image conversion tools

[Jon Stoppi <stops -at- qualum -dot- com>]

"pv" asks:

>>Could anyone suggest a good tool to convert one image file format to
another, while adequately retaining the image quality?<<

On the PC I get reasonable results with PaintShop Pro (or PhotoShop, if you've got it). 
On the Mac: GraphicConverter. Or PhotoShop. 

- Jonathan Stoppi
  stops -at- qualum -dot- com


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TECHWR-L Digest for Wednesday, November 21, 2001.

1. "Diff" program (preferably one that will work with Word)
2. Re: techwr-l digest: November 20, 2001
3. RE: New department name for training and writing
4. Netscape on Linux and Windows
5. RE: Does anyone know of a way to insert a Page Break in a HTML do---cume nt?
6. Thanks for the encouragement
7. Re: Netscape on Linux and Windows
8. Data Sheets
9. image conversion tools
10. Re: image conversion tools
11. Inclusion of field descriptions in help systems?
12. interesting Microsoft anti-trust settlement articles
13. RE: STYLE: Is Firmware always Firmware?
14. Re: Linux at work (real world) + and at HOME
15. Re: interesting Microsoft anti-trust settlement articles
16. RE: interesting Microsoft anti-trust settlement articles
17. RE: STYLE: Is Firmware always Firmware?
18. re: Does anyone know of a way to insert a Page Break in a HTML-- d ocume---nt?
19. RE: STYLE: Is Firmware always Firmware?
20. Re: Data Sheets
21. RE: interesting Microsoft anti-trust settlement articles
22. RE: interesting Microsoft anti-trust settlement articles
23. RE: interesting Microsoft anti-trust settlement articles
24. re: Does anyone know of a way to insert a Page Break in a HTML--   document?
25. RE: STYLE: Is Firmware always Firmware?
26. RE: interesting Microsoft anti-trust settlement articles
27. RE :New department name for training and writing
28. Re: STYLE: Is Firmware always Firmware?
29. RE: STYLE: Is Firmware always Firmware?
30. Notes, tips, and warnings... oh my!
31. RE: Notes, tips, and warnings... oh my!
32. Re: Notes, tips, and warnings... oh my!
33. RE: interesting Microsoft anti-trust settlement articles
34. RE: Notes, tips, and warnings... oh my!
35. RE: Notes, tips, and warnings... oh my!
36. Re: Linux at work (real world) + and at HOME
37. RE: Notes, tips, and warnings... oh my!
38. Re: Netscape on Linux and Windows
39. RE: Notes, tips, and warnings... oh my!
40. Re: Notes, tips, and warnings... oh my!
41. RE: interesting Microsoft anti-trust settlement articles
42. Economy Picking Up?
43. RE: Notes, tips, and warnings... oh my!
44. RE: Notes, tips, and warnings... oh my!
45. RE: Economy Picking Up?
46. RE: Notes, tips, and warnings... oh my!
47. RE: Economy Picking Up?
48. RE: Economy Picking Up?
49. Re: Notes, tips, and warnings... oh my!
50. Re: Economy picking up
51. Re: Economy Picking Up?
52. Re: Economy Picking Up?
53. RE: Economy Picking Up?
54. Re: Netscape on Linux and Windows
55. RE: Economy Picking Up?
56. Re: Entering tech writer field
57. Re: Netscape on Linux and Windows
58. Re: Economy Picking Up?
59. Thank you for department name suggestions
60. Parts of the market picking up?
61. The hibernation of Synergistech
62. Re: difficult screenshot questions
63. Re: Work harder not smarter
64. QUERY: What OS do you run StarOffice on?
65. RE: Notes, tips, and warnings... oh my!
66. re:webex
67. re: Does anyone know of a way to insert a Page Break in a HTML d ocume---nt?
68. Re: Economy Picking Up?
69. RE: Notes, tips, and warnings... oh my!
70. Re: The hibernation of Synergistech

----------------------------------------------------------------------

Subject: "Diff" program (preferably one that will work with Word)
From: Keith Wilkinson <Keith_Wilkinson -at- yokogawa -dot- co -dot- jp>
Date: Wed, 21 Nov 2001 16:29:29 +0900
X-Message-Number: 1

Can anyone recommend a favorite Diff program for marking
the differences between two documents, preferably two Word
documents (but two text documents also OK)?

Off-list reply preferred, will summarize.

TIA 


----------------------------------------------------------------------

Subject: Re: techwr-l digest: November 20, 2001
From: Jon Stoppi <stops -at- qualum -dot- com>
Date: Wed, 21 Nov 2001 03:50:30 -0500 (EST)
X-Message-Number: 2

Ann Firth asks:
>>Is there anyone on the list in a similar situation, working in a department
that handles both online help/guides and training? Does anyone have
suggestions for our new department name?
<<

Where I am at the moment, we're called CAS - Customer Application Support.  Covers a nice multitude of sins, including Validation. 

