Re: Software solution (tech writing tie in)

[Chris Gooch <Chris -at- lightwork -dot- co -dot- uk>]

Paul asked a question to which Sandy explained about the
mighty power of grep:

> It never ceases to amaze me that people actually use computer systems 
> that lack basic tools like 'grep'. These were already standard on Unix 
> when I learned it in the early 80s. 
Andrew then points out that Windoze does have such tools, it's just
people don't normally know about them:

Actually NT and 2000 have most if not all those tools either already
installed or available on the install disk. Its just most people don't
know they are there or how to get to them. 

I think there is actually a technical writing point here. Unix is a system
designed
with the expert user in mind. It is full of tools, and there is a simple and
straightforward
way to make all the toold behave together (command line interface, character
streams,
pipes). Yes it seems arcane to the uninitiated, but once you've learnt it
it's easy
to use and powerful. Windows on the other hand is mostly designed to be
"easy"
to use for people that don't know much about computers --- hence its
success.
So, you can drag files about the place without having to learn arcane
commands like
"cp" or "mv" - but if you want to transfer all the files with certain line
ending and
a certain prefix from several directories in a tree to a given place you
have to do
a lot of mousejockeying in Windows (ie. you do it yourself) wheras in Unix
you'd
issue a command of about 10 or 12 characters which tells the computer what
you want - it then does it.

It's a different mind-set - in Windows you are a consumer of software
produced
by other people for which you usually have no training in how to use, but if
you
prod it enough you can get it do simple stuff (NB. Apple is no better).
Maybe.
But basically the computer remains like any other consumer good - it can do
the stuff that some other "expert" (ie. company) has "designed".

In the Unix frame of mind, by contrast, you need to some learning first,
after
which point you can make the computer act like a computer - ie. you learn
how to specify what you want to acheive in an unambigious form, and then
the computer does it. You become a programmer rather than a mouse jockey.
No one who grew up on Unix would ask if there was some software already
out there that did what Paul orignally wanted -- they'd just solve the
problem
themselves. It's the old, "give a man a fish he eats for a day, teach a man
to fish he eats every day" thing.

Oh, yes, the technical writing tie in. Well, it's simple. When I first
started using
Unix in the 80's, first thing I did was read some books that explained Unix.
I bet
most other people did too. Once the concepts where understood, away you
went,
and never looked back. But when I was put in front of Windows, no such book
was provided - you're just supposed to "play" until you can do simple stuff.
Sure
you can buy hundreds of "windows for brain dead morons" type books, but
they rarely contain any useful info. They certainly don't set out to explain
how to make a computer act like a computer (ie. solve problems for you)
rather than act as a thing-that-responds-to-being-poked-with-a-mouse).

Sometimes, as technical writing types, we could do a service by explaining
apparently difficult or complex concepts to people in a palatable way, which
then allow the readers to *understand* the products we are documenting.
This approach may sometimes (not always) be much better than either
task oriented or "what does this button do" oriented type documentation.
I for one find it annoying that nearly all software documentation falls into
the latter two categories.

Chris.

PS. Please no flames from disgruntled Mac or M$ users -- I use many
different
	operating systems / tools and generally it's horses for courses - I
just
	feel the different ethoses of each can be illuminating.

PPS. Sorry the message is a bit long - my unix box just crashed so I can't
	do my proper work! :-) :-) :-)

Christopher Gooch, Technical Author
LightWork Design Ltd, Sheffield, England.
chris -at- lightwork -dot- co -dot- uk   www.lightwork.com




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