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04-21-96 peter gold, pgold -at- netcom -dot- com wrote:
<snip>
> I see it as an issue of who's responsible for what. The
> change in the industry has moved the most of the
> responsibilities to the originating author. Whether the
> reasons are reducing headcount, increasing intelligence
> and skills of the authors (or expectations of this),
> smarter software, shorter time-to-market of the product
> and therefore of the documentation, is irrelevant. I'm not
> saying that the old or new way is better, I'm saying that
> this is the way things are.
<snip>
Peter, *The Times They are a Changin'*
I think we are coming full circle to a time when writers
will write and information will be available online in an
information database which will drive the publication process.
I think the demise of the super-writer who performs all tasks
is at least partially the fault of the writers themselves,
who have found every possible reason to do every possible
related task, all to the nth degree--except of course put
words into the computer. It's the old pendulum thing, or
the thesis-antithesis thing.
I'm beginning to wonder if, inside every anal-retentive
writer who clings to the precious page layout like a lifeline,
there isn't a DTPer struggling to get out. When your company
rewrites your job description and gives you a new title,
*Editor, DTPer* you might be wondering what the h*** happened,
but you will have no one to blame but yourself.
I prefer to get involved upward in design and development.
My job description will be rewritten as well, but I will
benefit from the rewrite.
This is a rehash of an old thread, and
really isn't all that interesting anymore.
joyce flaherty
flahertj -at- smtpgw -dot- liebert -dot- com
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