- Jon Stoppi
  Dances with elves
  stops -at- qualum -dot- com
  




----------------------------------------------------------------------

Subject: RE: New department name for training and writing
From: Jon Stoppi <stops -at- qualum -dot- com>
Date: Wed, 21 Nov 2001 04:08:12 -0500 (EST)
X-Message-Number: 3

Steve Victor says:
>>We call ourselves "User Education," following Microsoft's MSF conventions.<<

No slur intended on your company's choice, Steve, but how revealing it is that Microsoft refers to documentation and training as "User Education". 

- Jonathan Stoppi
  stops -at- qualum -dot- com




----------------------------------------------------------------------

Subject: Netscape on Linux and Windows
From: "Hanlie Pretorius" <hpretorius -at- pnp -dot- co -dot- za>
Date: Wed, 21 Nov 2001 11:49:04 +0200
X-Message-Number: 4

Hi All

Is it safe to test web pages for Linux Netscape on the same version of
Netscape for Windows?

Thanks
Hanlie Pretorius

Technical Writer
Pick 'n Pay Information Services
Cape Town


----------------------------------------------------------------------

Subject: RE: Does anyone know of a way to insert a Page Break in a HTML do---cume nt?
From: "Jochim, Rainer 3139 PPE-QA2" <Rainer -dot- Jochim -at- de -dot- heidelberg -dot- com>
Date: Wed, 21 Nov 2001 13:42:49 +0100
X-Message-Number: 5

Hi Richard,

This would typically be done through cascading stylesheets.
You could for example make all first level headings automatically start on a
new page in print:

H1 { page-break-before: always }

Editing the stylesheet would automatically affect all html pages using that
stylesheet and containing at least one first level heading. (However, this
kind of media specific formatting does not work with any browser, no matter
how you use this style.)

HTH
Rainer


> -----Original Message-----
[...]
> Does anyone know how to insert a page break in a HTML document?
> 
> I know about the following
> 
> <div style="page-break-before:always">
> stuff on a new page
> </div>
> 
> but was wondering if there is a faster and easier way to do this?
[...]

----------------------------------------------------------------------

Subject: Thanks for the encouragement
From: Carolee Burgess <babybee1 -at- earthlink -dot- net>
Date: Wed, 21 Nov 2001 08:17:29 -0500
X-Message-Number: 6

I'd just like to thank everyone who responded to my theory question. Most
everyone was supportive and I appreciate the viewpoint of writers out in the
field. Sometimes it is important to focus on the end result of my
program-looking at the forest instead of one particular tree.


----------------------------------------------------------------------

Subject: Re: Netscape on Linux and Windows
From: "Eric J. Ray" <ejray -at- raycomm -dot- com>
Date: Wed, 21 Nov 2001 05:32:50 -0700 (MST)
X-Message-Number: 7


On Wed, 21 Nov 2001, Hanlie Pretorius wrote:
> Is it safe to test web pages for Linux Netscape on the same version of
> Netscape for Windows?

Not if you want to actually see what they'll look like
to Linux users--there are notable display differences,
particularly in terms of font support/availability.

Eric



----------------------------------------------------------------------

Subject: Data Sheets
From: "P V" <p_v_1551973 -at- hotmail -dot- com>
Date: Wed, 21 Nov 2001 12:41:26 +0000
X-Message-Number: 8

Hello all,
My company wants me to develop a data sheet for our suite of products. I 
would like to know if there is a kind of repository URL from where I could 
get a glimpse of different styles for data sheets, so that I could derive 
some inspiration and create a style for our own data sheet.

Any help would be greatly appreciated.
Thanks for your valuable time and suggestions
pv

_________________________________________________________________
Get your FREE download of MSN Explorer at http://explorer.msn.com/intl.asp


----------------------------------------------------------------------

Subject: image conversion tools
From: "P V" <p_v_1551973 -at- hotmail -dot- com>
Date: Wed, 21 Nov 2001 12:44:27 +0000
X-Message-Number: 9

Hello all,
Could anyone suggest a good tool to convert one image file format to 
another, while adequately retaining the image quality?
Thanks and Regards
pv

_________________________________________________________________
Get your FREE download of MSN Explorer at http://explorer.msn.com/intl.asp


----------------------------------------------------------------------

Subject: Re: image conversion tools
From: Sona_Mehta -at- datacard -dot- com
Date: Wed, 21 Nov 2001 13:31:02 +0000
X-Message-Number: 10


Hi PV,
We use Fireworks here and it works fine for us. It handles conversion of
images  from one file format to another quiet well.

