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Subject:Re: desperately seeking java-based help From:Mary McCauley-Stiff <Mary_McCauley-Stiff -at- STRATUS -dot- COM> Date:Thu, 29 May 1997 18:38:49 -0400
Ruth Gordon writes... (a now immortal quote)
>I find it amazing that java is fast becoming the programming >
environment of choice, primarily because it is platform and browser >
independenty, yet we technical communicators have no similar >
platform/browser independent development environment for online help.
But David Blyth writes:
> I disagree. [snip] That is, any environment which can build a Java >
program can build an on-line HTML help document - if you're willing to >
program.
[snip]
> The alternative appears to be to increase our technical skills. It >
does not look like Netscape or Microsoft are going to provide us >
solutions. We need to provide our own.
Just to preface - I'm working on online help for a Java app.
I agree that Microsoft and Netscape are not providing the solutions we
need. However, if we provide our own solutions, it seems like we would
be reinventing the wheel, over and over again, every time we created an
online help system for a Java applet or application.
I think what Ruth is looking for (as am I) is something similar to
RoboHelp or Doc-To-Help that gives you the *tools* for building an
online help system suitable for Java apps. Yes, I know HTML is available
and we can use HTML editors and Web site managers to create/manage the
HTML, but right now, the solution seems a little kludgey. (Or maybe we
have been spoiled from being spoon-fed authoring tools in the past!)
It's possible I misinterpreted "provide our own" solutions and have gone
off the deep end here. If I did, I apologize! It just freaks me out to
think of everyone splintering off with their own help solution. Users
having to learn to navigate differently for every Java app they use...it
just sounds messy. Or maybe I'm just too used to vanilla-winhelp.
Mary McCauley-Stiff
mary_mccauley-stiff -at- stratus -dot- com
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