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At 11:55 AM 5/3/00 -0700, Andrew Plato wrote:
>---------------------Snipped tirade-----------------
>And forget the dumb comparisons to wrenches and hammers. A hammer is a
>tremendously simple tool in comparison to computer software. This is like
>comparing bacteria to humans. The factors that make these complex systems
>useful (or useless) are far too complex for a few mouthing fools (including
>yours truly) on a tech writer board to figure out.
==================================================================
No, Andrew, you have it backwards. The more complex the task, the more
complex the tool must be, and the more vital it is to select the tool that
is most able to increase productivity least likely to produce
productivity-robbing foul-ups. If your so-called New Economy means anything,
it means working smarter, and, concomitantly, that means better tools are
required. If you wouldn't allow your car to be overhauled by an auto
mechanic who uses crescent wrenches, why do you keep insisting that the
right tools don't matter for even more complex tasks such as technical
writing in today's demanding environment?
+++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++
>-----------------Snipped more of the rant-------------
>And lastly, you will be hard pressed to find a person outside of the tech
>writing universe who gives one billionth of a crap about your emotional
>attachments to FrameMaker.
============================================================
So now you "factually" accuse me (and others) of being driven solely by our
"emotional attachment" to Framemaker. I note that you have failed to
factually refute a single one of the productivity-enhancing features of
FrameMaker cited in my recent long post on that subject, nor have you
demonstrated that Word can match those capabilities.
++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++
>------------------------Snipped more of the rant-----------
>Life ain't fair, kids. If you want to be a success you better find ways to cope
>with adversity because complaining will get you absolutely nowhere.
==================================================================
Does coping with adversity mean to you that one should simply permanently
accept tools that adversely affect your productivity? That's not my
understanding of the way professionals should operate. Professionals, short
term, should be able to function well under adverse conditions, but any good
professional should also vigorously attempt to improve those working
conditions which impair their productivity or their ability to function at
the highest possible level.
====================
| Nullius in Verba |
====================
Dan Emory, Dan Emory & Associates
FrameMaker/FrameMaker+SGML Document Design & Database Publishing
Voice/Fax: 949-722-8971 E-Mail: danemory -at- primenet -dot- com
10044 Adams Ave. #208, Huntington Beach, CA 92646
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