
> You are currently subscribed to TECHWR-L as dalaine00 at yahoo.com.
>
> To unsubscribe send a blank email to
> techwr-l-unsubscribe at lists.techwr-l.com
> or visit
> http://lists.techwr-l.com/mailman/options/techwr-l/
> dalaine00%40yahoo.com
>
>
> To subscribe, send a blank email to techwr-l-join at lists.techwr-l.com
>
> Send administrative questions to lisa at techwr-l.com. Visit
> http://www.techwr-l.com/techwhirl/ for more resources and info.
>
>
>
>
> ---------------------------------
> Get your own web address for just $1.99/1st yr. We'll help. Yahoo!
> Small Business.
>
> ------------------------------
>
> Message: 19
> Date: Wed, 06 Sep 2006 15:23:58 -0400 (EDT)
> From: "C" <cll01821 at lycos.com>
> Subject: Meaning of the slash (/) mark
> To: <techwr-l at lists.techwr-l.com>
> Message-ID:
> <20060906152358.HM.00000000000008R at cll01821.bos-mail-wwl13.lycos.com>
> Content-Type: text/plain; charset="utf-8"
>
>
> We had a discussion at work about the meaning of the slash (/)
> mark. In my
> 25-year career as a technical writer, I have always understood the
> slash
> mark to mean "or", as in "Select OK/Yes".
>
>
>
> However, a developer here included options in the interface where
> the
> administrator chooses a combination of protocols from a list. For
> example,
> the administration can choose the "LDAP/MAPI" combination. When
> reviewing
> the administrator's guide, I assumed that "LDAP/MAPI" meant "LDAP
> or MAPI"
> and asked the tech writer to clarify it for me. She told me that it
> means
> "LDAP and MAPI", which was a surprise to me. I didn't know that the
> slash
> could mean "or" and "and".
>
>
>
> Searching for usage information brought some interesting
> information to
> light, including the fact that usage of the slash often lends
> itself to
> ambiguity. It appears that the "or" meaning is common in
> instructional
> documentation, but the "and" meaning is common in many other places
> where
> the writer simply wants to connect two items through the slash mark.
>
>
>
> So, fellow techwhirlers, what is your understanding of the best
> practices
> for using the slash mark? I typically try to avoid using it at all,
> and when
> I do use it, it means "or".
>
>
>
> Carol
>
>
> ------------------------------
>
> Message: 20
> Date: Wed, 06 Sep 2006 15:33:05 -0400 (EDT)
> From: "C" <cll01821 at lycos.com>
> Subject: Troubleshooting broken cross-references in FrameMaker
> documents converted to PDF
> To: <techwr-l at lists.techwr-l.com>
> Message-ID:
> <20060906153305.HM.00000000000008T at cll01821.bos-mail-wwl13.lycos.com>
> Content-Type: text/plain; charset="utf-8"
>
>
> I'm using FrameMaker 7.0 and Acrobat 6.0 Professional. When several
> cross-references that worked in FrameMaker did not work in the PDF,
> I
> attempted to fix the problem by re-importing the relevant
> cross-reference
> and paragraph tags, all to no avail. I searched the Adobe Support
> site, with
> no luck.
>
>
> I also searched the techwr-l archive because I had a vague
> remembrance that
> someone on this list recently mentioned that corruption with
> cross-references could be fixed by removing the cross-references and
> all
> associated markers and then re-inserting the cross-references.
>
>
> I never found the original posting, but I went ahead and removed
> and
> replaced the cross-references, one at a time, verifying the
> successful
> conversion after inserting each new cross-reference. Success!
>
>
> Many thanks to whomever posted the information. Also, if you read
> this
> posting, would you kindly send me, off-list, your original e-mail to
> the
> list about this problem and solution?
>
>
> Carol
>
>
> ------------------------------
>
> Message: 21
> Date: Wed, 06 Sep 2006 15:28:42 +0100
> From: David Farbey <dfarbey at yahoo.co.uk>
> Subject: Re: Training technical writers
> To: Ron Scheer <ronschee at college.usc.edu>, techwr-l discussion list
> <techwr-l at lists.techwr-l.com>
> Message-ID: <44FEDB1A.2050805 at yahoo.co.uk>
> Content-Type: text/plain; charset=ISO-8859-1; format=flowed
>
> Hello Ron,
>
> The STC does not have such a curriculum.
>
> In the UK, the ISTC has started running its own courses ("open learning
> courses") for technical writers, and their curriculum is available for
> a
> small fee (I think it's £5.00 plus postage). See www.istc.org.uk for
> their contact details.
