Re: How is documenting hardware different from documenting software?; was, "Re: Is there a study on reading warnings, notes?"

["Gene Kim-Eng" <techwr -at- genek -dot- com>]

Virtually all my experience documenting software is
with software that operates or otherwise interfaces with
hardware.  In that environment, the software tends to 
be subject to the same schedules, processes and other
requirements as the hardware, especially so if the
only way you know the software is working correctly
is by testing it with the hardware.

My only experiences with software-only companies
have been one or two cases where we were doing 
the hardware and buying the software from OEMs.  
I still experience occaisional PTSD episodes about 
them.

Gene Kim-Eng


----- Original Message ----- 
From: "Leonard C. Porrello" <Leonard -dot- Porrello -at- SoleraTec -dot- com>
I've documented some hardware, but for the most part, I have worked in
software. I sometimes think about moving into hardware/machinery
documentation, and Gene's comments got me to wondering what the
difference is between documenting software versus hardware/machinery.

Is the process much different?
Is the lifecycle of one generally longer or shorter than the other?
Does one generally entail better review processes than the other?
Is one generally more fun than the other?
Anything else?

Obviously, some answers will depend on personal disposition, but I'd
still like to hear what people have experienced.

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