Vision in Vegas WritersUA 2005 and the Next Big Thing

The Big Gamble Conference Overview Panel of Pundits Conference Content Conference Attendees Closing Presentation Possible Futures Concluding Remarks

Conference Overview

Panel of Pundits

Conference Content

Conference Attendees

Closing Presentation

Possible Futures

Concluding Remarks

Pop Quiz: Alphabet Zoo CMS DITA MAML UI UA XML ACW

CMS

DITA

MAML

UI

UA

XML

ACW

WinWriters to WritersUA Broadening from WinHelp to all User Assistance Joe Welinski – tailor-made conference About 400 attendees – all experienced professionals Usually in Seattle, this one in Las Vegas smaller versions: Europe & East coast Focused and yet open – vendors and attendees

Broadening from WinHelp to all User Assistance

Joe Welinski – tailor-made conference

About 400 attendees – all experienced professionals

Usually in Seattle, this one in Las Vegas smaller versions: Europe & East coast

Focused and yet open – vendors and attendees

Panel of Pundits “ What’s Ripe, Hype, and Out-of-Sight” Panelists: Paula Berger Matthew Ellison Tony Self Char James-Tanny Joe Welinski Predictions: The IT World User Assistance Tools & Technology

“ What’s Ripe, Hype, and Out-of-Sight”

Panelists:

Paula Berger Matthew Ellison

Tony Self Char James-Tanny

Joe Welinski

Predictions:

The IT World

User Assistance

Tools & Technology

Conference Content Lots of XML (DITA and no MAML) Lots of content management Lots of structured authoring Lots of single sourcing Aspects of the same Documentation Elephant!

Lots of XML (DITA and no MAML)

Lots of content management

Lots of structured authoring

Lots of single sourcing

Aspects of the same Documentation Elephant!

Sessions on Monday Intro to Windows Longhorn Help (MAML) No solid info MAML will beta next year Writing Content Blocks (modules) It’s a craft – learn how to modularize Look at Amazon.com page for idea of modules Using DITA for Info Architecture Not just a DTD; it’s a process

Intro to Windows Longhorn Help (MAML)

No solid info MAML will beta next year

Writing Content Blocks (modules)

It’s a craft – learn how to modularize

Look at Amazon.com page for idea of modules

Using DITA for Info Architecture

Not just a DTD; it’s a process

Sessions on Tuesday CMS in a Single-Writer Environ. AuthorIT proponent; really cool Developing SDK Docs with JavaDoc Very helpful to see JavaDoc and HTML Windows Longhorn Help Reprise Topic Types and Behaviors (not for SDK docs) GAIN: Graphical, Action Focused, Interconnected, Navigation

CMS in a Single-Writer Environ.

AuthorIT proponent; really cool

Developing SDK Docs with JavaDoc

Very helpful to see JavaDoc and HTML

Windows Longhorn Help Reprise

Topic Types and Behaviors (not for SDK docs)

GAIN: Graphical, Action Focused, Interconnected, Navigation

Sessions on Wednesday Home Grown Single-Sourcing Nothing new, but very practical, in the trenches Web Technology Update He forgot Wiki!! Eclipse Multi-Platform Web-based User Assistance Uh…definitely cross-platform dev.

Home Grown Single-Sourcing

Nothing new, but very practical, in the trenches

Web Technology Update

He forgot Wiki!!

Eclipse Multi-Platform Web-based User Assistance

Uh…definitely cross-platform dev.

Conference Attendees Writers, online help developers, user assistance professionals, all over All very experienced: no newbies Kit Brown John Barrow Michael Priestley Neil Perlin Scott DeLoach Head of tekom.de Kay Ethier & Sarah O’Keefe & Alan Houser

Writers, online help developers, user assistance professionals, all over

All very experienced: no newbies

Kit Brown

John Barrow

Michael Priestley

Neil Perlin

Scott DeLoach

Head of tekom.de

Kay Ethier & Sarah O’Keefe & Alan Houser

Hotels and Shows Tropicana MGM New York City Bellagio Luxor

Tropicana

MGM

New York City

Bellagio

Luxor

Cool Books (Ahh…hardcopy!) Mining Google Web Services: Building Applications with the Google API by John Paul Mueller, John Mueller (Publisher), Sybex 3D for the Web : Interactive 3D animation using 3ds max, Flash and Director by Carol MacGillivray, Anthony Head Agile Documentation : A Pattern Guide to Producing Lightweight Documents for Software Projects by Andreas Rueping Managing Gigabytes: Compressing and Indexing Documents and Images by Ian H. Witten, Ian H. Witten, Alistair Moffat, Timothy C. Bell

Mining Google Web Services: Building Applications with the Google API by John Paul Mueller, John Mueller (Publisher), Sybex

3D for the Web : Interactive 3D animation using 3ds max, Flash and Director by Carol MacGillivray, Anthony Head

Agile Documentation : A Pattern Guide to Producing Lightweight Documents for Software Projects by Andreas Rueping

Managing Gigabytes: Compressing and Indexing Documents and Images by Ian H. Witten, Ian H. Witten, Alistair Moffat, Timothy C. Bell

Software Simulation Bill Horton presented: Software Simulations – the missing piece of the conf. Great demos Created one while we watched! Inspiration: Make paper planes in pairs in 30 secs. – how do you communicate? do you laugh?

Bill Horton presented:

Software Simulations – the missing piece of the conf.

Great demos

Created one while we watched!

Inspiration:

Make paper planes in pairs in 30 secs. – how do you communicate? do you laugh?

Possible Futures Single environment allows authoring, content management, and multiple outputs in unified desktop app (AuthorIT follows this) Collection of open source and other tools cobbled together, customized for each We all work in our own XML but use DITA and others as a universal currency Pretend that things haven’t changed!

Single environment allows authoring, content management, and multiple outputs in unified desktop app (AuthorIT follows this)

Collection of open source and other tools cobbled together, customized for each

We all work in our own XML but use DITA and others as a universal currency

Pretend that things haven’t changed!

Conclusions Metaphors of Las Vegas: Buildings constantly torn down & replaced Docs constantly being reshaped Lots of marketing and glitz, but basically get people to spend money Basically get content to people No single best way to have fun No single best solution for delivering content

Metaphors of Las Vegas:

Buildings constantly torn down & replaced

Docs constantly being reshaped

Lots of marketing and glitz, but basically get people to spend money

Basically get content to people

No single best way to have fun

No single best solution for delivering content

More Info Online www.writersua.com www.writersua.com/upcoming_events.htm (see Philadelphia conf. Sept.12-14) www.oasis-open.org (DITA) www.eclipse.org www.keycontent.org

www.writersua.com www.writersua.com/upcoming_events.htm (see Philadelphia conf. Sept.12-14)

www.oasis-open.org (DITA)

www.eclipse.org

www.keycontent.org