Re: Rant: Giving up on XML

[Siliconwriter <siliconwriter -at- comcast -dot- net>]

On Mar 14, 2007, at 3:56 PM, Diane Brennan wrote:

> I agree with Janice that this decision depends on the type of  
> writing environment you are in. It may not make sense to convert  
> documentation to a new tool if you are part of a small writing  
> group in a small company. But for large companies with many writing  
> groups that make monthly deliveries of new or updated docs to the  
> Web (as Web  pages, not PDFs), XML makes more sense.

My company's needs for documentation are unrelated to the size of the  
organization. We may be small (I'm the only writer) but we have  
enormous amounts of material to originate, update, and deliver.

> But XML is not difficult to learn. Two contracts ago I wrote  
> documents in raw XML in an IDE and it was just as fast as writing  
> in any other authoring environment.

How elaborate was your layout?

> As an aside, I would encourage all people who are technical writers  
> to always keep an open mind about learning how to use new or  
> different tools or environments. The more diverse your skill set,  
> the more likely it is that you will always be employed. And you  
> might be surprised to find that once you get past the hurdles of  
> learning something new that you like the new tool or environment  
> better.

Yeah, that's why I was spending weeks I didn't have trying to learn  
this new technology. I'm an early adopter by nature, and I like  
learning new tools. But this whole subject is too messy and chaotic  
for me to sort out on my own.
^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^

Create HTML or Microsoft Word content and convert to Help file formats or 
printed documentation. Features include single source authoring, team authoring,
Web-based technology, and PDF output. http://www.DocToHelp.com/TechwrlList

Now shipping: Help & Manual 4 with RoboHelp(r) import! New editor,
full Unicode support. Create help files, web-based help and PDF in up
to 106 languages with Help & Manual: http://www.helpandmanual.com

---
You are currently subscribed to TECHWR-L as archive -at- web -dot- techwr-l -dot- com -dot- 

To unsubscribe send a blank email to 
techwr-l-unsubscribe -at- lists -dot- techwr-l -dot- com
or visit http://lists.techwr-l.com/mailman/options/techwr-l/archive%40web.techwr-l.com


To subscribe, send a blank email to techwr-l-join -at- lists -dot- techwr-l -dot- com

Send administrative questions to admin -at- techwr-l -dot- com -dot-  Visit
http://www.techwr-l.com/techwhirl/ for more resources and info.