>
> In Europe, there was a collaborative report last year by TC-Europe on
> the needs of technical writer training, which you can download for free
> from: http://www.tceurope.org/tecdocnet/tecdocnet_index.htm
>
> David Farbey,
> London UK
>
>
> Ron Scheer wrote:
>> Quick question: Does STC or any other professional organization have a
>> recommended curriculum for training technical writers?
>>
>> Ron
>>
>> ____________________________
>> Ron Scheer, PhD
>> Senior Lecturer, Writing Program
>> University of Southern California
>> Los Angeles
>>
>
>
> ------------------------------
>
> Message: 22
> Date: Wed, 6 Sep 2006 08:48:35 -0600
> From: "David Loveless" <daveloveless at gmail.com>
> Subject: Re: Novice tech writer seeking advice on tools.
> To: "ck1168 at yahoo.com" <ck1168 at yahoo.com>
> Cc: techwr-l at lists.techwr-l.com
> Message-ID:
> <30609280609060748n6dddaf4fib46a081c213e1eae at mail.gmail.com>
> Content-Type: text/plain; charset=ISO-8859-1; format=flowed
>
> Grain of Salt: I've never used FrameMaker.
>
> I personally find InDesign to be a fantastic tool. In my position
> (lone writer), I don't think Frame would serve me as well because I
> cover such a large spectrum of writing styles and projects. As Al
> pointed out, InDesign does great work with Marketing docs and other
> graphic intensive docs. And I've done a project as large as 200 pages
> in InDesign without problems. Any larger and your probably going to
> need to go to Frame.
>
> Good luck!
>
>
> ------------------------------
>
> Message: 23
> Date: Wed, 6 Sep 2006 14:23:51 -0400
> From: "Dan Goldstein" <DGoldstein at riverainmedical.com>
> Subject: RE: Software "ownership"
> To: <techwr-l at lists.techwr-l.com>
> Message-ID:
> <0ADA9A22B5BC2147B360A22FD2BAD25C7AA7F7 at RMGBEX01.rmg.local>
> Content-Type: text/plain; charset="US-ASCII"
>
> "Lawyers," nuthin'. Try SMEs. Has anyone ever insisted that you skip
> over a document or an application screen because it had already been
> checked a million times? *That's* the one you've gotta check twice.
> Sometimes they're just irritated and rushed, but sometimes there's
> really something they don't want you to see.
>
>> -----Original Message-----
>> From: Poshedly, Ken
>> Sent: Thursday, August 31, 2006 9:43 AM
>> To: techwr-l at lists.techwr-l.com
>> Subject: RE: Software "ownership"
>>
>> ... I once asked a closing attorney if I could have a little
>> more time to read through the mortgage contract (yep, one of
>> those multi-multipage documents) as we were refinancing our
>> home, even though the new rate was very favorable. He got
>> _extremely_ irritated, snapped at me, "Hey, we could just
>> forget the whole thing right now!" and just about got up
>> and walked out, but stopped however, when we agreed NOT to
>> read the mortgage contract so we would sign legalese
>> mumbo-jumbo blindly and he could go home. Ah, lawyers.
>>
>
> This message contains confidential information intended only for the
> use of the addressee(s). If you are not the addressee, or the person
> responsible for delivering it to the addressee, you are hereby
> notified that reading, disseminating, distributing, copying,
> electronic storing or the taking of any action in reliance on the
> contents of this message is strictly prohibited. If you have received
> this message by mistake, please notify us, by replying to the sender,
> and delete the original message immediately thereafter. Thank you.
>
>
>
> ------------------------------
>
> Message: 24
> Date: Wed, 6 Sep 2006 09:14:05 -0500
> From: "technical writing plus" <doc-x at earthlink.net>
> Subject: RE: Novice tech writer seeking advice on tools.
> To: <techwr-l at lists.techwr-l.com>
> Message-ID: <000201c6d1be$b6a42540$0b0110ac at ThomJames>
> Content-Type: text/plain; charset="us-ascii"
>
> You could also try OpenOffice.org, which is free. Version 2 came out
> last
> December and works pretty well with Word. The program includes a text
> processing component (Writer), a drawing component (Draw), a
> spreadsheet
> component(Calc), and a database component (Base). Some components let
> you
> build pdfs too (Writer does). They used to have a good presentation
> about
> OOo, on their marketing page.
> Bruce Byfield , who used to be a member of this list, would often
> have
> good things to say about the program. He also wrote an article (which
> still
> may reside on sourceforge.net) that compared OOo and Framemaker.
> OOo also has some xml features. It allows you to save in Word doc
> format
> too.
