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>
> I have another question regarding writing user
> manuals.
>
> Is there often a step where the tech writer has access
> to some type of spec type documentation or writers
> just start from scratch?
Yes to both. Sometimes there is design documentation you can get hold of,
sometimes they start coding without ever writing down the design.
Beware the latter kind of job. The design (especially the UI) is usually
rather more incoherent, and you usually end up acting as their tester. When
asking "what does this do?" about some feature of the program, they will
often discover either that it doesn't do very much, or that it doesn't do
what somebody had intended it to.
Good luck!
Regards
Jonathan West
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