Re: Document Control Software

[Kris Olberg <kjolberg -at- IX -dot- NETCOM -dot- COM>]

At 11:31 AM 9/23/96 -0700, you wrote:
>>>Kris,
>>>
>>>This sounds like a cost-effective approach with which
>>>you have had some experience. I'm skeptical about its
>>>general applicability; but what's new about that? Please
>>>help us to better understand your experience with this
>>>approach (good and bad). Thanks in advance.
>>>
>>>(1) How did you control user access to your master files?

In a networked environment, user access is controlled by the networking
software and assigned by the network administrator. In a standalone
environment, no control is necessary.

>>>(2) How did you ensure that your master files would not be
>>>    corrupted by naive users?

Document control software cannot substitute as a "babysitter" for those
lacking word processing skills, no matter what software or system you use.

>>>(3) How did you manage small revisions to
>>>    large documents? That is, did you duplicate
>>>    the entire document, or only the changes?

Here's my system: I create a directory for a document. Then I create several
subdirectories as follows: current, old, misc, bitmaps, online ... I keep
the most current copy of the document (which could be several files) in the
"current" subdir. When I publish a version (regardless of whether the
revision is changed pages only or the entire doc), I rename the current
version file or files to reflect the publication date and move them into the
"old" subdir. (The "old" subdir. may contain several subdirectories as
needed.) This method works regardless of the type of revision I do, whether
I publish only changed pages, which I print from the "current" files, or the
entire manual.

>>>(4) Did you have many large embedded illos?

Sometimes. When I have to link to illustrations rather than embed them in a
file, I prefer to use my "bitmaps" subdir to store the graphics.

>>>(5) How did you archive your master files?

As a rule, I don't use master files. In Word, I prefer to use RD fields for
the TOC and index. My archiving procedures are the same for all files
(described above).

Here's a tip for archiving old documents:
---------------------------------------------------
If you're like me, you almost never have a need for an older version of a
document, so ZIP them using your favorite compression algorithm, such as
PKZIP. This saves space on your local or network drive.

>>>Regards,
>>>Bill Darnall
>>>billd -at- darcominc -dot- com


Regards...Kris
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