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.
I'd recommend that you take a peek at SAS's 'JMP User's Guide: Version 2
of JMP: Software for Statistical Visualization on the Apple Macintosh.
From SAS Institute Inc.' And MicroSoft has been releasing a consistently
'interesting' set of manuals for its products that is worth a glance.
Opinions vary, I suspect, due to MS's recent successes, more than to the
quality of their design efforts.... I commend your interest in finding
'models' of exemplar documentation, btw. That's how designers ought to
work.
I'm interested, after you've collected a few model documents, in hearing
how you might/intend to 'innovate' them. That's the challenge I give to
my graduate students when I assign them a group-writing manual project:
'give me something that's _better_, _different_, _new_. I've seen some
exciting products come out of the challenge.
Good luck. Brad.
>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>
>> Brad Mehlenbacher Phone: (919) 515-4138 <<
>> Assistant Professor Fax: (919) 515-7856 <<
>> Technical Communication <<
>> E-mail: brad_m -at- unity -dot- ncsu -dot- edu <<
>> English Department <<
>> NC State University You're working too hard if you analyze <<
>> Raleigh, NC 27695-8105 interfaces in episodes of Star Trek... <<
>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>
