radical revamping of techpubs

Fri Oct 19 11:25:42 PDT 2007

True enough.  :)

At 11:23 AM 10/19/2007, Rene Stephenson wrote:
>The market is also driven by price, availability, and value 
>(=quality for the price), but pervasive marketing and cut-throat 
>competition can trump.
>
>Rene
>
>John Hedtke <john at hedtke.com> wrote:
>You're making an assumption that the market is driven by quality. It
>is not, though that's certainly a factor. The market is driven even
>more by good marketing.
>
>At 10:58 AM 10/19/2007, Technical Writer wrote:
>
> >And yet people still buy it. If they did not, issues of quality
> >would be irrelevant; only the "quality" items would be purchased,
> >the "crap" would languish on the dealer shelves, and we would be
> >working rather than having this
> >discussion.http://www.tekwrytrs.com/Specializing in the Design,
> >Development, and Production of:Technical Documentation - Online
> >Content - Enterprise Websites
> >
> >
> >Subject: RE: radical revamping of techpubsDate: Fri, 19 Oct 2007
> >10:55:33 -0700From: gflato at nanometrics.comTo: tekwrytr at hotmail.com;
> >framers at lists.frameusers.com
> >
> >
> >
> >I have seen enough bug reports in my time to know that quality is
> >not subjective. If the software generates a mile-long list of bugs
> >reported by customers and QA people, the software application is crap.
> >
> >
> >Thank you,
> >
> >
> >Gillian Flato
> >Technical Writer (Software)
> >nanometrics
> >1550 Buckeye Dr.
> >Milpitas, CA. 95035
> >(408.545.6316
> >7 408.232.5911
> >* gflato at nanometrics.com
> >
> >
> >
> >
> >From: Technical Writer [mailto:tekwrytr at hotmail.com] Sent: Friday,
> >October 19, 2007 10:52 AMTo: Flato, Gillian;
> >framers at lists.frameusers.comSubject: RE: radical revamping of techpubs
> >The same could be said of pacemakers, missile control systems, and a
> >host of others. That does not change the fact that in most software
> >applications, perceptions of quality are highly subjective.
> >
> >
> >Subject: RE: radical revamping of techpubsDate: Fri, 19 Oct 2007
> >10:09:42 -0700From: gflato at nanometrics.comTo: tekwrytr at hotmail.com;
> >framers at lists.frameusers.com
> >
> >
> > >>Quality is primarily a subjective opinion;
> > >>Similarly, whether a product is crap or not is again an opinion,
> > not an objective evaluation that can applied in all cases.
> >
> >When you work in the semi-conductor industry making high-tech
> >instruments that are used in fabs (chip fabrication plants), quality
> >is not subjective. If the tool stops running after a few thousand
> >cycles or a part on the tool fails after only a few months of
> >running, then it's objective. A part broke, the Tool shutdown,
> >quality is crap, that's not subjective.
> >
> >TechWriters in my field document the software that runs on these
> >types of tools. If you go to a fab, you'll see the type of tools I
> >am taking about.
> >
> >BTW, why don't you identify who you are? You act so sanctimonious
> >yet you hide behind a moniker. Have some cohones and tell us who you are.
> >
> >
> >Thank you,
> >
> >
> >Gillian Flato
> >Technical Writer (Software)
> >nanometrics
> >1550 Buckeye Dr.
> >Milpitas, CA. 95035
> >(408.545.6316
> >7 408.232.5911
> >* gflato at nanometrics.com
> >
> >
> >
> >
> >From: Technical Writer [mailto:tekwrytr at hotmail.com] Sent: Friday,
> >October 19, 2007 9:37 AMTo: Flato, Gillian;
> >framers at lists.frameusers.comSubject: RE: radical revamping of techpubs
> > And I know of a CEO who used to either get there first, or let the
> > wannabes struggle over the crumbs. Name of Bill Gates. Quality is
> > primarily a subjective opinion; witness the 90+% of the population
> > of the planet using Windows, despite the occasional Blue Screen of
> > Death, or necessary re-booting orre-installing required. Similarly,
> > whether a product is crap or not is again an opinion, not an
> > objective evaluation that can applied in all cases. The Debian
> > flavor of Linux is considered "the best" by some, and "the worst"
> > by some. The opinions are subjective. Everyone TW wants to believe
> > that he or she is producing quality documentation that creates a
> > warm fuzzy in the user, and makes customers-for-life of the company
> > that produces whatever is being documented. I simply suggest a
> > reality check may be more useful. If the TW is documenting
> > software, perhaps he or she should change fields to one with a
> > slower pace of life (and writing). The option is to accept the
> > realities of the marketplace, and how those influence and constrain
> > the production of technical documentation. In a world in which
> > dynamic onlne help files are rapidly replacing hard copy documents,
> > it seems more useful to focus on developing a skill set that
> > enables high-volume production of acceptable quality content,
> > rather than obsessing over trivial (to most users) details of
> > grammar, construction, or voice. In that direction may lie the
> > future of TW--get it written, get it online, and concentrate on the
> > Pareto principle of satisfying the needs of the majority of users
> > rather than obsessing over the subjective opinions of the
> > minority. < From: gflato at nanometrics.com> To:
> > tekwrytr at hotmail.com; framers at lists.frameusers.com> > ...or similar
> > biggies realize that time-to-market is everything, > >
> > Time-to-market is not everything if you sacrifice quality. If
> > you're first on the market but your product is crap, the fact that
> > you were first on the market is irrelevant. > > I know a CEO who
> > got fired because all he cared about is being first on the market
> > but his products were crap and failed often. Other company's that
> > were slower to market but turned out quality products, stole
> > marketshare from that company. The company almost went under until
> > the board of Directors wisely fired him and put a new CEO at the
> > helm.> > > -Gillian> >
> >
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>Yours truly,
>
>John Hedtke
>Author/Consultant/Contract Writer
>www.hedtke.com <-- website
>541-685-5000 (office landline)
>541-554-2189 (cell)
>john at hedtke.com (primary email)
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Yours truly,

John Hedtke
Author/Consultant/Contract Writer
www.hedtke.com <-- website
Region 7 Director, STC
541-685-5000 (office landline)
541-554-2189 (cell)
john at hedtke.com (primary email)
johnhedtke at aol.com (secondary email) 