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Documenting software

Subject: Documenting software
From: Bruce Byfield <bbyfield -at- AXIONET -dot- COM>
Date: Wed, 1 Jul 1998 21:39:21 -0700

Subject:
         Documenting software
   Date:
         Tue, 30 Jun 1998 15:42:55 -0400
   From:
Katherin King <kking -at- BROOKTROUT -dot- COM> wrote:

>For those of you who document software applications, how much of what
>you do is documenting the GUI and how much of it is documenting the
>underlying structure, the means by which the GUI is implemented? In
>other words, how important is it, do you think, for tech writers to
>understand the inner workings of the software?

As a general rule, I think that tech-writers should have a good understanding about the inner
workings of the software. If they don't have it before writing, they should have it before they finish.
Otherwise, how are they going to organize material, or keep it from being superficial?.

However, how much of that knowledge goes into the manual depends on the audience. For end-users,
a lot of that understanding may not appear directly in the manual, although it might help to shape the
contents. For programmers, however, most of the knowledge would be likely to appear.

--
Bruce Byfield, Outlaw Communications
(604) 421-7189 or 687-2133 x. 269
www.outlawcommunications.com
 
 

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