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> To me online help is something I access from an application - I'm stuck/can't
> remember how to do something etc. I access the help and it's there (if
> context sensitive) or I search and (hopefully!) find it. It is not limited to
> the traditional help format - I've seen Help done using PDF but it's not the
> norm.
Online documentation is viewed it two ways - some see it simply as an online
version of the book, often simply in PDF format with search etc available.
Personally I don't consider this 'true' online documentation. It IS online but
is done using PDF either because it's the easiest/cheapest or because it's known
that the customer will probably print it out anyway! 'True' online
documentation, to me at least, is much more like a help file in structure than a
traditional book. One example is "Standards for Online Communication" file
provided with the book by the same name by JoAnn Hackos. The online version
contains all the information in the book but as a help file - small topics and a
TOC to allow you to easily browse the 'book'.
If I was asked how I'd prepare an online doc, well it depends.... who/what it's
for etc.
