Re: re Document Versions

[David Neeley <dbneeley -at- oddpost -dot- com>]

Mark, 
  
First, I must say how felicitously written this post is! 
  
The overwhelming majority of software companies I have dealt with recently have taken to creating documentation in Acrobat format--often leaving it to the customer to print those parts they wish. It's kind of silly for them to hold version numbers of the docs in strict conformance with the software. 
  
There *is* a simple-enough route around that. The running header or footer can be set to reflect both the most recent doc release *and* the software release it pertains to. Normally, I would think that the major version number would track the software, while minor numbers would increment. Thus, for instance, you could have the software set as "version 3.02" and the running footer of the docs might be "version 3.02.02"--and you could simply add the software's complete version in each case "for use with software release 3.02." 
  
I do see the advantage to having some correlation between the two numbers, but when publishing electronically there seems no excuse for using past numbers for the docs when it can be "automagically" updated. 
  
I also believe that software which is of the high price/small volume kind would benefit from having a contract with a Print on Demand publisher in each country of distribution to print docs locally. That way, the docs could be done with the latest iteration as of the time the software is purchased, should there be a perceived need for printed docs. Customs and other matters are simplified--and there is a mechanism already in place for customers to get additional copies of the docs they might desire quickly and at reasonable cost. 
  
David 
  
-----Original Message from <nosnivel -at- netvision -dot- net -dot- il>----- 
  
General practice, in my experience, is that the 
document version (which I guess should properly 
be called an edition) is identical to the product 
version. 

General experience, in my practice, is that this 
drives me up the wall.  Several times the original 
documentation has been an unsatisfactory rush job, 
and later I've prepared some important corrections 
and improvements, and I'm told that they can't be 
released because they need to wait for a new product 
version to accompany.  "We don't have a procedure 
for releasing new documentation without a new product 
version."  "So consider that the new documentation is 
itself the revision to the product."  Blank stares. 

This is from back in the days of paper and magnetic 
media.  I have no idea whether broadband has made 
the industry more flexible.  But I always tried to 
keep the edition numbers of the documentation at 
least a little independent from the version numbers 
of the product, in hopes of enabling a separate 
documentation upgrade. 

In fairness to the other side, as it were, the 
company would find itself sending out a new 
product version with documentation from one or 
two versions back, simply because the documentation 
was still accurate and reprinting it with a new 
number would cost money.  I suppose electronization 
has largely eliminated that problem... 

Mark L. Levinson 
hoary in Herzliya, Israel 
nosnivel -at- netvision -dot- net -dot- il 

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