>
> Jim Jones http://tinyurl.com/4arjc
>
> -----Original Message-----
> ... to consider is where you want to be one, two, or five years from
> now
> with your documentation. I think moving away from Word is a good idea
> since
> you're already experiencing the wonderful crashing feature that it has
> when
> you start to get more complex documents.
>
> Do you ever plan to move your content into regular XML or DITA XML?
> What
> about a content management system? If so, those should figure into
> your
> plans before you make any kind of switch. You could still choose to
> use
> Frame (Structured Frame if you're going to XML), or you could choose
> to move
> to an XML-authoring package like XMetal.
>
> If you have to make a decision NOW, with what you are describing, I
> would
> say to use FrameMaker. I suggest going through some training for it to
> bring you up to speed quickly. The three days invested in that will
> save
> you considerable time later on. You can also use the Framers list @
> www.frameusers.com as a great reference and help source...
>
>
>
> ------------------------------
>
> Message: 25
> Date: Wed, 06 Sep 2006 10:25:49 -0400
> From: Geoff Hart <ghart at videotron.ca>
> Subject: Training technical writers?
> To: TECHWR-L <techwr-l at lists.techwr-l.com>, Ron Scheer
> <ronschee at college.usc.edu>
> Message-ID: <09A0F233-9AF6-42CA-AE6C-4E0F81016DD2 at videotron.ca>
> Content-Type: text/plain; charset=US-ASCII; delsp=yes; format=flowed
>
> Ron Scheer wondered: <<Does STC or any other professional
> organization have a recommended curriculum for training technical
> writers?>>
>
> There are more curricula out there than you can shake a stick at.
> See, for instance: http://stc.org/edu/academicDatabase01.asp
>
> Is there any universal standard? No more than there is in any other
> field of education, though there are undoubtedly broad trends. Best
> bet is to find a school near you and see what their program looks
> like, then compare it with a few other schools to see if it has any
> omissions that you consider significant.
>
> In terms of "core competencies", STC currently has a committee
> studying the ever-contentious issue of certification. I personally
> know and trust one of the committee members (don't know the others
> well enough to comment, so don't take that as a slap at them), and
> also know one of the "eminences grises" who is active in this effort
> behind the scenes, so I believe that at least two highly intelligent
> people are at work on defining these core competencies. This may
> eventually provide some of the information you're looking for.
>
> Personally, I'm deeply skeptical of the value of certification--it
> puts the cart before the horse, because credentials are worthless if
> the profession isn't well known and respected. But I'm prepared to be
> an honest skeptic and remain willing to be convinced.
> - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - --
>
> Geoff Hart ghart at videotron.ca
>
> (try geoffhart at mac.com if you don't get a reply)
>
> www.geoff-hart.com
>
> - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -
>
>
>
>
> ------------------------------
>
> Message: 26
> Date: Wed, 06 Sep 2006 11:42:32 -0400
> From: Geoff Hart <ghart at videotron.ca>
> Subject: Programming quotes
> To: TECHWR-L <techwr-l at lists.techwr-l.com>
> Message-ID: <69A49A11-B5FA-4C78-9431-72E84A909489 at videotron.ca>
> Content-Type: text/plain; charset=US-ASCII; delsp=yes; format=flowed
>
> Thought this might be of interest to anyone who works with
> programmers: http://www.eskimo.com/~hottub/software/
> programming_quotes.html
>
> There are also insights for writers, such as the following:
> "Before software can be reusable it first has to be usable."--Ralph
> Johnson
>
> Single-sourcing anyone?
> - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - --
>
> Geoff Hart ghart at videotron.ca
>
> (try geoffhart at mac.com if you don't get a reply)
>
> www.geoff-hart.com
>
> - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -
>
>
>
>
> ------------------------------
>
> Message: 27
> Date: Wed, 6 Sep 2006 10:42:01 -0400
> From: "Bill Swallow" <techcommdood at gmail.com>
> Subject: Re: Converting HTML docs to PDFs
> To: TECHWR-L <techwr-l at lists.techwr-l.com>
> Message-ID:
> <375e3cb30609060742g344f36e2v4a2a089cd717a30f at mail.gmail.com>
> Content-Type: text/plain; charset=ISO-8859-1; format=flowed
>
> If you have Acrobat Professional you can save your entire HTML output
> to PDF, but this may not be what you want. Take a look at XSL-FO to
> see if this concept is more what you need. There are some tools on
> Sourceforge and of course for purchase that can probably get you to
> where you want to be.
