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Subject:Re: The user guide prescribes the program From:Mike Toogood <miket -at- KTGROUP -dot- CO -dot- UK> Date:Tue, 7 Jan 1997 14:38:08 GMT
> joe-rapp -at- JUNO -dot- COM
> An experienced engineer/manager at NYNEX told me that
> he believes that "The documentation IS the program."
A very experienced C++ coder contracting for my company suggested the same
approach to me recently "Why not base the application on the help file?"
It is a valid way to approach "the product" as procedures should be well
defined by the time the manual is complete. A software product is more than
just the bytes on the disk, it is the program, the manual and the
user-system that it becomes part of.
IMHO, as coding becomes more visual interface based and hypertext systems
become capable of displaying graphical images efficiently, directly
manipulating the application for example procedures, the disciplines of
coder and technical communicator become ever closer.
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Mike Toogood, Technical Author, RMS Services Ltd.
Part of the Knowledge Group.
miket -at- ktgroup -dot- co -dot- uk
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