#13588
Single-Sourcing with FrameMaker 
As a technical writer, you may be exploring single-sourcing--producing multiple document outputs from a single information source--as a possible option for easing document development and production. Although solutions such as databases, SGML, and XML are available that can enable you to reuse information to produce multiple outputs, single-sourcing doesn't have to involve such complex solutions, expenses, and learning curves. Instead, if your single-sourcing needs are relatively simple, you can effectively single-source using a tool that technical writers commonly have available: FrameMaker.
Marques, Michele. TECHWR-L (2002). Design>Content Management>Software>Adobe FrameMaker
#25961
Site Building With Dreamweaver's Power Tools: Templates
Templates are a core tool in Dreamweaver--and one that's gaining in importance and use. Many designers employ templates at the most basic level to ramp up their production efforts; however, an equal number of designers now avoid them because incorrect setup and application left a bad taste. The benefits of templates far outweigh the time required to master them and it's definitely worth understanding how to do them right.
Lowery, Joseph. Layers Magazine (2005). Design>Web Design>Software>Dreamweaver
#25185
Sizing Images for Print in Elements
This reader wants help sizing images to gang print onto single photo paper sheets...
Photoshop 911 (2004). Design>Graphic Design>Software>Adobe Photoshop
#21892
Sizing PDFs for Posting Online
What is the preferred maximum target file size for PDFs that will be accessed online by average users?
Miller, James. PDFzone (2003). Design>Web Design>Software>Adobe Acrobat
#27065
Slide-By-Slide Animations: Traditional Countdown
In this tutorial, you will learn how to create a simple traditional countdown animation in 5 slides (I normally call it a Slide By Slide animation). This is achievable in a single slide (Stacking animation), but to reduce the difficulty, I will show you a simple one which can be editable easily at a later time.
Tohlz, Shawn. PowerPoint Heaven (2005). Resources>Presentations>Software>Microsoft PowerPoint
#24310
Small Expert Systems: Making PCs into Intelligent Advisors 
An expert system is an exciting new type of computer software. Instead of having to consult a high-priced consultant, an overworked staff expert or complicated reference literature, the user just responds to a series of questions posed by the system. From the data entered, the computer identifies the problem and recommends the best action. In this presentation, a technical communicator and a content expert explore uses of expert systems to resolve complex occupational health and safety questions.
Thomson, Bruce, Anne Monteath and Carla Salvador. STC Proceedings (1998). Articles>Software
#20116
So Many Tools — So Little Time: Selecting the Right Online Tool
There is a systematic and methodical approach to picking an online authoring tool. First, define the online requirements. Once this is done, match the available online technology to your online requirements. Finally, prototype using a number of different tools.
Kuse, Donna L. STC Proceedings (1996). Design>Web Design>Software>Dreamweaver
#21679
So You Think You Know What a Template Is?
So you think you know what a Template is? Well, what is it?
#20444
I admit that my intelligence is easily insulted. It’s probably because I’ve got so little of it left – raising a child, running a business, and working in the software industry take their toll, after all – that I’ve got to defend it with the ferocity of a rabid fruit bat. But, as I review the state of the art in desktop publishing software, I’m left with one nagging question: Just exactly how dumb do these guys think I am?
Kvern, Olav Martin. Upper and lowercase Magazine (1999). Articles>Software>Document Design
#13903
Social and Cognitive Effects of Professional Communication on Software Usability 
We designed and piloted a technical communication course for software engineering majors to take concurrently with their capstone project course in software design. In the pilot, one third of the capstone design course students jointly enrolled in the writing class. One goal of the collaborative courses was to use writing to improve the usability of students' software. We studied the effects of writing on students' user-centered beliefs and design practices and on the usability of their product, using surveys, document analyses, expert reviews, and user test results. When possible, we compared the usability processes and products of teams who did and did not take the writing class. Our findings suggest that the synergy of this interdisciplinary approach effectively sensitized students to user-centered design, instilled in them a commitment to it, and helped them develop usable products.
Mirel, Barbara E. and Leslie A. Olsen. Technical Communication Quarterly (1998). Design>Software>Usability>Rhetoric
#23725
Some of the most popular tools for word processing and desktop publishing, Web publishing, graphics creation, and help authoring with links to the software Web site.
Technical Communicators Resource Site. Resources>Directories>Software
#14480
Copyright protection for software can be a valuable tool. But how do you get that protection, how long does it last, and do you need a registration?
Hollander, Jay. GigaLaw.com (2000). Articles>Intellectual Property>Copyright>Software
#26367
Starting from the basics of Active Accessibility, this article leads you through the development of a software testing application. You'll see how this testing application interacts with common controls and other UI elements, then processes the resulting WinEvents.
