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--- Jim Shaeffer <jims -at- spsi -dot- com> wrote:
>
> Then most of us will abandon all further research
> into
> and consideration of these tools. The difficulties
> inherent in retraining authors/contributors are the
> very difficulties we were hoping to resolve by using
>
> new tools that would enforce and impose structure.
>
> Changing the tools is easy. Changing human behavior
> is
> hard. (It is theoretically possible to train people
> to
> use MS WORD to create well-structured documents that
>
> can easily be used as parts of a single-source
> repository.)
It's not the tools. It's the mindset of the authors.
New tools don't just fix old problems. The tools are
only technology that enables us to do our job more
effectively.
People come to the TW profession for various reasons.
I certainly hope it's not for the tools.
Changing human behavior is hard. Hard, but not
impossible. Whole organizations have managed to do
this though Change Management and Training. Usually it
requires the support of everyone. Take for example
companies that have implimented systems based on the
Theory of Contraints. If you're from an ERP/MRP world
you know what I mean. For others, please see this URL http://www.goldratt.com/toctpwp1.htm
(I'm in no way connect to Gld Ratt and don't mean to
punt him, but it serves to point to his Web Site).
Whether we like it or not, our habits and thinking
will change with every quantum leap in technology.
XML, Single-source and Multi-channel publish is the
next quantum leap. We are still in the early stages,
but we are evolving. As with any new technology there
will be those that don't mind the bleeding-edge
(innovators), then the early adopters, the middle
majority, the late majority and finally the laggards.
I give TW's enough credit to be capable of this
evolution. Whether they evolve by will or by force,
evolve they will. We have been witness to this since
the invention of the typewriter.
The new technologies will become more transparent as
they mature. In addition there will be drivers that
will assist or seduce TW's to adopt. We are already
seeing evidence of this in the requirements that
authoring is challenged with. The number of gadgets
out there is growing. Who knows what the gadget of
tomorrow will be and what we will be using to view
information. Already the diverse number of browsers
(readers) and platforms is forcing authors to seek
solutions.
Sean Wheller
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