Re: Software Manuals

["Caroline Tabach" <caroline -dot- tabach -at- gmail -dot- com>]

Isn't "It depends" a great answer?
Anyway, it depends what the book is for?
What do the people want to know?
As others said, who is the audience.
The people for whom the book is intended have to get enough
information to do whatever tasks they have to do using the software.
If this can be made cleared with screen shots and often if this is an
application with a GUI, then screen shots are definitely allowed and
often useful.

Online help is a different issue.
While it could be useful, it works differently, a book is lineal,
online help is not. People have different working patterns too.
If you are writing in a single sourcing application, then generally
there should not be a problem to provide a PDF file as well as online
help.

If you can give some more details, I am sure that you will get answers
that could be more helpful.

On 7/17/07, Johnson, Joyce <JJohnson -at- abc-sg -dot- com> wrote:
> Hi All -
>
> What should be included in a software manual?
>
> This may seem like a simple question, but a colleague of mine has a very
> different opinion than mine on exactly what the contents of a software
> manual should include, so I'm asking the experts.
>
> How do you feel about screen captures in a software manual? Are they
> essential or can you do without them?
>
> Do you think online help can replace a software manual?
>
> Thanks for your help!
> Joyce
>
>
>
> Joyce Johnson
> Lead Technical Writer
> AmerisourceBergen Solutions Group
> 875 Woodlands Parkway
> Vernon Hills, IL  60061
> 847/808-5875
>
> ^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^
>
> --
Caroline Tabach
Technical Writer
e-mail: caroline -dot- tabach -at- gmail -dot- com
^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^

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