RE: To XML or to UI

[eric -dot- dunn -at- ca -dot- transport -dot- bombardier -dot- com]

"John Posada" <JPosada -at- isogon -dot- com> wrote on 02/19/2004 01:23:45 PM:

> Devise systems for enterprise level management of content? Ubet! 

UI design would sure help there.

> XML -> Database -> Single Sourcing

As it would there too.

> UML -> PMP Certification

> While I can see the value of UI, if I knew that UI training could be
> immediately applied against present documentation to the 
> degree that XML can, I'd jump for it.

But knowing UI design could certainly be applied immediately to the 
documentatio you produce. Or at least to your suggestions and observations 
to the designers. It would also undoubtedly give you insight into how to 
document round some of the nastier UI problems and possibly understand the 
limitations the designers face and why certain trade-offs were made.

> However, with what I want to have 
> accomplished by
> the end of the year, I think the XML route will be a more 
> direct path.

Only you know that for certain. But I the question that was already raised 
is very pertinent. What XML courses are you planning on taking? I've spent 
time in class for SGML and XML basics, structure design, and even some 
advanced concepts and been bored out of my skull. Now if it was 
applications, work flows, and technology classes I would have been far 
more interested and it would have been much more worth my (and my 
employer's)time. With a real requirement, much of even the complex 
SGML/XML stuff is easily self taught.

Eric L. Dunn
Senior Technical Writer