Task Orientation timing

Subject: Task Orientation timing
From: Rose -dot- Wilcox -at- pinnaclewest -dot- com
To: "TECHWR-L" <techwr-l -at- lists -dot- raycomm -dot- com>
Date: Fri, 22 Nov 2002 14:44:28 -0700


<<
> In my experience, I'd say that the task-oriented principles
> outlined by the MS style guide really did enter the
> mainstream during the 1990s, and now most tech writers
> practice them to some extent whether they are aware of them or not.

Caution, stack about to blow ...

My first manual was for a custom time billing program in 1983 and it was
task-oriented, then I wrote the manual for a Wordstar clone and it was
task-oriented, then I wrote hardware docs for North Star computers and
their docs were task-oriented, then I wrote user manuals for
electron-beam lithography tools and those manuals were task-oriented,
then I ...

All these were in Silicon Valley. Admittedly, that's in California, but
I doubt you can say the computer industry here isn't in the mainstream.
Don't tell me it took a decade for the rest of the country to catch on
to what we were doing.


= Mike Bradley
Tech Pubs>>

I agree, Mike... I was taught task orientation from IBM while contracting with them in 1986 and they had had it for a while!!!

Rose A. Wilcox
CHQ, 14th Floor
Tranz1 QA/Documentation
602-250-2435
Rose -dot- Wilcox -at- PinnacleWest -dot- com
For I am a bear of very little brain and long words bother me -A. A. Milne (Winnie the Pooh)







^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^
Check out SnagIt - The Screen Capture Standard!
Download a free 30-day trial from http://www.techsmith.com/rdr/txt/twr
Find out what all the other tech writers, including Dan, already know!

Order RoboHelp X3 in November and receive $100 mail in rebate, FREE WebHelp
Merge Module and the new RoboPDF - add powerful PDF output functionality
to RoboHelp X3. Order online today at http://www.ehelp.com/techwr-l

---
You are currently subscribed to techwr-l as:
archive -at- raycomm -dot- com
To unsubscribe send a blank email to leave-techwr-l-obscured -at- lists -dot- raycomm -dot- com
Send administrative questions to ejray -at- raycomm -dot- com -dot- Visit
http://www.raycomm.com/techwhirl/ for more resources and info.



Previous by Author: Re: Licence or license?
Next by Author: Re: Viewlets as CBT
Previous by Thread: RE: Data Element Descriptions
Next by Thread: Link from UI element to destination in PDF?


What this post helpful? Share it with friends and colleagues:


Sponsored Ads