Re: Not even Newbe, Wantabe (long response-Instalment 2)

["D. Margulis" <ampersandvirgule -at- WORLDNET -dot- ATT -dot- NET>]

NOTE: techwr-l rejected the full response because it was too long, so
this is now in two parts. This is Part 2.



        MA

Postal Service abbreviation for Massachusetts.

        (M/F/V/D)

What's the context? Might be a qualifier for a claim of equal employment
opportunity--male, female, veteran, disabled perhaps?

        MIME

An encoding protocol used for attaching files to email. I don't recall
what it stands for at the moment.

        MKS

The standard base units for the Systeme Internationale (metric
system)--meter, kilogram, second. Some scientific specialties prefer to
use the older-style CGS base units--centimeter, gram, second.

        MP/M

A pre-DOS operating system for the early Intel chip. The multi-user
version of CP/M, IIRC ("if I recall correctly"). I don't remember what
either abbreviation stands for, though.

        NT

Windows NT, an operating system that superficially resembles Windows 95
but that is designed for "enterprise" (NT, get it?) -scale environments.

        OLE2View

OLE is a technology "Object Linking and Embedding) that implements the
inclusion of documents produced in one application inside documents
produced in another application. OLE2 is the second, enhanced, version
of the technology. OLE2View is, I assume, a program used to view
OLE2-compatible documents. If I'm assuming incorrectly, we'll know soon
enough.

        OmniMark

A company that provides sophisticated lage-scale document handling
systems.

        Packet

String of bits sent across the Internet, including enough information
about the sender and recipient to get it to the right place and to
reassemble it in the right sequence with the other packets that make up
the transmitted message.

        pdf' PDF

Portable Document Format file. See Distiller, supra.

        Perl

A programming language popular for certain behind-the-scenes processes
on the World Wide Web (validating a form you fill in on a web page, for
example).

        PhAB

Not a clue. Anyone?

        Postscript

PostScript page description language, a powerful and efficient language
that tells a device such as a laser printer where to put all the little
black squiggles that, taken together, make up a page of text and images.
Adobe Systems devised PostScript and owns the technology.

        PowerBuilder

The name of some software package that probably does something useful,
but I'm not personally familiar with it.

        Preflighting

Verifying by visual inspection that the electronic files you are ready
to send to the printing company's computer will in fact generate exactly
the pages you so carefully designed on your personal computer.

        Python

Large snake; Monty Flying Circus's middle name; I dunno what else.

        QNX

A brand of UNIX-like operating system that runs on an Intel chip.

        </RANT>

In HTML and related protocols, strings of text that are to be displayed
are placed between tags that indicate the manner in which they are to be
displayed [or processed, in non-HTML contexts]. The tag that indicates
the end of the range has a virgule in the position you see it in your
example. Typically, you might see <italic> Gone With the Wind </italic>,
for example. Someone with a sense of self-mockery was noting in a post
that the section between <RANT> and </RANT> was rhetorically over the
top and the reader should take that into account.

        RoboHelp

A  Help authoring tool (HAT) that writers use to assist them in
producing Help files for use with software products.

        rtf

Rich Text Format, a file protocol developed by Microsoft that enables
one program to interpret a document prepared by another program. Not a
stable standard, as Microsoft keeps changing it, thereby rendering it
largely useless.

        SGML

Standard Generalized Markup Language, a protocol for writing protocols
like HTML or XML.

        SME

Subject matter expert, the person who know the information but doesn't
write as well as you do, at least in your opinion.

        </SNIP>,

In replying to long posts, it is courteous to indicate where you have
"snipped" text from the original to conserve space. The person you are
quoting chose to use an HTML-style tag to convey this.

        SOPs

Standard Operating Procedures, a military abbreviation widely used in
manufacturing industries.

        SQA

Software quality assurance, a discipline practiced in the software
industry.

        SR-2

Wasn't that a rocket plane?

        STC

Society for Technical Communications, to which many list members belong.

        TCP/IP

Telecommunications Protocol/Internet Protocol (IIRC), the way computers
communicate with each other over the Internet and many other networks.

        TIA

Usenet, listserve, and email shorthand for "thanks in advance."

        TOC

Table of Contents

        *TW*

Emphatic form of "technical writer."

        UI

User interface.

        UNIX

The name of an operating system developed by Bell Labs and widely used
in academic, scientific, and engineering circles. It doesn't stand for
anything.

        FB

No idea. Typo for VB, perhaps?

        URL

Universal Resource Locator. The address that a hyperlink sends you to,
such as "http://yadayada.com.";

        VB

Visual Basic, a programming language.

        XML

Extensible Markup Language. Another SGML-compliant language like HTML,
but with more and different capabilities that will enable Web pages to
do even more wonderful things than they do now.

        *Y2K*

Emphatic form of Y2K, otherwise known as the Year 2000 Problem, which
you must have read something about by now. (Remember MKS? K stands for
kilo- ; 2K = 2000; Y stands for year. Get it?)

HTH ("hope this helps"),

Dick

*********************************************************************
I don't have any leads on jobs for tech writers, but if you know any
software developers looking for a great opportunity, send 'em to me.

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