Multi-Platform Help

[Gillian Mcgarvey <Gillian_McGarvey -at- OVID -dot- COM>]

  To:   techwr-l @ listserv.okstate.edu
  cc:
  Subject:  Multi-Platform Help


  Since my original post yesterday asking if there were other tech writers
  out there who had to develop and maintain help systems for 4 or 5
  different platforms, I've received several requests to keep the
  discussion public to the list, rather than private.  So, from now on, if
  anyone has any input about this, and feels comfortable doing so, please
  send your responses to the list, rather than to me privately (of course,
  if you'd rather post to me privately, that's okay, too).

  I have received two suggestions so far.  One respondent mentioned that
  her company supports just about every platform I've ever heard of!  Her
  solution was to use SGML, which requires a significant time and resource
  investment (you have to develop the DTD, etc.).  Another respondent
  suggested Framemaker to produce help for several platforms, using add-ons
  for HTML, UNIX, etc.  I don't think that either of these solutions is
  appropriate for my situation, however.  I think we are going to end up
  developing a "database" of help files, which will then be pulled into a
  CGI help interface (developed here).  At this time, we have separate help
  files and/or systems for each interface, and each has to be updated
  manually.  If we can combine even 2 of these, thus knocking out one step
  in the process, it would be an improvement.

  Any other ideas?