Klementiev, Dmitri. Microsoft (2000). Articles>Accessibility>Software>Microsoft Windows
#18308
Software for Building a Full-Featured Discipline-Based Web Portal
The University of Wisconsin-Madison's Internet Scout Project [1] received funding in the fall of 2000 from the Andrew W. Mellon Foundation [2] to build an open source software package that would allow collection developers to share their collection's metadata via the web. The resulting software, the Scout Portal Toolkit (SPT), is virtually turnkey, very inexpensive to maintain and operate, and easy for non-technical staff to download, set up and populate with metadata. Conforming to international standards for metadata, data harvesting, and Web technology makes SPT useful for and usable by a wide variety of projects and organizations, allowing and encouraging collaboration and record sharing among projects. Over the SPT project's two-year period, beta testers and in-house quality assurance testing provided valuable feedback, helping to ensure that the software was robust, easy to use, and well-suited to the needs of the intended audience.
Almasy, Edward, David Sleasman and Rachael Bower. D-Lib Magazine (2002). Articles>Web Design>Content Management>Software
#14601
The Software for Cultures and the Cultures in Software
Software is viewed as an artifact which interacts with cultures of societies in which it functions. Software manufacturers make efforts to adapt the appearance of their products to aesthetic and historical values of the markets in which they are sold (“software for cultures”). It is well known that software embeds behavioral and organizational principles that are culture-determined (“cultures in software”). Internet and e-commerce bring these phenomena into the fore of the debate on societal implications of Information Technology. The paper argues for a research agenda on the multifaceted interactions between software and culture.
Kersten, Gregory E., Stan Matwin, Sunil J. Noronha and Mik A. Kersten. University of Ottawa (1999). Articles>User Centered Design>Software
#21726
Software for Information Architects
Information professionals have a love-hate relationship with technology. We love IT because it has made our jobs necessary by enabling the creation and connection of tremendous volumes of content, applications and processes. We hate IT because it constantly threatens to replace the need for us.
Morville, Peter. Argus Center (2001). Careers>Information Design>Software
#18498
Software Localization in the Windows Environment
Atsushi's presentation focused on two areas of Windows software localization: the internationalization of source code, and the actual localization of the user interface.
Kaneko, Atsushi. SDL International. Articles>Language>Localization>Software
#24308
If you are a technical writer who writes software documentation, chances are you have been informally involved in testing the software you document. In larger organizations, entire divisions are devoted to thoroughly testing software before it is released. In smaller organizations, this position could be informal or nonexistent. In this workshop, you will learn a basic methodology for testing software that you can use as a starting point for a new or expanded career.
Fisher, Charles D., Jr., Tracey Chiricosta and Tom Witherspoon. STC Proceedings (1998). Articles>Software>Testing
#18482
The software tools used to generate indexes come in many flavors and varieties. Which technique is used depends on variables such as budget, eventual re-usability of the source material, time constraints, media used to publish the material, file sizes and transferral issues, and individual preferences. There are essentially six different methodologies for indexing.
American Society of Indexers (2003). Articles>Indexing>Software
#26088
Large companies have a big appetite for off-the-shelf software. For years these companies have suffered the effects of poor software--reduced productivity, increased user support from help desks, increased training costs, increased user stress and frustration. Now they have decided to put this software under the microscope to see if it comes up to scratch. Andrea Caws puts on a lab coat and finds out more.
System Concepts (2005). Articles>Usability>Software
#21382
Software Usability and Documentation
This article shows how a user-centred approach to software design can reduce the requirement for documentation. It lists Jakob Nielsen's usability heuristics, and for each one, shows how following the heuristic can reduce the requirement for user documentation.
Unwalla, Mike. TechScribe (2003). Articles>Documentation>Software>Usability
#31744
Software-as-a-Service: Changing The Benefit Packages IT Organizations Offer
If you work in the information technology industry, for instance, especially in the software industry, chances are you are accustomed to having the same days off from work as everyone else: bank, religious, and national holidays—and, if you are creative about your planning—vacation days that you take before and after these holidays to create an extended break, usually coinciding with times others in your life are also away from work and school. But, the Software-as-a-Service (SaaS) model will likely change all that. And, the changes don’t bode well for family vacations or extended holidays with your sweetheart.
Abel, Scott. Content Wrangler, The (2008). Careers>TC>Software>Online
#24648
The purpose of this collaboration is to collect on one portal page many of the current theories of software development, so that a technical communicator working with developers can at least be a bit familiar with these. It is by no means a thorough explanation of all the contemporary methodologies, both organic and imposed. But it should give readers some tips about what they are and where they can find more information.
Albing, Bill. KeyContent.org (2004). Articles>Software>Programming
#13958
Some Effects of the Macintosh on Technical Writing Assignments
This paper reports on a study examining writing on the Apple Macintosh and on paper by upper-level students who are novice writers but computer-literate. To gain a better understanding of writing behaviors using the Macintosh versus using pen and paper, we sought to answer two questions: 1) Do these writers revise differently, in terms of the number and types of revisions, when using the Macintosh? 2) Do they produce higher-quality texts on the Macintosh? In addition, we sought to determine whether this population would produce longer texts on the computer than they did with paper and pencil techniques, as previous studies showed with other populations.
Friedlander, Alexander and Mike Markel. Computers and Composition (1990). Articles>Software>Operating Systems>Macintosh
#27188
Some of the Most Useful Word Shortcuts
This list doesn't attempt to be comprehensive, but is a list of the shortcuts which save me the most time.
Rado, Dave. Word MVP Site, The (2005). Articles>Word Processing>Software>Microsoft Word
