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Subject:RE: Online Help Systems From:<Daniel_Hall -at- trendmicro -dot- com> To:"TECHWR-L" <techwr-l -at- lists -dot- raycomm -dot- com> Date:Tue, 7 Oct 2003 09:51:43 -0700
Spot on, Eric.
Even if a help tool was cross-platform, it seems unlikely that the software implementation would be identical between (using Eric's example) Windows and Mac. In fact, I think that it would be easy to argue that the implementations _should not_ be the same, since users of the two platforms have very different expectations.
I'm currently documenting a Gateway messaging security application that runs on Windows and Unix. You can be sure that though both have a similar web UI available, the implementation of the product is very different for each platform. Addressing those back-end product differences requires significant differences in the documentation (things like the difference between how a service and daemon work), and I wouldn't assume that my users want the same type of help for both platforms. My windows users expect something that looks like a standard Windows help file, and my Unix users want a manpage or "flat" (for want of a better word) HTML files.
I don't need a "cross-platform" help tool, as it really wouldn't be that much help <pun intended>. Not only is it important to know your audience's documentation needs, it's important to take their expectations into account, as well.
Dan
-----Original Message-----
From: bounce-techwr-l-129804 -at- lists -dot- raycomm -dot- com
[mailto:bounce-techwr-l-129804 -at- lists -dot- raycomm -dot- com]On Behalf Of
eric -dot- dunn -at- ca -dot- transport -dot- bombardier -dot- com
Sent: Tuesday, October 07, 2003 7:32 AM
To: TECHWR-L
Subject: Re: Online Help Systems
It's a tired argument that I just don't understand. In the OS holy wars, there's
the sub-current of if it's not cross-platform it's no worthy. My question is
why?
Cross-platform compatibility makes good sense when collaborating with files in
an environment that allows different content creation and management tools. But
why is it important for the end product? Why should the limitations of all
platforms be imposed on the end-product when instead with a minimum of planning
the strengths of each platform could be exploited.
Particularly in the case of help systems where the various tools make multiple
outputs fairly straight forward. The argument shouldn't be how to make the help
function cross-platform but how to deliver the appropriate help system to each
targeted platform. Then, given time how to improve and take advantage of
specific strengths or work-around specific weaknesses of each platform/help
system.
For instance, if winHelp/HTMLHelp is what your PC users see in their operating
system, deliver your help system in the same format. If Java is all that will
work on another deliver that as well. It's only laziness and lack of planning to
not generate a different help system for any other platform. The developers need
to do different builds for different platforms, no? So why shouldn't help
writers? If developers have to take into consideration Mac heads complaining
that many windows based programs aren't Mac enough and PC users complaining the
interface isn't "intuitive" then writers should be subject to the same
criticism. Particularly since so many writers seem to be amongst the various
platform users complaining about the integration of the "user experience" from
their perspective of DTPs, and HATs.
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