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:Tools matter From:Michael Andrew Uhl <uhl -dot- mike -at- epa -dot- gov> To:"TECHWR-L, (Tech Writers)" <TECHWR-L -at- LISTS -dot- RAYCOMM -dot- COM> Date:Thu, 09 Dec 1999 16:10:02 -0500
TECHWR-Lers:
A job candidate should definitely consider the software a company uses
to produce its documentation, just as one should consider the physical
working environment. Many criteria should be weighed.
On my job, I must use WordPerfect for many of the report and white
papers I write. WordPerfect is perfectly horrible. I'd rather use MS
Word. Fortunately, I have many other tools to use for other documents I
write. These tools include PageMaker, FrameMaker, and Microsoft Word for
Windows, among many others.
I find using WordPerfect so annoying that should I ever apply for a
position in which its use is required, I would strongly consider turning
the position down.
My intent here is not so much to complain about WordPerfect as it is to
emphasize that a job can be made miserable by the misapplication of a
tool, whether it's MS Word, WordPerfect, or some other program.
Cheers.
-Mike
--
Michael Andrew Uhl (mailto:uhl -dot- mike -at- epa -dot- gov)
Lockheed Martin - U.S. EPA Scientific Visualization Center
Ph. (office) 919.541.4283; 919.541.3716 (lab)
P.O. Box 14365 Research Triangle Park, NC 27709