Probably the most frequent complaint from technical writers is that we're invisible. Our work, the rant goes, is typically an after-thought. We struggle to get the attention of the developers, QA, and product management folks so that we can find out what the heck we're supposed to be writing about. The documentation - user manuals, online help, and programmer reference materials - are just supposed to appear magically at the same time that the product is ready for release.
As with most oppressed peoples, writers can turn this trouble into an opportunity. We can work without distraction, unencumbered by the relentless meetings that suck the life-force from the rest of the team. As long as we get something into the product package, no one's going to bother us much.
Friend Tom used to say that we were producing documentation for that one person in the organization who will care enough to read it. Usually that person is the über-nerd at the customer site. That leaves a good bit of wiggle room because you know that the reader is capable of figuring stuff out, even if the docs are skimpy on some details.
Until and unless you work at Microsoft and a judge is in your reader. Microsoft, it appears, has been unable to produce the documentation that would allow other software developers to integrate their products with Windows. The judge who has been overseeing Microsoft's compliance with their anti-trust consent decree has declared that Microsoft documentation unfit for US consumption. As the article points out, Microsoft can produce good documentation. As with pretty much everything in life, however, you gotta wanna.
As with most oppressed peoples, writers can turn this trouble into an opportunity. We can work without distraction, unencumbered by the relentless meetings that suck the life-force from the rest of the team. As long as we get something into the product package, no one's going to bother us much.
Friend Tom used to say that we were producing documentation for that one person in the organization who will care enough to read it. Usually that person is the über-nerd at the customer site. That leaves a good bit of wiggle room because you know that the reader is capable of figuring stuff out, even if the docs are skimpy on some details.
Until and unless you work at Microsoft and a judge is in your reader. Microsoft, it appears, has been unable to produce the documentation that would allow other software developers to integrate their products with Windows. The judge who has been overseeing Microsoft's compliance with their anti-trust consent decree has declared that Microsoft documentation unfit for US consumption. As the article points out, Microsoft can produce good documentation. As with pretty much everything in life, however, you gotta wanna.
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