>
> --
> Bill Swallow
> HATT List Owner
> WWP-Users List Owner
> Senior Member STC, TechValley Chapter
> http://techcommdood.blogspot.com
> avid homebrewer and proud beer snob
> "I see your OOO message and raise you a clue."
>
>
> ------------------------------
>
> Message: 28
> Date: Wed, 06 Sep 2006 10:52:17 -0400
> From: Dick Margulis <margulisd at comcast.net>
> Subject: Re: Training technical writers
> To: Ron Scheer <ronschee at college.usc.edu>, TECHWR-L
> <techwr-l at lists.techwr-l.com>
> Message-ID: <44FEE0A1.5000602 at comcast.net>
> Content-Type: text/plain; charset=ISO-8859-1; format=flowed
>
> The question is quick, but the answer is long. Very long. There have
> been several lengthy and sometimes rancorous discussion threads over
> the
> years addressing this question.
>
> To the extent that there is any consensus at all--which there really
> isn't, but I'll pretend for the nonce--it is that all tech writers
> should be grounded in general science, math, and technology sufficient
> to be able to understand quickly the subject matter they will be
> documenting. Obviously, someone who is going to document the assembly
> of
> barbecue grills does not need the same kind of technical knowledge as
> someone who is going to write software life cycle documents; but both
> have to be generally familiar with engineering jargon and scientific
> terminology across many disciplines and have to know where to find the
> information they need. So a certain number of math, science, and
> engineering credits should be a prerequisite for a tech writing
> curriculum--if only to demonstrate a level of interest in _technical_
> writing, rather than a desire to have one's poetry subsidized by a day
> job.
>
> In addition, tech writers should be firmly grounded in grammar and
> rhetoric (either taught within the curriculum or as prerequisites): You
> want people who can write well by the time they complete the program,
> however you get them there. They also need to have a metalanguage to
> talk about writing.
>
> The curriculum should cover audience analysis, usability testing, and
> the principles of document design--organization, typography, layout,
> readability, usability, etc.--for all manner of print and electronic
> media. It's more important to have a firm grasp of what the output
> should look like in order to be effective than to memorize the
> operational details of software tools that will be obsolete in five
> years anyway, although students should finish the program knowing how
> to
> produce various types of documents with at least one modern set of
> tools. (I think you provide the software in a lab and point the
> students
> to user manuals; I don't think more than five minutes of instructor
> time
> should be spent teaching tool use.) Students should also learn the
> basics of graphics--screen captures, image manipulation, a little
> technical illustration, a little photography, enough about printing
> technology so that they're no longer dangerous.
>
> The curriculum should cover principles of information
> organization--topics like relational database design and query
> languages, content management, single-sourcing, etc.
>
> The curriculum should prepare students for real-world working
> situation:
> understanding personality types in the workplace; understanding the
> different ways organizations can be structured; understanding (at a
> minimal level) the basic concepts of project management, product
> management, business analysis, corporate decision-making (its seeming
> lack of logic when viewed from below); understanding something about
> personnel review systems; understanding various ways to organize a
> documentation group; understanding how to manage a group (delegation of
> authority, assignment of resources to project teams, collecting and
> evaluating metrics, making budgets).
>
> If you can put together a curriculum like that, your graduates will not
> have any trouble finding work.
>
> I know this is not a direct answer to the question you asked, but I'm
> not aware of any organization that has credibly proposed such a
> curriculum standard; so I hope this at least proves somewhat useful.
>
> Dick
>
> Ron Scheer wrote:
>> Quick question: Does STC or any other professional organization have a
>> recommended curriculum for training technical writers?
>>
>> Ron
>>
>> ____________________________
>> Ron Scheer, PhD
>> Senior Lecturer, Writing Program
>> University of Southern California
>> Los Angeles
>>
>> ^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^
>>
>> WebWorks ePublisher Pro for Word features support for every major Help
>> format plus PDF, HTML and more. Flexible, precise, and efficient
>> content
>> delivery. Try it today! http://www.webworks.com/techwr-l
>>
>> Easily create HTML or Microsoft Word content and convert to any
>> popular Help file format or printed documentation. Learn more at
>> http://www.DocToHelp.com/TechwrlList
>>
>> ---
>> You are currently subscribed to TECHWR-L as margulisd at comcast.net.
>>
>> To unsubscribe send a blank email to
>> techwr-l-unsubscribe at lists.techwr-l.com
>> or visit
>> http://lists.techwr-l.com/mailman/options/techwr-l/
>> margulisd%40comcast.net
>>
>>
>> To subscribe, send a blank email to techwr-l-join at lists.techwr-l.com
>>
>> Send administrative questions to lisa at techwr-l.com. Visit
>> http://www.techwr-l.com/techwhirl/ for more resources and info.
