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.
I like to look at it this way. I like to be better prepared, and not need
it, than to be under-prepared, and need it.
As such, if you do the harder and more technical class, you will easily
understand the less technical if you do it later or on your own.
DreamWeaver has a few quirks, like most of these, where it determines the
way it thinks the code should go. If you don't know the code, you only know
that something isn't working right. If you know the code, you can easily
check the code view (or work in it to begin with) and make it do what you
want it to do.
I'm working with several people who know no HTML and we are working in
DreamWeaver and SharePoint Designer. Several quirks are showing up in their
work (most notably nested lists) and they can't figure how to fix them.
But looking at the code, it is easy to see and fix.
Realistically, since I know HTML and have worked in it since '96 (and GML
and ISIL before that), it took me about 15 minutes to figure DreamWeaver
enough to be productive. I am sure glad I did not waste money and time on a
class for it.
----- Original Message -----
From: "Becca" <becca_price -at- yahoo -dot- com>
To: "tech2wr-l" <techwr-l -at- lists -dot- techwr-l -dot- com>
Sent: Friday, November 04, 2011 3:23 PM
Subject: which class?
I'm setting up my schedule for next term. While no class in CSS and HTML is
required for the certificate (that would be far more useful than the web
user interface analysis class that is required!) recent conversations here
make me believe that knowing more XHTML and CSS would be useful to me.
There are two beginning classes I can take. One uses DreamWeaver and seems
to be a Web Design For Dummies class (which is me!). The other uses a text
editor, and is geared more for people who want to be professional web
designers (which I don't want to be).
Which, do you think, would be more valuable? DreamWeaver? or coding?
Create and publish documentation through multiple channels with Doc-To-Help.
Choose your authoring formats and get any output you may need. Try
Doc-To-Help, now with MS SharePoint integration, free for 30-days. http://www.doctohelp.com
