[Author Prev][Author Next][Thread Prev][Thread Next]
[Author Index (this month)][Thread Index (this month)][Top of Archive]

Re: Linux users' expectations of online help

Subject: Re: Linux users' expectations of online help
From: Jean Hollis Weber <jean -at- jeanweber -dot- com>
To: "TECHWR-L" <techwr-l -at- lists -dot- raycomm -dot- com>
Date: Thu, 25 Sep 2003 14:35:02 +1000


Goober Writer wrote:

I'm interested in why you moved the discussion from
HATT over to here, seeing as all the Help gurus are on
HATT, and not necessarily here. This topic seems
perfect for HATT...

I didn't move it, I expanded it (sent notes to both lists), because I thought the topic might be of interest to Techwhirlers as well as HATTers. Apparently I was right, given the number and detail of the posts on this topic (even discounting the ones on spinoff topics), compared to very few (but also useful) posts on HATT. Thanks to everyone, and especially to Eric Ray and Sean Wheller. The latter in particular has given me lots to consider regarding XML and DocBook.

One comment from me now. Sean Wheller asked,
Will Windows users move to Linux? They are and will
continue to do so. Why? I have no idea. The question
is "Do most stay with Linux?"

I am working from the assumption that the majority of people making the switch from Windows to Linux are doing so because their employer decided to change. These employers include some big government organisations (Eric mentioned Telstra, Australia's mostly-government-owned telecommunications company) as well as businesses of all sizes.

Sean summed up these people quite well. The second sentence in this paragraph is particularly relevant, I think.
I know people that just do not want to be bothered by some of the stuff Linux users know. Nor should they have to, it's not their job.

I am also assuming that in addition to the open source projects, there will be an increasing number of in-house and commercial applications, both small and large, being developed for Linux, to cater for this growing commercial use.

Sean also said, "I would however, be interested to understand your interest and perhaps obtain a summary of messages you receive."

My interest is mainly in keeping up with things so I can offer other people intelligent suggestions on how to solve their business problems. Typically the people I work with are small to medium sized businesses looking for "good, fast, cheap" solutions. Usually they settle for "fast and cheap" and plan to maintain their documentation in-house, no matter what anyone says. On Windows, I can point these people to various HATs and they can cope. On Linux? I dunno. I'm trying to find out.

(Of course, all of that has nothing to do with the quality of the content, which is my main area of interest. I just get sidetracked into tools because people ask me about them.)

It will take me awhile to sort through everybody's posts and summarise. If anyone else has a comment, I'd still like to receive it.

Regards, Jean
Jean Hollis Weber
jean -at- jeanweber -dot- com
The Technical Editors' Eyrie http://www.jeanweber.com/
-----------------
Taming OpenOffice.org Writer, 140 pages of tips and tricks for academic, technical, and business writers. http://www.taming-openoffice-org.com/writer/towtoc.htm




^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^

NEED TO PUBLISH YOUR FRAMEMAKER CONTENT ONLINE?
?Mustang? (code name) is a NEW online publishing tool for FrameMaker that
lets you easily single-source content to Web, intranets, and online Help.
The interface is designed for FrameMaker users, so there is little or no
learning curve and no macro language required! See a live demo that
will take your breath away: http://www.ehelp.com/techwr-l3

---
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.


References:
Linux users' expectations of online help: From: Jean Hollis Weber
Re: Linux users' expectations of online help: From: Goober Writer

Previous by Author: Re: Linux users' expectations of online help
Next by Author: Question re: Website Design & Resizing Site to Fit Browser Window?
Previous by Thread: Re: Linux users' expectations of online help
Next by Thread: Re: Linux users' expectations of online help

[Top of Archive] | [Author Index (this month)] | [Thread Index (this month)]

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

Sponsored Ads