Re: New Question - online doc vs hard doc

Subject: Re: New Question - online doc vs hard doc
From: Keith Arnett <keith_arnett -at- RESTON -dot- OMD -dot- STERLING -dot- COM>
Date: Fri, 12 Jun 1998 17:16:02 -0500

We, too, are grappling with this issue (software products for UNIX and
mainframe). A major conclusion for us is that this requires a
two-pronged solution, involving both documentation developers and
software developers.

An ideal user interface would be totally intuitive (bi-lateral
telepathy, perhaps?). But realistically, implementing a
well-thought-out user interface can go a long way to reducing the
requirement for print documentation. Implementation and configuration
tasks are a particularly noticible example.

In the short term, it seems attractive simply to write a document that
tells the end user, 'do this' and then 'do that'...edit a file,
specify a directory, type in a variable, or whatever. However, most
implementation/configuration tasks can be automated with proper
analysis and programming time.

Today, even the most humble shareware downloaded from the internet can
usually search for required components, prompt the user for needed
information, and essentially install itself--no paper required.

My personal ideal would be to reduce documentation to a relatively
small installation guide--everything else would be bundled with the
software, either as online help, wizards, automated tasks or what have
you.

Today, this is somewhat of a hard sell in the UNIX world, where
command line gurus still abound, and it's also somewhat of a new
concept in the mainframe world. The major force pushing this idea
seems to be the incipient homogenizing of the computing world (PCs
hooked to UNIX boxes hooked to mainframes hooked to PCs....), which is
producing a growing number of what might be called 'cross-over users.'

One thing all of these cross-over users have in common is familiarity
with the PC world (and here I mean both Wintel and Mac), where user
interfaces and automated installation for consumer software have
progressed to a relatively sophisticated point. 'Why," they want to
know, 'can't I just put a CD in my UNIX box and click "install"?'

In the past, the developer's response to this has been to chuckle
indulgently, and then explain all of the reasons why this can't be
done. Now, developers (and marketers) seem to be blinking, and asking
'Hmmm...that's an interesting idea...I wonder how we could do that...'

By lessening the 'print documentation' tasks, the technical
communicator is freed up to concentrate on helping to deliver these
online aids to the customer, in close cooperation with the software
developer.

<<well, you asked for philosophy...... ;-) >>

Have a great weekend...

Keith Arnett
Technical Writer
Sterling Software, Inc,/Operations Management Division
Reston VA USA




______________________________ Reply Separator _________________________________
Subject: New Question - online doc vs hard doc
Author: "Schweizer Alex" <alexs -at- visteon -dot- com> at INTERNET
Date: 6/12/98 2:35 PM


<<snip>>

I'd like to hear other companies philosophies when it comes to
delivering documentation?

<<snip>>




Previous by Author: Cross Platform Delivery, was: Self-destructing documents
Next by Author: Re: UN*X Help
Previous by Thread: Re: New Question - online doc vs hard doc
Next by Thread: Clarification - New Question - online doc vs hard doc


What this post helpful? Share it with friends and colleagues:


Sponsored Ads