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Subject:Re: Access to software versions: a rant From:"Pro TechWriter" <pro -dot- techwriter -at- gmail -dot- com> To:"Stuart Burnfield" <slb -at- westnet -dot- com -dot- au> Date:Wed, 30 May 2007 13:10:04 -0400
I can believe it, because I work in the same kind of environment. <sigh> I'm
feeling pretty rant-like myself today.
Finally, I said, "I can't document what I cannot see. Period."
They sent me screen captures, and I sent dozens of e-mails, and called every
single time I had a question.
Such as, "what is the title of this window?"
"It's blah blah," they said.
I said, "No, it's not. Blah blah is on page 4. You took the screen cap so
the title is not visible. I can't go forward with the documentation until I
can tell the users what the window name is."
He says "It's BLAH BLAH!"
Me: "No, it's not. Come down here."
He comes down here. I point to the paper screen captures and say, "See this
page? This (pointing) and this (pointing) are NOT the same." He says. "Oh,
yeah. I see what you mean. I'll go get that for you." The screen capture
arrives, and right after that, my access to the application test bed arrives
too.
Hehehe :-)
Make it more work for them to help you than giving you access to the
application, and they will provide the less-work option :-D
On 5/30/07, Stuart Burnfield <slb -at- westnet -dot- com -dot- au> wrote:
>
> Gordon said:
> - How you USE software is only learnable if you have access to the
> software itself. You can read all the specs in the world but they will
> only ever give you how the person who wrote it thinks the software
> should be used.
>
> - If you give me access to the software I can learn it and take less
> time from the developers when asking them "what if...".
>
> - You need to cover 'non-happy path' usage of the software in the docs
> and that only way you get to that is by having the software.
>
> --
> PT
> pro -dot- techwriter -at- gmail -dot- com
> I'm a Technical Technical Writer!
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