PDF Distribution: Packaging with Product versus Internet Access

[Pat Christenson]

Hi -

One of my clients is moving to a model where they will provide a  
printed manual if the buyer requests it. The manual will be free to  
the buyer. Otherwise, everything will be distributed online. I don't  
know that they want to go public with this so can't provide the  
company name.

Pat


On Sep 13, 2010, at 11:04 AM, Alison Craig wrote:

> Joseph:
>
> We don't "only" distribute by Internet, *but* we do distribute most  
> manuals that way simply because timing is always an issue.
>
> A software image may be created for manufacturing before my English  
> manuals are ready, although the English manuals are also loaded  
> manually at the last second as part of the mfg process (due to  
> regulatory issues). I've given up trying to worry about timing now  
> that we just distribute digital copies (hard copy only on request).
>
> The translated versions are always added on an "as available"  
> basis, which, of course, is never at release and almost always via  
> the Internet (occasionally we mail a DVD if the client is in the  
> middle of nowhere in Africa or Siberia and doesn't have access to a  
> decent - or any - Internet connection).
>
> My caveat is that my company may not be a good example for you as  
> we are a smaller player in the medical device industry, in no way  
> comparable to Microsoft or Adobe (or even the medical device arms  
> of GE and Siemens).
>
> Alison Craig, Technical Writer
> Ultrasonix Medical Corporation
> Tel: (604) 279-8550, ext 127
> E-mail: alison.craig at ultrasonix.com
>
> PS: I love your comment re: "the engineering team's agile  
> development life
> cycle". Although "agile and *fluid*" might be a better description  
> of my R&D team!
>
>
>
> -----Original Message-----
> From: framers-bounces at lists.frameusers.com [mailto:framers- 
> bounces at lists.frameusers.com] On Behalf Of Joseph Lorenzini
> Sent: Saturday, September 04, 2010 11:01 AM
> To: FrameMaker Forum
> Subject: Fwd: PDF Distribution: Packaging with Product versus  
> Internet Access
>
> Hi all,
>
> I publish hundreds of pages of documentation using FrameMaker. I  
> also use
> Robohelp to generate help systems.
>
> Does anyone know of IT companies that ONLY distribute documents  
> about their
> products via the internet and are NO longer distributing  
> documentation by
> installing it with the product? Off the top of my head, I believe  
> Microsoft
> and Adobe do this with some of their products.
>
> For a variety of reasons, I am considering moving away from bundling
> documents with the software's installation package and instead only
> distributing the docs via a internet portal. If I did this, I would no
> longer be at the mercy of the engineering team's agile development  
> life
> cycle.  This means I would 1) have significantly more time to document
> features 2) the code is frozen so features will always be completed  
> by the
> time I start documenting them and out of date screenshots would be  
> a thing
> of the past and 3) SMEs would have more time to review my documents.
>
> However, to make this sell to project management, I need some  
> evidence that
> other IT companies are ONLY distributing documents via the internet  
> and are
> NO longer distributing documentation by installing it with the  
> product.
>
> Sincerely,
> Joseph Lorenzini
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