Re: The Tools Tech Writers Use

[Steve Pendleton <SPendlet -at- COGNEX -dot- COM>]

>Of course, Word has shortcomings.  But the constant disparagement on
this
>list is a real downer.  For some of us, it's the right tool.  Your
product
>doesn't have a better glow when you tarnish someone else's - whether
>they're stuck with it, or chose it.  As I used to tell my son and his
>friends, you can't build yourself up one inch by tearing someone else
down.

We all agree, of course. But it remains true that-even though I run Word
almost
every day, and have done so for years, and have become reasonably good
at it by now-I still find it frustrating for most routine production
tasks. And it
remains true that many-maybe most-technical writers vocally dislike
Word.
Exactly what, in your opinion, causes its 'constant disparagement'? And
how
do you account for Frame's general acclaim? Is it professional snobbery?
A desire
to move documents into a format the assures continued employment? A
free-floating
angst against Microsoft? Or is it somehow tied to each tools' merits for
routine
technical writing tasks?

Granted, not everyone does the same thing, and under the constraints
you've
listed Word would be my tool-of-choice, too. But if a technical writing
student
wants generalized advice about tools, I can't in good faith recommend a
path
leading to a Word-only resume.

Steve Pendleton
Technical Writer DeLuxe
Cognex, Acumen Products Group

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