HTH
Ps feel free to contact me if you need any help


Sona


----------------------------------------------------------------------

Subject: Inclusion of field descriptions in help systems?
From: "Hart, Geoff" <Geoff-H -at- MTL -dot- FERIC -dot- CA>
Date: Wed, 21 Nov 2001 09:05:50 -0500
X-Message-Number: 11

David Goldberg wonders: <<I would like to know how others handle the
definition of fields in non-context sensitive Help systems for large
software applications, particularly using the RoboHTML and WebHelp products.
>>

Well, first off, I try to get the developers to make the help
context-sensitive. Once they see how easy it is, they usually cave in and do
the work. That's not always possible, of course.

<<Do you put all application field definitions in a common glossary and link
to the glossary from the procedural topics?  Do you have separate field
description topics per application screen and list the definitions there? Do
you use techniques like text-only popups to display the field definitions
without having the user leave the procedural topic?>>

I've used all three approaches at one time or another, separately or in
combination; I like the popups least well because they make a visual mess of
the screen if there are lots of glossary words, and they're annoying to
create (particularly since I have to maintain a French version of the file
simultaneously). Currently, I try to define the fields exclusively in the
context of the topic that describes their dialog box, on a twofold logic:
first, this doesn't require readers to jump out of their current context and
back again and second, the only time they're really likely to look up a
field is if they're already in the dialog box that contains it. One thing
I've found that works very well is to start each topic with a mini-table of
contents. So for example, a typical topic might look like the following:

Dialog box topic
	This topic contains:
	Introduction
	Tab A
	Tab B
	...
	Tab X
Introduction
	This is the intro... [and so on]

Each of the items in the TOC is hyperlinked to a mid-topic heading (such as
"Introduction") so the user can jump directly to what interests them, while
the TOC itself serves as an overview of everything in the topic so they'll
know whether they're in the right place. On the other hand, if they read
linearly through the topic, they get the information presented in what I
consider to be a logical sequence. In your case, "Tab X" might be replaced
by "Field descriptions". Keeping everything in a single topic lets users
print the topic and get only a single printout (rather than multiple
printouts that must be collated, as occurs if they have to jump to a
separate glossary). It's also an efficient design: the index lets them jump
right to the top of the topic that contains a given field (one click), where
they see that they have to click "Field descriptions" to get to the
descriptions (another click), after which they scroll alphabetically to find
the correct field. I also use non-alphabetic ordering of fields based on the
visual sequence when there are relatively few fields, and the help topic
seems to support this approach (i.e., they'll scan through the help in the
same order that they scan through the fields). I confess to being a bit
subjectively inconsistent in this approach.

<<I have yet to identify an optimal solution.>>

Nobody has. Online help is too young a field (ca. 10 years in its current
form) for anyone to have found the optimal solution yet. Plus, I suspect
that this is one of those areas of endeavor in which there will always be
multiple roughly comparable solutions.

--Geoff Hart, FERIC, Pointe-Claire, Quebec
geoff-h -at- mtl -dot- feric -dot- ca
"User's advocate" online monthly at
www.raycomm.com/techwhirl/usersadvocate.html

"Any sufficiently advanced technology is indistinguishable from a
personality, and an obnoxious one at that."-Kim Roper 

----------------------------------------------------------------------

Subject: interesting Microsoft anti-trust settlement articles
From: "Jane Carnall" <jane -dot- carnall -at- digitalbridges -dot- com>
Date: Wed, 21 Nov 2001 14:24:01 -0000
X-Message-Number: 12

Microsoft devises 'ingenious' deal
http://www.guardian.co.uk/microsoft/Story/0,2763,602943,00.html

Microsoft moves to monopolise schools
http://www.guardian.co.uk/microsoft/Story/0,2763,603120,00.html

Jane Carnall
Technical Writer, Digital Bridges, Scotland
Unless stated otherwise, these opinions are mine, and mine alone. Apologies
for the long additional sig: it is added automatically and outwith my
control.




________________________________________________________________________

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________________________________________________________________________


----------------------------------------------------------------------

Subject: RE: STYLE: Is Firmware always Firmware?
From: "Christensen, Kent" <lkchris -at- sandia -dot- gov>
Date: Wed, 21 Nov 2001 07:30:03 -0700
X-Message-Number: 13

re:  is firmware always firmware?

response1:  Firmware ... is code that is burned or loaded into more
permanent memory

response2:  "Firmware" is usually a combination of hardware and software.


My response:  "Firmware" is jargon--don't use this word except in very
limited internal-to-your-firm communication.  Personally, I have no idea
what this word means and see no reason to learn it and would resent
instructions containing it.  The customer is always right.


----------------------------------------------------------------------

Subject: Re: Linux at work (real world) + and at HOME
From: Megan Golding <mgolding -at- secureworks -dot- net>
Date: 21 Nov 2001 09:30:37 -0500
X-Message-Number: 14

Ed,

Check out compatibility at the Linux Hardware Database at
http://lhd.datapower.com/.

