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.
Subject:Re: Manuals on CD-ROM From:"Matthew B. Hicks" <matt -at- UNIDATA -dot- UCAR -dot- EDU> Date:Wed, 24 Jan 1996 13:15:53 -0700
On Wed, 24 Jan 1996, Kent Newton wrote:
> Our company is investigating the possibility of distributing our manuals
> on CD-ROM, possibly as an adjunct to paper distribution or possibly (to
> my dismay) as a replacement for the paper distribution.
> Anyway, I was wondering if anyone on the list has had experience with
> this. Is it practical? What are the drawbacks? What should we look for
> in regards to technology? Should we approach it like on-line help with
> hyperlinks, or should we simply set it up like a manual and use a keyword
> search engine? And so on and so on and so on. In other words, I know
> nothing about it and could use all the collective advice and suggestions
> you have.
One thing you should bear in mind -- especially if plan to replace your
paper docs -- is that the user will have to have the CD in the drive in
order to access your docs. This is a nuisance. Especially if your product
is something that is likely to require something else in the drive (like
a PhotoCD) with any frequency. You would hear a lot of cussing coming from
my office if I had to load up a CD everytime I had a question about one
of my applications.
