RE: I'm sticking with WinHelp (was Re: WinHelp on Vista - ausefullink)

["Susan W. Gallagher" <sgallagher5 -at- cox -dot- net>]

Yabbut, the purpose of documentation is to support the user. If our users
are still using Windows 98, great! We can go ahead and keep on using the
tools we're using and producing the help we're producing and no big deal.
But,if the user base chooses to upgrade, we are obliged to make best effort
to support that decision. And that responsibility mushrooms. Look at it this
way...

I work on a service that enables digital media sales across the web. Our
clients market to users who have viiv machines or media center editions
using our software. We're already making plans to allow them to support
vista. Most of our stuff is online, but there are a few applications that
the user needs to run locally. What do you think would happen if they spent
$100,000 (you heard me) on a software service and I provided them with a
less than seamless user experience (you gotta go here and download an app
that will punch a security hole as big as a mac truck into your OS before
you can run the help). How long do you think I'm going to be employed
there??? Do you honestly think my customers are going to put up with that?

So I go looking for software to do my job. Not only do I need software that
supports output in all of these new formats, but I *know* what the
repercussions of downloading the app are. You think I'm gonna? ...and if I
wanted to, do you think IT would let me? Uhn uh. Guess again.

FWIW, I thought winhelp was a beautiful thing. Not only did it have some
neat functionality, but it was (for me, anyway) incredibly simple to
implement. I got to the point where I'd add all of the footnotes manually
rather than going thru the HAT dialog box because it was faster. (true geek
confessions here <G>)

But that was then and this is now, and if you balance the danger of someone
using your quicken information to steal your identity on one hand and the
value of bold text in a help pop-up on the other... <knock><knock><knock>
Hellooooo. <g>

Winhelp is dead, not only from a "serve the user" prospective, but from a
"skills on resume" perspective as well. It's time to move on, so put on your
big girl panties and cope with it!

My two cents. YMMV, yada, yada, yada... <g>
-Sue Gallagher


^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^

WebWorks ePublisher Pro for Word features support for every major Help 
format plus PDF, HTML and more. Flexible, precise, and efficient content 
delivery. Try it today! http://www.webworks.com/techwr-l

Easily create HTML or Microsoft Word content and convert to any popular Help file format or printed documentation. Learn more at http://www.DocToHelp.com/TechwrlList

---
You are currently subscribed to TECHWR-L as archive -at- infoinfocus -dot- com -dot- 

To unsubscribe send a blank email to 
techwr-l-unsubscribe -at- lists -dot- techwr-l -dot- com
or visit http://lists.techwr-l.com/mailman/options/techwr-l/archive%40infoinfocus.com


To subscribe, send a blank email to techwr-l-join -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.