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Library | Item Barcode | Call Number | Material Type | Item Category 1 | Status |
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Searching... | 30000000925960 | QA76.9.D6 T49 1988 | Open Access Book | Book | Searching... |
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Summary
Summary
Text, ConText, and HyperText presents recent developments in three related and important areas of technical communication: the design of effective documentation; the impact of new technology and research on technical writing; and the training and management of technical writers. The contributors are all authorities drawn from universities and industry who are active in defining and analyzing the role of computing in technical documentation and the role of documentation in the development of computing technology. This first synthesis of their diverse but related research provides a unique conceptualization of the field of computers and writing and documentation. The book first examines techniques for writing online documentation and the value of usability testing. It presents new research into the impact of human factors in screen design and designing online help, and looks at the impact of desktop publishing on documentation, and at visual literacy and graphic design. Artificial intelligence and documentation processing are then addressed with discussion of data acquisition, automated formatting in expert systems, and document databases; the uses of HyperText in documentation; and the future of technical writing in this new environment. Text, ConText, and HyperText concludes by examining the training and management of documentation groups: how they "learn to write" in industry, management of large-scale documentation projects and their effect on product development; and the "two cultures" of engineering and documentation. Edward Barrett is a Lecturer in the Writing Program at MIT. Text, ConText, and HyperText is included in the Information Systems series, edited by Michael Lesk.
Reviews 1
Choice Review
The chapters in this book are based upon presentations made at the Annual Conference on Writing for the Computing Industry in 1986. More accurately, the book is about the conjunction of three disciplines--the writing of computer programs, system documentation, and creative writing. In all three cases, the concern is methods of using the computer to communicate concepts and ideas. Part 1 is titled "Artificial Intelligence, Document Processing, and HyperText." Although the seven chapters are independently written, the coverage of the area is excellent. Of special note is the chapter by Younggren, which is one of the clearest illustrations seen of the HyperText concept, using Apple's HyperCard to illustrate the concept. Part 2, "Management, Training, and the Corporate Culture," contains nine chapters that discuss and describe the infrastructure required to support the next generation of text processing. Part 3, "Designing On-line Information," does not have the coherence of the other parts; its four chapters describe user interface problems with on-line documentation. Most chapters contain very fine sets of references for further study of the concepts presented. -J. Beidler, University of Scranton
Table of Contents
Series Foreword | p. ix |
Acknowledgments | p. xi |
Introduction: A New Paradigm for Writing with and for the Computer | p. xiii |
I Artificial Intelligence, Document Processing, and Hypertext | |
1 The Future of "Writing" for the Computer Industry | p. 3 |
2 Artificial Intelligence and Automated Publishing Systems | p. 15 |
3 Exploring the Connections between Improved Technology--Workstation and Desktop Publishing and Improved Methodology--Document Databases | p. 25 |
The Ethics of Automated Publishing Systems (A Response to Dr. Brockmann) | p. 50 |
4 Text Processing with the START Natural Language System | p. 55 |
5 Using an Object-Oriented Programming Language to Create Audience-Driven Hypermedia Environments | p. 77 |
6 Hypertext: A Way of Incorporating User Feedback into Online Documentation | p. 93 |
7 Hypertext and the Teaching of Writing | p. 111 |
II Management, Training, and Corporate Culture | |
8 Information Development Is Part of Product Development -- Not an Afterthought | p. 133 |
9 Corporate Culture, Technical Documentation, and Organizational Diagnosis | p. 149 |
10 Usability: Stereotypes and Traps | p. 175 |
11 Investment in Computer-Product Documentation: Causes and Effects | p. 187 |
12 Preparing for a Successful Large-Scale Courseware Development Project | p. 211 |
13 The On-line Environment and In-House Training | p. 227 |
14 Technology + Design + Research = Information Design | p. 251 |
15 Writers as Total Desktop Publishers: Developing a Conceptual Approach to Training | p. 265 |
16 Are Writers Obselete in the Computer Industry? | p. 279 |
III Designing On-line Information | |
17 Designing Online Information | p. 291 |
18 Technical Writers as Computer Scientists: The Challenges of Online Documentation | p. 311 |
19 Creating a Style for Online Help | p. 329 |
20 How "Friendly" Is Your Writing for Readers Around the World? | p. 343 |
Index | p. 365 |