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: Online Help in Windows: Old writer catching up
Subject:RE: Online Help in Windows: Old writer catching up From:"Jim Shaeffer" <jims -at- spsi -dot- com> To:"TECHWR-L" <techwr-l -at- lists -dot- techwr-l -dot- com> Date:Tue, 1 Feb 2005 12:38:22 -0500
WritersUA (formerly Winwriters). www.writersua.com has conducted regular
"tools and technology" surveys asking what Help technologies are being
used.
The analysis of the 2002 survey (link to the 2003 survey results seems
broken), says, in part:
Start quote:
Surprising pundits and Microsoft itself, a strong 51% of respondents
still support WinHelp. This percentage reflects mostly WinHelp 4
development but includes WinHelp 3.x. The support for WinHelp has not
declined at all in the past year and very little over the last two
years. The main reason is that WinHelp continues to be forwardly
compatible with all newer versions of Windows, except for the Pocket PC.
Developers who have an effective solution with WinHelp can avoid a
time-consuming and potentially error-prone upgrade to HTML Help.
Reasons For Not Using HTML Help
Throughout most of the 1990s, Microsoft's WinHelp format was the
predominant standard for Windows Help development. The release of HTML
Help in 1997 was met with much fanfare. However, it has only been in the
last year that HTML Help has overtaken WinHelp in the number of
developers working with it. And as the figure above shows, browser-based
Help is likely to be the dominant format in the near future. How did
Microsoft lose its grip in this area of software development? In our
survey we asked Windows developers, "If you're not using HTML Help, why
not?"
As seen the following figure, the number one vote-getting response is
the need to support multiple platforms. HTML Help is a proprietary
format and it is not compatible with anything except Windows. This means
that Help authors must create parallel development tracks to deliver
Help for other platforms, even if the content is essentially the same.
Browser-based Help uses standard web protocols and conventions to
deliver cross-platform support with minimal redundant effort. In
Microsoft's defense, the HTML Help standard arguably provides the most
robust format available for supporting Windows applications and that
support is the main charge in Redmond.
WEBWORKS FINALDRAFT - EDIT AND REVIEW, REDEFINED
Accelerate the document lifecycle with full online discussions and unique feedback-management capabilities. Unlimited, efficient reviews for Word
and FrameMaker authors. Live, online demo: http://www.webworks.com/techwr-l
Technical Communication Certificate online - Malaspina-University College, Canada. Online training in technical writing, software (FrameMaker, RoboHelp, Dreamweaver, Acrobat), document & web design, writing manuals, job search. www.pr.mala.bc.ca/tech_comm.htm for details.
---
You are currently subscribed to techwr-l as:
archiver -at- techwr-l -dot- com
To unsubscribe send a blank email to leave-techwr-l-obscured -at- lists -dot- techwr-l -dot- com
Send administrative questions to lisa -at- techwr-l -dot- com -dot- Visit http://www.techwr-l.com/techwhirl/ for more resources and info.
