Re: Worries about tools

[Chris Despopoulos <cud -at- arrakis -dot- es>]

First let me say, I'm a FrameMaker weenie all the way.

Rather than worries about tools, I would worry about overall
process.  If you think the tools indicate process problems,
then you might have something to worry about...  Nobody
wants to work for a company that forces him/her into a
process that is inefficient, full of make-work, or just
plain insulting to the human spirit.  But all that is purely
subjective, and I would rely more on the "vibe" I got from
the interview than on a list of tools.  That, plus maybe
some answers to pointed questions about, um, process.

That said, let me point out that I would easily and eagerly
jump into a situation using Word...  If for no other reason
than to learn the product very intimately.  Word is highly
customizable (as is Maker), and I would use all my spare
cycles making tools to improve my own efficiency (as I do
with Maker).  From there, I would work my way into a
position of improving the process (as can always be done).
After exausting all improvements that are possible to me, if
a simple (did I say simple?) switch to another tool (like
Maker) would make a significant difference, I would use my
position of experience with the existing process to state
that case.

So for me, the question is not tools, but rather how easily
I can work within the overall process/department/corporate
culture.  I have found I can always find something
entertaining in any situation, as long as nobody claims the
right to interfere with my entertainment.  For happy,
well-fed Americans working in High Tech, work is not
prison.  Count your blessings.

cud