Re: I'm sticking with WinHelp (was Re: WinHelp on Vista - a useful link)
> Absolutely... they took away functionality that I consider to be very
> useful to the user and as far as I can tell, didn't implement any "new
> design considerations" that added any value for the user.
Well, if you're looking for others to implement "design
considerations", then there's obviously nothing more to be said but
"good luck with that". ;-)
I'm certainly not looking for others to implement "design considerations".
My idea of "design considerations" is to evaluate what the tools are capable
of and determine if any of those capabilities are desirable and/or useful to
the customer. If they seem to be, then I'll do what it takes to implement
them.
it???
> > Hmmm. Well, it's certainly not mythical, because I've seen it many
> > times over the past 2 years.
>
> And how soon will it be before someone other than Microsoft can create
I'm sure when they're done developing it we'll have an answer. ;-)
After all, how many of you were developing HTML Help before 1996?
Meanwhile, I've got work to do so I'll just keep plugging along. If I
develop WinHelp in RoboHelp, I could convert to HTML Help in pretty short
order if I have to... I suppose when they get around to publishing the new
version of RoboHelp, it might support Vista Help, but then again it might
not.
> > I won't deny you that this functionality is hard to implement or is
> > not possible to implement in other help formats, but have you explored
> > other design considerations?
>
> What exactly are these "other design considerations" you keep talking
> about and how do they add value for the user?? So far the only "other
> design considerations" I've encountered are the loss of functionality
> inherent in the earlier product and an inability to run due to security
> flaws <grin>. What exactly do these other formats give me that provides
> a superior user experience to a well-developed WinHelp approach??
Design considerations are those things you consider when designing.
You're talking features, but that approach is akin to tackling every
home repair with a hammer and nails. You need to step back and look at
the big picture, take in all the design factors, and consider them
based on what your users need. Then you make informed decisions,
ideally write specs, have them reviewed to see if it makes sense, and
then work out a schedule and implementation plan.
Well, go ahead and call me uninformed but I just can't quite figure out what
you're trying to tell me. What exactly should I be considering that I'm
not?? I know what I can do with WinHelp, I've got a pretty fair idea what I
can do with CHM help and the others and I can't think of any design
considerations that would lead me to want to go beyond that. Please
enlighten me.
Design considerations are a wonderful thought but I want to churn out
documentation my users can benefit from in the most cost-effective manner.
I've got a pretty fair idea what my users need. Channeling the ghost of
Andrew Plato, I can sit around and fondle my fonts for weeks at a time but
what the customers really need is good documentation delivered quickly and
tied in to the application.
The computing world is not going to come to a firey end because
someone can't view a formatted popup. ;-)
I never suggested it would... however, if I have the ability with one tool
to easily provide a formatted popup and with the other tool I have to
implement a number of kluges to make that happen in an inferior manner, then
where's the incentive for me to use the new tool??
> I may be short-changing myself but so far I haven't read anything about
> a help format that offers any new functionality that justifies leaving
> the old format... I'd certainly be amenable to reading about it but I
> try to keep my ear to the ground and so far haven't heard anything that
> gives me a chubby. Point me to something... I'd love to know about it.
> Help 2.0 seemed promising but I can't for the life of me figure out why
> they discarded it. Any ideas??
Essentially it's a PITA to build. I've been doing it for 3 years now.
Trust me, it certainly is, and I wouldn't wish it on the general Help
authoring population. ;-)
> Bear in mind that I've had my manager spend somewhere around a kilobuck
> to buy me a RoboHelp license and I'd really rather not p*ss away that
> investment unless I can see that there'd be good ROI in throwing it
> away and adopting a new tool.
Well, you wouldn't have to throw it away. RoboHelp builds a lot more
than HLP and CHM.
Yep, no question about it but I really have no desire to use WebHelp,
FlashHelp or JavaHelp for a desktop application. If I were developing help
for a web-based application, one of them might be a great approach to take.
But for a desktop application, IMNSHO, WinHelp or HTML Help are the best
options with WinHelp (and specifically RoboHelp's WinHelp 2000) the clear
winner.
> > Compelling argument to switch? WinHelp no longer meets Microsoft
> > standards. It may not be broke, but it doesn't fit the context of
> > current and planned future Windows computing standards. This is not me
> > saying this; it's well-documented by Microsoft.
>
> I've read the same announcement as you and I can't for the life of me
> figure out how that's possible... I'll take their word for it but it
> just doesn't make sense to me. Now, I'm not by any stretch of the
> imagination a security expert, but the only mechanism I can see for
> them to justify that position would be if there were a security flaw in
> WinHelp and I'm not aware of any exploits out there in the wild that
> take advantage of a security flaw in WinHelp. Seems kinda like one of
> those "we're going to do this and we've gotta come up with an excuse
> for it... give 'em the old generic 'doesn't meet standards' pablum"
> deals to me.
Have you ever tried running software aimed at Win 3.1 and Win95? Some
of it runs, and some of it has some serious problems. As technology
advances, increased computing efficiency eventually means leaving some
things behind. The same goes for the real world, in everything natural
and man-made.
I run Microsoft Cardfile every day on both Windows 2000 and Windows XP
<grin>. Works just fine.
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I'm sticking with WinHelp (was Re: WinHelp on Vista - a useful link): From: Mike Starr
Re: I'm sticking with WinHelp (was Re: WinHelp on Vista - a useful link): From: Bill Swallow
Re: I'm sticking with WinHelp (was Re: WinHelp on Vista - a useful link): From: Mike Starr
Re: I'm sticking with WinHelp (was Re: WinHelp on Vista - a useful link): From: Bill Swallow
Re: I'm sticking with WinHelp (was Re: WinHelp on Vista - a useful link): From: Mike Starr
Re: I'm sticking with WinHelp (was Re: WinHelp on Vista - a useful link): From: Bill Swallow
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