The model becomes the software, the model becomes the docs?

[Geoff Hart <ghart -at- videotron -dot- ca>]

Ned Bedinger wonders: <<... if the model becomes the software,  
couldn't it become the documentation too?>>

Nope. A model explains how something is implemented; documentation  
translates the model into an explanation of how that implementation  
is used. The two are clearly related, but not as strongly as we might  
hope. User models come close, but rely on the assumption that  
software design starts with how users work and builds a support  
architecture around that. This seems to be about as common as  
American $2 bills these days. That is, they exist, and they're legal,  
but you have to look quite hard to find them out in the real world.

<<Anyway, as tech writer, I think I could work with 90% less SME time  
required if I had a self-documenting model to work from.>>

In theory, yes; in practice, probably not. If SMEs were great  
writers, they'd probably be writing instead of developing products.  
Some of them are good writers, but they're the minority. More  
importantly, developers need to spend 90% of their time developing  
and debugging products; that leaves only 10% of their time for  
documenting. (Play with the numbers how you will. They're supplied  
only for dramatic purposes.) Plus, if you've ever been "in the flow"  
while writing, you know what it's like when a developer gets all flow- 
ey with coding or design: the last thing on their mind is documenting  
what they're doing.


----------------------------------------------------
-- Geoff Hart
ghart -at- videotron -dot- ca / geoffhart -at- mac -dot- com
www.geoff-hart.com
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***Now available***  _Effective onscreen editing_
(http://www.geoff-hart.com/home/onscreen-book.htm)


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