Building a Better ReadMe    

Surveys and focus groups show that most software buyers use ReadMe files. Users primarily look to ReadMe files for information on software bugs. They identify the following ways that software manufacturers can improve their ReadMe files: 1) keep them short, 2) include a table of contents, 3) use hypertext, and 4) eliminate the need for ReadMe files. Along with these four improvements, this article discusses other ways to create quality ReadMe files that meet concrete user needs.

Johnson, Mark A. Technical Communication Online (1997). Design>Documentation

What It Takes to Document America’s Best-Selling Tax Software  

Because both the TurboTax Deluxe software program and the federal tax code are redesigned every year, preparing TurboTax Deluxe’s raft of documentation demands a management approach that emphasizes planning, teamwork, task dependencies, and an elusive mix offlexibility and clearly defined project ownership.

Johnson, Mark A. and Karen Cangialosi. STC Proceedings (1997). Articles>Documentation>Software

The New Copyright Law: Its Impact on Bio-Medical Communication

Under previous copyright legislation and jurisprudence, medical, and to a lesser extent, educational professionals, were afforded broad discretion under the judicially created fair use doctrine. The Copyright Act of 1976 creates a statutory definition of fair use and prescribes a test to be used in determining when a use is "fair" and when it is infringement. Central to this test is "impact of potential market value" of the material. Biomedical communication involves material with a very high unit cost which is not offset by anything approaching mass distribution. There is no special exemption for, or understanding of, biomedical communication in the new law, with the result that the potential for a restrictive impact is great.

Johnson, Mark. ERIC Digest (1978). Articles>Intellectual Property>Copyright>Biomedical