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:Multimedia demos From:geoff-h -at- MTL -dot- FERIC -dot- CA Date:Thu, 5 Jun 1997 12:32:38 -0500
Multimedia demos can be very effective indeed, but there
are a few caveats. First, test the demo carefully on a
selection of machines _outside_ your company. I've stopped
counting the number of demos, tutorials and the like that I
simply couldn't run on my computer, with no reason given
other than a cryptic error message or a system crash.
Second, make sure you ship all the necessary components
with the demo (see step 1!). I've also stopped counting the
number of times that the demo assumed I had QuickTime X.0,
a specific font, or a specific utility installed on my
computer, when in fact I didn't and had no easy way of
obtaining the utility.
You'd think this would be simple common sense, but based on
my experience, it's not something to take for granted.
--Geoff Hart @8^{)} geoff-h -at- mtl -dot- feric -dot- ca
Disclaimer: Speaking for myself, not FERIC.
TECHWR-L (Technical Communication) List Information: To send a message
to 2500+ readers, e-mail to TECHWR-L -at- LISTSERV -dot- OKSTATE -dot- EDU -dot- Send commands
to LISTSERV -at- LISTSERV -dot- OKSTATE -dot- EDU (e.g. HELP or SIGNOFF TECHWR-L).
Search the archives at http://www.documentation.com/ or search and
browse the archives at http://listserv.okstate.edu/archives/techwr-l.html