Entry tags:
Why I don't like Word for writing documentation
This is a technical/work entry. I'll do a Katherine update at some point in the not-too-distant future.
Occasionally, even the most insulated-from-the-customer programmer must write some sort of documentation. (I'm actually not nearly as insulated from the customer as I might pretend to be) Recently, a piece of install documentation that I had been maintaining in reStructuredText was officially transferred to the publications group, and since then it has been a Word document, though I am still expected to submit updates. At one point I noted that I would be much happier maintaining that documentation in the plain text format I had been using before, and was asked by publications “Dan, what do you want to do with the doc in plain text that you can't do if it's in Word format?” — this is my reply to that question, with some slight rewording and elaboration.
( Why I find Word inadequate for maintaining technical documentation )
Occasionally, even the most insulated-from-the-customer programmer must write some sort of documentation. (I'm actually not nearly as insulated from the customer as I might pretend to be) Recently, a piece of install documentation that I had been maintaining in reStructuredText was officially transferred to the publications group, and since then it has been a Word document, though I am still expected to submit updates. At one point I noted that I would be much happier maintaining that documentation in the plain text format I had been using before, and was asked by publications “Dan, what do you want to do with the doc in plain text that you can't do if it's in Word format?” — this is my reply to that question, with some slight rewording and elaboration.
( Why I find Word inadequate for maintaining technical documentation )