Calculating the True Price of Software

Therefore, the major difference in worldview between open source advocates and proprietary software license advocates is explainable as a differing opinion on the correct value of the volatility of maintenance and upgrade pricing. People who believe that the pricing on maintenance is stable and unlikely to change see greater intrinsic value in the software. People who fear that the pricing is subject to large fluctuations see no intrinsic value in the up-front license; stripped of the options, the license value approaches $0.

Lefkowitz, Robert. O'Reilly and Associates (2005). Articles>Technology>Software>Open Source

E-mail and Tattoos: A Primer on Netiquette  

Rogers and Perri discuss the hazards of e-mail and present five tips for using it properly in a professional environment.

Rogers, David J. and Monica C. Perri. Intercom (2000). Articles>Technology>Software>Email

How Microsoft Lost the API War

Microsoft's crown strategic jewel, the Windows API, is lost. The cornerstone of Microsoft's monopoly power and incredibly profitable Windows and Office franchises, which account for virtually all of Microsoft's income and covers up a huge array of unprofitable or marginally profitable product lines, the Windows API is no longer of much interest to developers. The goose that lays the golden eggs is not quite dead, but it does have a terminal disease, one that nobody noticed yet.

Spolsky, Joel. Joel on Software (2004). Articles>Technology>Software>Microsoft Windows

IBM ViaVoice, Millenium Edition  

Schulter reviews the performance of IBMís latest speech recognition software.

Schulter, David. Intercom (2000). Articles>Technology>Software>Voice

The Latest Word  

Wallia introduces some of the attractive features of Word 2002 and discusses the relative merits of four best-selling books on how to use the software.

Wallia, C.J.S. Intercom (2002). Articles>Technology>Software>Microsoft Word

The Myth that Software Will Save the World  

There is a perception that off-the-shelf automated conversion software will accurately transfer documents from one system to another. In the author's experience pre-packaged software does not work well on any significant, large project. Large documentation libraries are developed over time by a variety of people to meet wide-ranging needs. The documentation set is never as structured as one would hope, and the costs of do-it-yourself solutions are underestimated.

Gross, Mark. STC Proceedings (1993). Articles>Software>Technology

Rating Electronic Mail Clients: Convenience or Security?  

Archee assesses the security of several e-mail clients.

Archee, Raymond K. Intercom (2002). Articles>Technology>Software>Email

Technologizing Change: Rhetoric of Software Implementation at a University Campus  

This paper reports on a study of new software implementation at a university. Seven emails distributed by a central Office of Information Technology were examined for semantic (content) meaning and syntactic (grammatical) function. Semantic findings show a high degree of topical shift. Syntactic findings show a high number of clauses and complements. The analysis also shows how determiners were used to construct 'new' information as 'given' (presupposition). The paper argues that discursive stability was created by technologizing the rhetoric of implementation. The study concludes by suggesting that a heavy reliance on dependent clauses, along with other features, may be indicative of technologized discourse.

Faber, Brenton D. ACM SIGDOC (2003). Articles>Technology>Software>Rhetoric

The Author's Toolkit: Creating a Partnership Between Technical and Nontechnical Team Members  

This paper discusses the evolution of the Author's Toolkit project. Pioneered in 1994, this educational effort was originally designed by SEMATECH's Technology Transfer department to create a paradigm shift in the way that SEMATECH's engineer-authors perceive the technology transfer process.

Modrey, Laurie. STC Proceedings (1996). Articles>Software>Technology

Tools Training for the Technical Communicator

When we started our training room at Ace Communications, the goal was to offer hands-on training in the tools of the trade for technical communicators. Even though there is continuity in the core tools used in the profession, there is enough evolution in the design and application of these tools to warrant ongoing training, even for experienced users. The experience of running both a training business and a consulting/staffing business points out that the most successful technical communicators combine extremely strong inter-personal skills with ongoing tools training.

Ace, Mark. STC Williamette Valley (2002). Articles>Education>Technology>Software

Understanding Open Source, Part 1  

Open source software is big news right now. We've heard from big-name corporations who support it and oppose it. A number of high-profile intellectual property battles concern it. You probably know an open source zealot who's spent some time extolling its virtues. Open source software is a good thing, and has an important place in the tech sector. Closed source software also has its place, and the industry will benefit most from cooperation between the two.

Feldman, David. KMworld (2006). Articles>Technology>Software>Open Source

Voice Portals  

Perlin discusses the latest developments in voice portal technology.

Perlin, Neil E. Intercom (2002). Articles>Technology>Software>Voice