>>
>>
>>
>
>
>
>
> ------------------------------
>
> Message: 29
> Date: Wed, 6 Sep 2006 10:14:26 -0500
> From: "Pinkham, Jim" <Jim.Pinkham at voith.com>
> Subject: Dash It All! -- Lines in FM
> To: <techwr-l at lists.techwr-l.com>
> Message-ID:
> <2BF7198089C96C438F66C74B3F43DD5EAC3127 at apls0111.euro1.voith.net>
> Content-Type: text/plain; charset="us-ascii"
>
>
> I'm running FM 7.1 and futzing helplessly with some rectangles that
> have
> dashed lines that I wish to convert to solid lines. I know there are
> workarounds, such as redrawing the rectangles from scratch, but I also
> want to know how dashed lines get applied, how to restore solid ones,
> and WHY attempts to change the setting are proving futile. I suspect
> it's something simple having to do with my combination of settings, but
> the results feel very random.
>
> For example, when I select the rectangle, set fill to none, line width
> to 0.2, I get a solid red line. When I change the color to black, it
> becomes dashed again. When I set the pen to solid, the lines look solid
> in FM, but print as dashed in the PDF.
>
> When I set the pen to none, I see all my dashed lines in FM, but no
> amount of tinkering appears able to make them solid again. When I
> choose
> solid on the Set Dashed Line Pattern button on the graphics toolbar,
> the
> rectangle remains dashed. Same thing when I choose the Make Line Solid
> button at the top of my screen (the one with the checkmark on top of
> the
> solid line).
>
> Closing FM and reopening doesn't seem to resolve either.
>
> Any help on what to do would be appreciated.
>
> Thanks,
> Jim
>
>
> ------------------------------
>
> Message: 30
> Date: Tue, 5 Sep 2006 19:58:33 -0700 (PDT)
> From: Agnes Starr <zigrocstarr at yahoo.com>
> Subject: RE: The Documentation Being Put Through Qual Assistance
> Process
> To: techwr-l at lists.techwr-l.com
> Message-ID: <20060906025833.18767.qmail at web58303.mail.re3.yahoo.com>
> Content-Type: text/plain; charset=iso-8859-1
>
> Thank you everybodyt for the wide variety of replies. I have heard
> many things on all sides of the issue, on and offline, and all of it
> has been helpful. I have to do some thinking now.I will be back in
> touch. At least I know this has been done before and will probably be
> done again. It can work and then again in some cases it is not a good
> idea.
>
> Best
>
> A-
>
>
> ---------------------------------
> Do you Yahoo!?
> Everyone is raving about the all-new Yahoo! Mail.
>
> ------------------------------
>
> Message: 31
> Date: Wed, 6 Sep 2006 09:57:34 -0700
> From: "Joe Malin" <jmalin at tuvox.com>
> Subject: RE: Integrating help with web based application
> To: "Khizran Kaleem" <khizran at gmail.com>, "Maria Peera"
> <maria_husain at yahoo.com>
> Cc: techwr-l at lists.techwr-l.com
> Message-ID:
> <144FACB355C4F7469CE7D9B7E51E327F025C8123 at tuvoxex.tuvox.com>
> Content-Type: text/plain; charset="us-ascii"
>
> You seem to be saying that *all* context-sensitive HTML help is only
> compatible with C and C++ applications. That is not strictly speaking
> true. Of course, you may be saying that *Robohelp's* context-sensitive
> help is that way. That's too bad.
>
> We use Oracle Help for the Web. It's Java-based and works quite well
> with J2EE-based applications. Unfortunately, it's not very well
> supported. We are using it because
> * it's free
> * since I'm the lone tech writer, the company asked me to recommend
> something
> * I used it before at Oracle
> * I was a tech writer in the group that developed it, and I still have
> colleagues there who
> can help me
>
>
> Joe Malin
> Technical Writer
> (408)625-1623
> jmalin at tuvox.com
> www.tuvox.com
> The views expressed in this document are those of the sender, and do
> not
> necessarily reflect those of TuVox, Inc.
>
> -----Original Message-----
> From: techwr-l-bounces+jmalin=tuvox.com at lists.techwr-l.com
> [mailto:techwr-l-bounces+jmalin=tuvox.com at lists.techwr-l.com] On Behalf
> Of Khizran Kaleem
> Sent: Wednesday, September 06, 2006 3:12 AM
> To: Maria Peera
> Cc: techwr-l at lists.techwr-l.com
> Subject: Re: Integrating help with web based application
>
> Hi Maria,
>
> I have been looking up information regarding creation of
> context-sensitive
> HTML help for web applications for some time now. According to
> RoboHelp,
> context-sensitive HTML help is compatible with applications developed
> in
> C
> and C++ only, therefore we won't be able to use Map IDs as we do for
> desktop
> applications using WinHelp.
