Re: Current trends in Authoring Tools?

["Gordon McLean" <Gordon -dot- McLean -at- GrahamTechnology -dot- com>]

My tuppence.

I think there needs to be a realisation that, for a lot of us who are
working in the 'public software' field, people are becoming less and less
fussy about both HOW they get their information and whether it's 100%
accurate or not. 

We all spend a lot of time creating templates, which usually involves
discussions about how a list should be punctuated, how many levels of
heading are we allowed, and so on and on and on. What I'm more worried
about, these days, isn't how well the information conforms to a template (an
excellent job for a tool I'd say) but how I make sure the users can find the
information the way THEY want to. If that means dumping 1000 text files on a
web server, one per procedure, then so be it.

After all, these days, where's one of the first places you go to look for
help when you get stuck in an application? I'd suggest Google is in the top
3 for most people, no?

So, presuming Google is used as a 'first stop', can we then presume that
most users prefer convenience over quality?
(http://www.37signals.com/svn/posts/249-convenience-over-quality)

Of course we need to balance that against both the impact to the business
and the documentation requirements. But if my authoring tool doesn't support
me in disseminating my information the way my users want, then it's as
useless as a pencil sharpener in the desert.

Ohh and yes, being able to write well is a 'tool' too, as are many other
'non-software' skills that most of us either have or at least know we should
have. That's a different thread though (although the likelihood of THAT ever
being realised is fairly slim), or one for the "We may be technical but we
are writers first and foremost" list.

Gordon McLean


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