Re: Tech Writers and Programming [revisited]

["Ridder, Fred" <F -dot- Ridder -at- DIALOGIC -dot- COM>]

I think Michelle is on the right track here.  I think that there would
be
great benefit to the two general courses she suggests, particularly
if they manage to strike a good balance between the general concepts
and the details of how things are done in common programming
languages.  It's difficult to teach about conditionals or loops without
some reference to language-specific implementations, but it's all
too easy to get mired down in the details of those implementations.

For tech writers, I think the most useful complement to the general
courses would be a series of short, language-specific courses that
focus primarily on the structure, syntax, and terminology of a specific
language without getting into a lot of discussion of programming
technique.  I think the important goals for a tech writer are the
ability to read code well enough to get the gist of a program and
the ability to spot syntax or structure errors in code samples
that are given to us.  If a tech writer needs to be able to write
code examples, there are plenty of conventional programming
classes that can teach the necessary skills.

MOO,
Fred Ridder
f -dot- ridder -at- dialogic -dot- com
Senior Technical Writer
Dialogic Corporation

And to keep our marketing people happy:
Get the Dialogic Edge at: http://www.dialogic.com

>-----Original Message-----
>From:  Michelle Corbin Nichols [SMTP:tigger -at- VNET -dot- NET]
>Sent:  Wednesday, May 28, 1997 8:07 PM
>Subject:       Re: Tech Writers and Programming [revisited]
>
>>
>>Would "sister" courses, such as "VB for Technical Writers," "OOP
>>for Technical Writers," or "Java for Technical Writers" be needed,
>>wanted, or required? Or is "C++ for Technical Writers" far too
>>specific to lead off. Would a basic course in "Programming for
>>Technical Writers" be better?
>
>I think a more general course would be more beneficial and apply to more
>situations.  I would argue for two courses, "General Programming Principles
>for Technical Writers" and "Object-Oriented Programming for Technical
>Writers."  I have taken specific week-long courses in C, C++, and
>Smalltalk, and while they helped me "read code" a little better, they did
>not teach me the concepts necessary to really understand what is going on.
>I then found 1 or 2 books on general programming principles and OO
>programming and those helped me much more.
>
>My $.05 worth,
>Michelle Corbin Nichols
>

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