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: Re. Magnum to-do lists From:David Jones/KSBEISD <David_Jones/KSBEISD -dot- KSBEISD -at- DATAHUB -dot- COM> Date:Thu, 28 Mar 1996 10:03:54 HST
Sorry, relevance is relative ... Many books on my "A" list are application
specific, e.g., learning to use the latest tool I've been told to use. Many
books in the B and C categories are not, e.g., books on managing the
documentation process, designing documentation for usability, etc. Such books
are timeless, yet making the time to read them is a hard sell if a company
thinks the most important things are how well you can use the latest whiz-bang
tool du jour!
This touches on the general view that "old" isn't as relevant as "new". If your
only view of something is based on the "new", you're getting a one-dimensional
view, and missing the background necessary to really evaluate the "new." When
you look at the "new" with a good understanding of the "old," many times you'll
find that the "new" isn't really new, or that the "new" is wrong, or contains
the author's political agenda, etc.
I've read many books on the Internet that are seriously screwed up in one or
more topics because the author didn't go back and read the "old" books about
the topic!
JFOA
David Jones, Technical Writer
David_Jones/KSBEISD -dot- KSBEISD -at- Datahub -dot- com
Kamehameha Schools Bishop Estate
DISCLAIMER:
"I do not speak for my employer, my computer, or any other living thing."
From: srm @ c2.org (Richard Mateosian) @ Internet @ DATAHUB
Date: 03/27/96 06:32:40 PM
Subject: Re: Re. Magnum to-do lists
> - Many books on my "read them someday" list are Cs, but
> when I run out of A books, I won't have to look far for
> replacements.
Fat chance you'll run out of A books. And if you do, those old C books
probably aren't as relevant as they were back in '06, when you first added
them to your list.
