From: Bruce Nevin (bnevin) <bnevin@cisco.com>
To: ian balanza-davis <ibalanza_davis@yahoo.co.uk>; cgoolsby@ptc.com; dita-adoption-help@lists.oasis-open.org
Sent: Fri, 21 January, 2011 20:15:23
Subject: RE: [dita-adoption-help] definition of Help
Just for clarification, why? Are we defining Help authoring?
> -----Original Message-----
> From: ian balanza-davis [mailto:
ibalanza_davis@yahoo.co.uk]
> Sent: Friday, January 21, 2011 2:58 PM
> To: Bruce Nevin (bnevin);
cgoolsby@ptc.com;
>
dita-adoption-help@lists.oasis-open.org> Subject: RE: [dita-adoption-help] definition of Help
>
> I think in all these cases, we would be best sticking to
> navigation elements authors have control over. I am not sure
> search falls into that -- at least not without becoming an index.
>
> On Fri, 21 Jan 2011 19:36 GMT Bruce Nevin (bnevin) wrote:
>
> >Right! And also not unique to Help.
> >
> >More generally, these are all means for identifying THE
> relevant bit of
> >content and presenting it, and any other such means that can be
> >imagined and implemented can be "optional characteristics" of Help.
> >That rather vitiates the notion "optional
characteristic". Google's
> >search algorithms (and underlying them their intensive statistical
> >analyses of huge bodies of content) would be very Helpful.
> >
> >The ToC can in addition be a high-level overview of the
> structure of a
> >subject matter. Other presentations, such as a radial tree or a
> >'mind-map' sort of graph can also serve this function.
> >
> >
> >________________________________
> >
> > From: Goolsby, Chris [mailto:
cgoolsby@ptc.com]
> > Sent: Friday, January 21, 2011 2:12 PM
> > To: Bruce Nevin (bnevin);
> >
dita-adoption-help@lists.oasis-open.org> > Subject: RE: [dita-adoption-help] definition of Help
> >
> >
> >
> > Do we want to address search at all? You talk about ToC
> and Index.
> >Maybe search is an optional characteristic?
> >
> >
> >
> > Chris Goolsby
> >
> > PTC-Arbortext
> >
> >
> >
> > From: Bruce Nevin (bnevin) [mailto:
bnevin@cisco.com]
> > Sent: Friday, January 21, 2011 12:47 PM
> > To:
dita-adoption-help@lists.oasis-open.org> > Subject: RE: [dita-adoption-help] definition of Help
> >
> >
> >
> > Right, modular is an ambiguous term, and inspecific.
> >
> > >> May help with a user domain separate from
> its software vehicle.<<
> >
> > Do you mean that Online Help doesn't have to be
> associated with a
> >piece of software? Or do you mean that some content in a software's
> >Help might describe indirectly-associated concepts, business
> rules and
> >the like?
> >
> > I meant the latter, e.g. a museum exhibit. Guidance for
> conflict of
> >interest, insider
trading, and the like might be examples of
> business
> >rules. I'm sure you had other examples in mind, what are they?
> >
> >
> >
> > Here's another take which I think addresses your points.
> >
> > _____________________________________________________________
> >
> >
> >
> > What is Online Help?
> >
> >
> >
> > Essential characteristics:
> >
> > * It is user-assistance documentation.
> > * It is presented by a computer.
> > * Each topic is presented separately. (Like a website.)
> > *
In-topic links support navigation to other topics. (Like
> >a website.)
> > * A ToC, if provided, links to topics. (Unlike that in a
> >book.)
> > * An Index, if provided, links to topics. (Unlike that in
> >a book.)
> >
> >
> >
> > Optional characteristics:
> >
> > * It documents a software product.
> > * It is integrated with the UI of that product.
> > * Parts of the UI may be linked to topics written about
> >them. (Embedded help.)
> > * Procedural steps may be linked to parts of the UI used
> >to execute them. (Online coach.)
> >
>
>
> >
> > Ancillary considerations:
> >
> > * The location of the content (e.g. local disk, website,
> >cloud) is immaterial.
> > * The type of display (e.g. CLI, GUI, kiosk, audio, video,
> >mixed media) may constrain the content.
> >
> >
> >
> >________________________________
> >
> > From: Tony Self [mailto:
tself@hyperwrite.com]
> > Sent: Thursday, January 20, 2011 8:44 PM
> > To: Bruce Nevin (bnevin);
> >
dita-adoption-help@lists.oasis-open.org> > Subject: RE: [dita-adoption-help] definition of Help
> >
> > Hi Bruce
> >
> >
> >
> > Here are some thoughts.
> >
> >
> >
> > >> Modular--relatively short topics<<
> >
> > Modular might not be the right term to use,
> because "modular Help" is
> >used commonly to describe multiple Help systems that are merged at
> >runtime to be delivered as a virtual single Help system.
> >
> >
>
>
> > >> May help with a user domain separate from
> its software vehicle.<<
> >
> > Do you mean that Online Help doesn't have to be
> associated with a
> >piece of software? Or do you mean that some content in a software's
> >Help might describe indirectly-associated concepts, business
> rules and
> >the like?
> >
> >
> >
> > I think we also need to define "online".
> >
> >
> >
> > Regards
> >
> >
> >
> > Tony Self
> >
> >
> >
> > From: Bruce Nevin (bnevin) [mailto:
bnevin@cisco.com]
> > Sent: Friday, 21 January 2011 8:43 AM
> > To:
dita-adoption-help@lists.oasis-open.org> > Subject: [dita-adoption-help] definition of Help
> >
> >
> >
> > I see
> >
http://wiki.oasis-open.org/dita-adoption/DITA_Help_Technologi> es_Guide_A
> >l
>
>location
> ><
http://wiki.oasis-open.org/dita-adoption/DITA_Help_Technolog> ies_Guide_
> >A
> >llocation> that I am on the hook for a definition of Help. Here's a
> >quick draft for comment.
> >
> >
> >
> >
> >
> > What is Online Help?
> >
> > * User assistance documentation.
> > * Modular--relatively short topics, in some forms
> >(e.g. rollover) smaller than a topic.
> > * Delivered online by software, either locally or
>
>on the web.
> > * Usually integrated with the UI of the software
> >that it documents.
> >
> > * May help with a user domain separate
> >from its software vehicle.
> > * Is a kiosk or a guide to an exhibit
> >online Help?
> >
> > * May be context sensitive (linked to user action
> >or location or the state of the application).
> >
> > These characteristics usually compel the Help
> developer to address
> >the problem of relevance that is central to all
> >documentation: access to the relevant topic from the context of
need.
> >
> >
> >
> > All user assistance documentation is part of
> the user interface; a
> >Help system only more obviously so.
> >
> > /B
> >
>
>
>
>
>
> ---------------------------------------------------------------------
> To unsubscribe from this mail list, you must leave the OASIS
> TC that generates this mail. Follow this link to all your
> TCs in OASIS at:
>
https://www.oasis-open.org/apps/org/workgroup/portal/my_workgr> oups.php
>
>
---------------------------------------------------------------------
To unsubscribe from
this mail list, you must leave the OASIS TC that
generates this mail. Follow this link to all your TCs in OASIS at:
https://www.oasis-open.org/apps/org/workgroup/portal/my_workgroups.php