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Subject:OT: Establishing standards From:Paul Hanson <PHanson -at- Quintrex -dot- com> To:Tech Writers List <techwr-l -at- lists -dot- raycomm -dot- com>, STC Lone Writer SIG <stclwrsig-l -at- stc -dot- org>, Winhelp List <WINHLP-L -at- ADMIN -dot- HUMBERC -dot- ON -dot- CA>, parametrica -at- listbot -dot- com, Tech Comm List <techcomm -at- user -dot- itconsult -dot- co -dot- uk> Date:Thu, 15 Jun 2000 13:51:13 -0500
If you were involved in establishing standards for either a re-write of
an existing system or the development of an entirely new system for a
Windows OS, this email is for you. How long did it take your team
(assuming that these standards were created with a cross-section of
programmers and end-user advocates (QA, TW) to come to agreement with
the following? The list:
1. 800 x 600 resolution
2. Neutral colors - gray background (user defined or QDS defined?)
3. Fonts and character size (i.e., Titles / Headings, Prompts)
4. Buttons (i.e., colors, text, location, size)
5. Drop down boxes (i.e., colors, text, location, size)
6. Accelerator keys (mouse action required yes/no) - Maximize use of
the keyboard
7. ICONS
8. Tool bars
9. Status bars
10. Main menu (layout of menu, how will the whole process function
between applications)
11. Error messages
12. Defaults (consider user defined files)
No pre-meeting info was provided. We were to bring examples, as
explained in this text from the 'invite' email: "In addition to your
ideas, would the following individuals please bring copies of the
specified information to the meeting."
A group of 6 (me, GUI/400 developer, 1 QA, and three programmers [from
three different products that have different standards [VB, Centura, and
RPG) got through one through three. The meeting was termed
'unproductive' by one of the programmers. He thinks that spending 1.5
hours on three items is 'too slow' and that there must be a faster way
to develop standards.
