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Subject:Re: PDF documentation and client delivery From:Heather Stehney <stehney -at- SERVICEWARE -dot- COM> Date:Tue, 14 Jul 1998 08:56:03 -0400
We put the Acrobat installation program on our product CDs. Adobe
allows you to do this free of charge.
> -----Original Message-----
> From: Becky Roberts [SMTP:jbroberts -at- KNOLOGY -dot- NET]
> Sent: Monday, July 13, 1998 10:24 PM
> To: TECHWR-L -at- LISTSERV -dot- OKSTATE -dot- EDU
> Subject: PDF documentation and client delivery
>
> Hey Folks,
>
> I hope some of you have experienced similar situations before and can
> offer suggestions. Our doc group has pushed the benefits of electronic
> documentation, particularly in terms of cost savings. A couple of our
> trainers are in Mexico City this week. Rather than taking paper
> manuals
> for the training classes, we put all of the files on a CD-ROM in PDF
> and
> sent the CD-ROM to the client so that they could print out their own
> training materials. We loaded Acrobat Reader 3.0 on the CD-ROM
> (Spanish
> interface) and a Spanish readme file that explained how to use the
> CD-ROM. We probably should have made the CD-ROM self-executing but
> were
> running into a tight deadline (trainers didn't get their files to us
> until the last minute) and didn't have time to set up the programming
> for the executable file.
>
> Anyway, you have probably guessed the problem. The CD-ROM got there
> on
> time, we followed up with the client who assured us that they had no
> problems with the CD-ROM, but when the trainers got there today for
> class, the client claimed they couldn't open the files and didn't have
> the materials printed out. We tested the CD-ROM before sending it, so
> I
> know it worked when it left our office.
>
> I'm not sure what the problem is at this point, but it sure is
> frustrating trying to troubleshoot from hundreds of miles away and in
> a
> different language. My questions for the list:
>
> 1. If you deliver Acrobat files to clients, how do you ensure that
> the
> client has the reader loaded so that they can open the files?
>
> 2. Please assure me that there are other folks out there who do this
> kind of delivery. Management is now looking at me and questioning why
> I
> think PDF is such a good idea.
>
> 3. As delivery systems become more complex (whether CD-ROM or
> internet
> or whatever), who provides technical support for the documentation
> products? I think this is an Operations issue and should be handled
> by
> the systems folks who handle other connection issues (our company is
> mainframe). The systems folks don't seem to agree and don't want to
> learn about PDF and file servers.
>
> Thanks for your thoughts,
> Becky Roberts
> Tech Pubs Manager
> TSYS - Columbus, GA
>
> &^~~~
> Send commands to listserv -at- listserv -dot- okstate -dot- edu (e.g., SIGNOFF
> TECHWR-L)
>
