TechWhirl (TECHWR-L) is a resource for technical writing and technical communications professionals of all experience levels and in all industries to share their experiences and acquire information.
For two decades, technical communicators have turned to TechWhirl to ask and answer questions about the always-changing world of technical communications, such as tools, skills, career paths, methodologies, and emerging industries. The TechWhirl Archives and magazine, created for, by and about technical writers, offer a wealth of knowledge to everyone with an interest in any aspect of technical communications.
Subject:Re: Advice on systems From:Kenyon Erickson <kenyone -at- SMTPLINK -dot- MICROS -dot- COM> Date:Tue, 15 Jun 1993 14:46:12 EST
Paula,
You received some excellent advice. As a company that has been through
WordStar, Ventura, WordPerfect/DOS, WordPerfect/Windows, and FrameMaker
(UNIX and Windows) over a period of 12 years, I can only agree with Charles
from Fairfax: 1) find out what your audience needs (don't go overboard if
it isn't necessary), 2) decide whether a word processor or a desktop
publisher is necessary to meet those needs, and 3) if you choose
FrameMaker, consider using a "conversion vendor" (unless you plan to write
everything from scratch).
Our choice of FrameMaker was based on its multi-platform availability on
UNIX and Windows, as well as its compatibility between all platforms. We
also hope to use FrameViewer as the "Help Screen engine" in one of our
software products. Thus, all of the documentation will not only be
available to the user, but hyperlinked to facilitate easy access between
documents.
We are currently evaluating the cost of converting documents through a
vender who specializes in FrameMaker conversions. If you are still
interested a month from now, let me know and I will tell you whether it was
successful.
