TechWhirl (TECHWR-L) is a resource for technical writing and technical communications professionals of all experience levels and in all industries to share their experiences and acquire information.
For two decades, technical communicators have turned to TechWhirl to ask and answer questions about the always-changing world of technical communications, such as tools, skills, career paths, methodologies, and emerging industries. The TechWhirl Archives and magazine, created for, by and about technical writers, offer a wealth of knowledge to everyone with an interest in any aspect of technical communications.
Re: On-Line Vs. Print, Single-Sourcing, and how to ignore the obvious
Subject:Re: On-Line Vs. Print, Single-Sourcing, and how to ignore the obvious From:Tuples -at- aol -dot- com To:"TECHWR-L" <techwr-l -at- lists -dot- raycomm -dot- com> Date:Fri, 2 Aug 2002 20:22:05 EDT
In a message dated 8/2/02 5:07:16 PM Mountain Standard Time, doc -at- vertext -dot- org
writes:
> > One is physical the other is not.
>
> What exactly isn't physical? This is a nonensical statement. Both paper and
> display are media that display text and graphics. The difference is in the
> aspect ratio and the greater ease with which you can access the indexing
and
> cross-referencing.
>
> > One can be interacted with, the other is static.
>
Here is the truth at the heart of the matter. On-line documents are easy to
use and cheap. Ever buy a full product such as Visual Basic or Visual C++? A
huge amount of paper documentation. This cuts into the manufacturer's profit
margin.
I have never found the electronic versions of the docs to be as useful as the
printed versions. This is just me or perhaps others prefer the printed
versions as well.
MS and others care more about the cost than they do ease of use. Granted,
they make it easy to use, and upgrades should they wish to upgrade or change
the docs are easier than reprinting a complete manual.
What I really do not want to see happen is a help file being accessed on the
web through links in their slimmed down help system.
Save up to 50% with RoboHelp Deluxe. Get 2 great products for 1 low price!
You'll get RoboHelp Office PLUS RoboDemo, the software demonstration tool
that everyone's been talking about. Check it out and save! http://www.ehelp.com/techwr-l
---
You are currently subscribed to techwr-l as:
archive -at- raycomm -dot- com
To unsubscribe send a blank email to leave-techwr-l-obscured -at- lists -dot- raycomm -dot- com
Send administrative questions to ejray -at- raycomm -dot- com -dot- Visit http://www.raycomm.com/techwhirl/ for more resources and info.