My email client, Evolution from Ximian, claims it supports Palm device
synching, but I've never tried it (I prefer paper calendars, call me old
fashioned :). See
http://www.ximian.com/products/ximian_evolution/features.html for a
little more information.

The digital camera may be a little tricky. Check the LHD, above. I have
gphoto installed. More information is available at
http://www.gphoto.org/info.html. Their site says they support 105+ types
of cameras.

I haven't gotten my CD-RW working yet (more out of laziness) but I
maintain a dual boot machine at home. On the somewhat rare ocassions
when I need to burn a CD, I boot into Windows and run the CD software
from there.

Most sound cards work out ok. Especially just about anything from
SoundBlaster. Again, check the LHD. My sound card at the office just
isn't compatible...no driver exists at this time. This is a cheap piece
of HW, tho, so if I really wanted it, I'd go buy a new one.

On Tue, 2001-11-20 at 17:33, Bruce Byfield wrote:
> Ed -dot- Hawco -at- acecomm -dot- com wrote:
> 
> >My question, then: If I install Linux (such as RedHat) on my machine at
> >home, will it be able to work with my:
> >
> >- Epson inkjet printer
> >- scanner
> >- digital camera
> >- ZIP drive
> >- CD R/RW
> >- DVD-ROM
> >- sound card
> >- Palm handheld
> >
[snip some great comments from Bruce]

Good luck!

Meg
-- 

Megan Golding (mgolding -at- secureworks -dot- net)
SecureWorks, Inc.

Women who seek to be equal with men lack ambition.
	-- Timothy Leary


----------------------------------------------------------------------

Subject: Re: interesting Microsoft anti-trust settlement articles
From: Megan Golding <mgolding -at- secureworks -dot- net>
Date: 21 Nov 2001 09:32:03 -0500
X-Message-Number: 15

But, Red Hat's response is the best to date:

http://www.redhat.com/about/presscenter/2001/press_usschools.html

Gotta love 'em!

Meg

On Wed, 2001-11-21 at 09:24, Jane Carnall wrote:
> Microsoft devises 'ingenious' deal
> http://www.guardian.co.uk/microsoft/Story/0,2763,602943,00.html
> 
> Microsoft moves to monopolise schools
> http://www.guardian.co.uk/microsoft/Story/0,2763,603120,00.html

-- 

Megan Golding (mgolding -at- secureworks -dot- net)
SecureWorks, Inc.

Women who seek to be equal with men lack ambition.
	-- Timothy Leary


----------------------------------------------------------------------

Subject: RE: interesting Microsoft anti-trust settlement articles
From: "Harry Thompson" <hthompson -at- instranet -dot- com>
Date: Wed, 21 Nov 2001 15:50:12 +0100
X-Message-Number: 16

As we say in France, TROP FORT! And to bring this cry of YES-GIVE-IT-TO-'EM
around for Eric, think of all the technical writers that could come out of
the poorer schools now!
But, Red Hat's response is the best to date:

http://www.redhat.com/about/presscenter/2001/press_usschools.html

Gotta love 'em!

Meg

On Wed, 2001-11-21 at 09:24, Jane Carnall wrote:
> Microsoft devises 'ingenious' deal
> http://www.guardian.co.uk/microsoft/Story/0,2763,602943,00.html
>
> Microsoft moves to monopolise schools
> http://www.guardian.co.uk/microsoft/Story/0,2763,603120,00.html

--



----------------------------------------------------------------------

Subject: RE: STYLE: Is Firmware always Firmware?
From: "Wally" <Wally -at- pctrader -dot- com>
Date: Wed, 21 Nov 2001 06:51:01 -0800
X-Message-Number: 17


The term firmware is widely used, and has been for decades, in much of
the semiconductor industry. It is hardly "jargon." In many of those
situations firmware is under the same kinds of configuration management
controls as software or 'pure' hardware, with the version number of the
firmware accompanying all product documentation. Just because this term
is not familiar to you in your work doesn't mean it isn't used
appropriately in other fields. Telling others not to use some term or
terminology that might be totally accurate and germane to THEIR field or
business really isn't very good advice or appropriate.=20

Wally Glassett
Technical Docs. & Server Admin.
Digital Integrator, Inc.
Incline Village, NV



-----Original Message-----
From: Christensen, Kent [mailto:lkchris -at- sandia -dot- gov]=20
Sent: Wednesday, November 21, 2001 6:30 AM
To: TECHWR-L
Subject: RE: STYLE: Is Firmware always Firmware?


re:  is firmware always firmware?

response1:  Firmware ... is code that is burned or loaded into more
permanent memory

response2:  "Firmware" is usually a combination of hardware and
software.


My response:  "Firmware" is jargon--don't use this word excep




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