>
>
> ------------------------------
>
> Message: 32
> Date: Wed, 6 Sep 2006 12:57:13 -0400
> From: "Ronald Schwarz" <RSchwarz at cosmocom.com>
> Subject: translators
> To: <techwr-l at lists.techwr-l.com>
> Cc: Steve Dellutri <sdellutri at cosmocom.com>
> Message-ID:
> <2B46594393D57547A76924D25DCDF9800133084F at cos-hq-exch2k3.cosmocom.com>
> Content-Type: text/plain; charset="us-ascii"
>
> Can someone recommend translation services? We need to translate user
> documentation from English to French and German, and to a dozen other
> European languages, as well as Chinese, Japanese, Korean, etc.
>
> Translators need not be USA-based since they can obtain documentation
> off our web site and post their work in a separate section of the site.
>
> Ronald Schwarz
>
> Senior Technical Writer
>
> CosmoCom, Inc.
> 121 Broad Hollow Road
> Melville, NY 11747 USA
> Phone: +1 (631) 940-4320
> Fax: +1 (631) 574-3161
> EMAIL: RSchwarz at cosmocom.com <mailto:chwarz at cosmocom.com>
> URL: http://www.cosmocom.com <http://www.cosmocom.com/>
>
>
>
>
> ------------------------------
>
> Message: 33
> Date: Wed, 6 Sep 2006 10:04:07 -0700
> From: "Joe Malin" <jmalin at tuvox.com>
> Subject: RE: Novice tech writer seeking advice on tools.
> To: <ck1168 at yahoo.com>, <techwr-l at lists.techwr-l.com>
> Message-ID:
> <144FACB355C4F7469CE7D9B7E51E327F025C812C at tuvoxex.tuvox.com>
> Content-Type: text/plain; charset="iso-8859-1"
>
> Are you the lone tech writer? The decision may depend on your boss,
> your co-workers, and your budget!
>
> Managing variants in FM is straightforward. FM is great for going to
> PDF. It provides very basic tools for going to HTML, but 3rd-party
> tools can do an excellent job. FM is also quite
> good at handling images.
>
> If your primary delivery mechanism is print or PDF, then FM is
> superior.
>
> I warn you, though, that you will need time to learn FM. On the other
> hand, it will be time well-spent. FM has built-in features that can
> carry you forward into structured writing, single-sourcing, and other
> emerging technologies. I consider my investment of time and money in
> FM to be well worth it.
>
> You will also find many people online that can help you with FM.
>
> InDesign does not focus on the technical documentation area. If you
> are given the choice, choose FM.
>
> Joe
>
>
> Joe Malin
> Technical Writer
> (408)625-1623
> jmalin at tuvox.com
> www.tuvox.com
> The views expressed in this document are those of the sender, and do
> not necessarily reflect those of TuVox, Inc.
>
> -----Original Message-----
> From: techwr-l-bounces+jmalin=tuvox.com at lists.techwr-l.com
> [mailto:techwr-l-bounces+jmalin=tuvox.com at lists.techwr-l.com] On
> Behalf Of
> Sent: Tuesday, September 05, 2006 7:39 PM
> To: techwr-l at lists.techwr-l.com
> Subject: Novice tech writer seeking advice on tools.
>
> Hello everyone,
>
> I'm new to this list and to tech writing as well. This is my first tech
> writing job. The company makes software and I write the manuals.
>
> I manage about 27 documents, of which 16 are variants of two basic
> documents i.e. 95% of contents are the same. The manuals are small
> averaging 120 pages with around 100 odd images. I'm using Word 2000 and
> RoboHelp to produce MS Word, PDF and Windows HTML Help.
>
>
>
> ------------------------------
>
> Message: 34
> Date: Wed, 6 Sep 2006 10:07:14 -0700
> From: "Joe Malin" <jmalin at tuvox.com>
> Subject: RE: Converting HTML docs to PDFs
> To: "Renee Bornstein" <rbornstein at AdvisorSoftware.com>,
> <techwr-l at lists.techwr-l.com>
> Message-ID:
> <144FACB355C4F7469CE7D9B7E51E327F025C8133 at tuvoxex.tuvox.com>
> Content-Type: text/plain; charset="us-ascii"
>
> This sounds like what you're really asking for is a Javadoc-like tool
> that converts an XML schema or model to HTML and then to PDF. Is that
> correct? I have written up XML APIs before, but I used Dreamweaver to
> do
> it "by hand".
