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Subject:RE: Help without manuals From:Darren Barefoot <Darren -dot- Barefoot -at- capeclear -dot- com> To:"TECHWR-L" <techwr-l -at- lists -dot- raycomm -dot- com> Date:Tue, 6 Nov 2001 09:57:53 -0000
Hi,
Thanks for your comments. That is an excellent summary of the whole
single-sourcing conundrum. I agree that, given the current tools, it is
definitely simpler to go from print to online help, and not the reverse
order. I don't necessarily agree with your statement that "Print content
should include more than online help." First off, where does that leave all
of the products that have no printed material and are help system only? More
importantly, you can include as much information as you want in a help
system...it just depends on how well you chunkolate (to use a banned word
meaning "to split up") it. If the user can access the information they need
when they need it, the delivery medium is unimportant.
I've only skimmed the surface of the "real" single-sourcing tools, but Epic
from Arbortext is one of these. I expect you still have to make compromises
when single-sourcing with this tool, but you're probably better off than the
"discount" models.
To offer an additional conclusion to your mail, ideally we wouldn't have to
single-source at all. In my experience, the less process, the more writing.
Thanks. DB.
> -----Original Message-----
> From: Yigal Rahamim [mailto:yigal -at- tds -dot- co -dot- il]
> Sent: 06 November 2001 09:47
> To: 'Darren Barefoot'; techwr-l -at- lists -dot- raycomm -dot- com
> Subject: RE: Help without manuals
>
>
> Darren,
>
> Thanks for pointing us to your interesting article.
>
> As far as I understand the method you present allows you to
> convert a given source in RoboHelp into printed
> documentation. However, the term single-sourcing means that
> you maintain a single-source to create multiple outputs. I
> assume that if there are changes in your Help file you will
> have to repeat the entire process for each change or, simply
> make the changes twice on each medium separately.
>
> While researching single-sourcing I found two major approaches:
>
<snip>
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