>
> Joe
>
> Joe Malin
> Technical Writer
> (408)625-1623
> jmalin at tuvox.com
> www.tuvox.com
> The views expressed in this document are those of the sender, and do
> not
> necessarily reflect those of TuVox, Inc.
>
> -----Original Message-----
> From: techwr-l-bounces+jmalin=tuvox.com at lists.techwr-l.com
> [mailto:techwr-l-bounces+jmalin=tuvox.com at lists.techwr-l.com] On Behalf
> Of Renee Bornstein
> Sent: Tuesday, September 05, 2006 2:43 PM
> To: techwr-l at lists.techwr-l.com
> Subject: Converting HTML docs to PDFs
>
> Hi all,
>
>
>
> Just joined; hope I'm not repeating earlier discussions.
>
>
>
> I've got an assignment to document an XML API.
>
>
> ------------------------------
>
> Message: 35
> Date: Wed, 6 Sep 2006 10:34:46 -0700 (PDT)
> From: "A.H." <isaac840 at yahoo.com>
> Subject: Simplified English
> To: techwr-l at lists.techwr-l.com
> Message-ID: <20060906173446.24168.qmail at web36204.mail.mud.yahoo.com>
> Content-Type: text/plain; charset=iso-8859-1
>
> Greetings,
>
> How does one become familiar with Simplified
> English? Are there any generic docs, books, articles,
> etc.?
>
> Anthony Hernandez
>
> __________________________________________________
> Do You Yahoo!?
> Tired of spam? Yahoo! Mail has the best spam protection around
> http://mail.yahoo.com
>
>
> ------------------------------
>
> Message: 36
> Date: Wed, 6 Sep 2006 13:47:29 -0400
> From: "David Castro" <thejavaguy at gmail.com>
> Subject: Looking for questions to ask in Arbortext training
> To: TECHWR-L <techwr-l at lists.techwr-l.com>
> Message-ID:
> <8319ca490609061047p56ace12eo67ef135631478f0 at mail.gmail.com>
> Content-Type: text/plain; charset=ISO-8859-1; format=flowed
>
> I will be going to training September 12-14 for Arbortext Editor.
>
> I haven't used the tool yet, but have installed the 14-day demo. I
> plan to try converting existing FrameMaker and Word documents into
> Editor's XML to see where I might get stuck.
>
> For those who have used or currently use Arbortext Editor, can you
> think of good questions to ask in class, or procedures to have
> demonstrated?
>
> --
> -David Castro
> thejavaguy at gmail.com
>
>
> ------------------------------
>
> Message: 37
> Date: Wed, 06 Sep 2006 16:19:34 -0400
> From: Geoff Hart <ghart at videotron.ca>
> Subject: Simplified English?
> To: TECHWR-L <techwr-l at lists.techwr-l.com>, "A.H."
> <isaac840 at yahoo.com>
> Message-ID: <BAECFF25-3042-4080-9DD6-59BD4C31C0BB at videotron.ca>
> Content-Type: text/plain; charset=US-ASCII; delsp=yes; format=flowed
>
> Anthony Hernandez wondered: <<How does one become familiar with
> Simplified English? Are there any generic docs, books, articles,
> etc.?>>
>
> Start your search at the following site: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/
> Simplified_English
>
> If you want the great grandpa and 1000-lb gorilla in the field:
> http://www.simplifiedenglish-aecma.org/
> - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - --
>
> Geoff Hart ghart at videotron.ca
>
> (try geoffhart at mac.com if you don't get a reply)
>
> www.geoff-hart.com
>
> - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -
>
>
>
>
> ------------------------------
>
> Message: 38
> Date: Wed, 06 Sep 2006 16:26:58 -0400
> From: Geoff Hart <ghart at videotron.ca>
> Subject: Meaning of the slash (/) mark?
> To: TECHWR-L <techwr-l at lists.techwr-l.com>, C <cll01821 at lycos.com>
> Message-ID: <3D0278F2-B678-42A8-84B9-C7327C2426CB at videotron.ca>
> Content-Type: text/plain; charset=US-ASCII; delsp=yes; format=flowed
>
> Carol wondered: <<We had a discussion at work about the meaning of
> the slash (/) mark. In my 25-year career as a technical writer, I
> have always understood the slash mark to mean "or", as in "Select OK/
> Yes".>>
>
> There is no standard definition, other than in mathematics (where it
> means "divide by"). That's exactly the problem with the slash: it's a
> lazy way to say things that are better said using words. If you mean
> "or", say "or". If you need to be more precise (often the case), say
> "A, B, or both" or "A or B, but not both".
>
> <<However, a developer here included options in the interface where
> the administrator chooses a combination of protocols from a list. For
> example, the administration can choose the "LDAP/MAPI" combination.
> When reviewing the administrator's guide, I assumed that "LDAP/MAPI"
> meant "LDAP or MAPI" and asked the tech writer to clarify it for me.
> She told me that it means "LDAP and MAPI", which was a surprise to
> me. I didn't know that the slash could mean "or" and "and".>>
>
> See what I mean? <g> The correct usage in this case is an en dash,
> which is used to indicate compounds of equal weight (i.e., "both)--as
> any style guide will confirm. But because en dashes are foreign to a
> great many readers (including, apparently, your technical writer),
> it's still clearer to say "the combination of A and B" or "both A and
> B".
>
> <<Searching for usage information brought some interesting
> information to light, including the fact that usage of the slash
> often lends itself to ambiguity. It appears that the "or" meaning is
> common in instructional documentation, but the "and" meaning is
> common in many other places where the writer simply wants to connect
> two items through the slash mark. So, fellow techwhirlers, what is
> your understanding of the best practices for using the slash mark? I
> typically try to avoid using it at all...>>
>
> Your research should help you accept my own opinion that the slash is
> ambiguous, and should be ruthlessly eliminated. Why bother using an
> ambiguous form when unambiguous wording is so easy?
>
> - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - --
>
> Geoff Hart ghart at videotron.ca
>
> (try geoffhart at mac.com if you don't get a reply)
>
> www.geoff-hart.com
>
> - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -
>
>
>
>
> ------------------------------
>
> Message: 39
> Date: Wed, 6 Sep 2006 14:25:56 -0600
> From: "Combs, Richard" <richard.combs at Polycom.com>
> Subject: RE: Meaning of the slash (/) mark
> To: <techwr-l at lists.techwr-l.com>
> Message-ID:
>
> <AABEB232F95338499DF8F513EE2B2C7802D8F6 at WSTEXCH00.westminster.polycom.c
> om>
>
> Content-Type: text/plain; charset="us-ascii"
>
> C wrote:
>
>> When reviewing
>> the administrator's guide, I assumed that "LDAP/MAPI"
>> meant "LDAP or MAPI"
>> and asked the tech writer to clarify it for me. She told
>> me that it means
>> "LDAP and MAPI", which was a surprise to me. I didn't know
>> that the slash
>> could mean "or" and "and".
>
> Actually, the slash could mean "or" OR "and." ;-)
>
>> So, fellow techwhirlers, what is your understanding of the
>> best practices
>> for using the slash mark? I typically try to avoid using
>> it at all, and when
>> I do use it, it means "or".
>
> Precisely because it's frequently ambiguous (and frequently used for
> exactly that reason by people who don't want their meaning pinned down
> or aren't sure of something), I avoid it, and I ask SMEs to clarify
> what
> they mean when they use it.
>
> Richard
>
>
> ------
> Richard G. Combs
> Senior Technical Writer
> Polycom, Inc.
> richardDOTcombs AT polycomDOTcom
> 303-223-5111
> ------
> rgcombs AT gmailDOTcom
> 303-777-0436
> ------
>
>
>
>
>
>
> ------------------------------
>
> Message: 40
> Date: Wed, 06 Sep 2006 16:27:03 -0400
> From: "bryan johnson" <bryan.johnson at motoman.com>
> Subject: Re: Simplified English
> To: <techwr-l at lists.techwr-l.com>,"A.H." <isaac840 at yahoo.com>
> Message-ID: <44FEF6D70200007E0000073C@ MESSENGER.Motoman.com>
> Content-Type: text/plain; charset=US-ASCII
>
> I just ran across this podcast on controlled english:
>
> http://www.thecomwellgroup.com/podcast/commtalk.htm
>
> Bryan K. Johnson
> Senior Technical Writer
> Motoman Inc.
> (937) 440-2606
>
>>>> "A.H." <isaac840 at yahoo.com> 09/06/06 1:34 PM >>>
> Greetings,
>
> How does one become familiar with Simplified
> English? Are there any generic docs, books, articles,
> etc.?
>
> Anthony Hernandez
>
> __________________________________________________
> Do You Yahoo!?
> Tired of spam? Yahoo! Mail has the best spam protection around
> http://mail.yahoo.com
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