[documentation-dev] analysis of competitor documentation
Hi all, Recently, I analyzed the documentation of several competitors (Microsoft Office, WordPerfect Office, SoftMaker Office, GNOME Office and KOffice). Underlying analysis criteria were languages, documentation types (printed and online), search functions, information types, visualization, navigation and organization of the contents. In the end, I wanted to give some recommendations for OpenOffice/StarOffice. With respect to search functions for example I would recommend to - use more indices in printed material, and in the help - create an application specific contents tab, - allow search for similar words, - repair the full text search, - combine index and full text search into one search box. I would like to discuss the recommendations and some open questions with you. So, if someone is interested in the full analysis document please let me know. I would then send it as an attachment to your personal email address. Or does anyone know a site where I can put it so that everyone interested in the subject can download it? Thanks Martina - To unsubscribe, e-mail: [EMAIL PROTECTED] For additional commands, e-mail: [EMAIL PROTECTED]
Re: [documentation-dev] analysis of competitor documentation
On Mon, 2007-02-12 at 13:05 +0100, Martina Waller wrote: Hi all, Recently, I analyzed the documentation of several competitors (Microsoft Office, WordPerfect Office, SoftMaker Office, GNOME Office and KOffice). Underlying analysis criteria were languages, documentation types (printed and online), search functions, information types, visualization, navigation and organization of the contents. In the end, I wanted to give some recommendations for OpenOffice/StarOffice. With respect to search functions for example I would recommend to - use more indices in printed material, Good idea. We had an indexer but she had to give up the task unfortunately for OOo User Guide and we are searching for someone else to take on the task. You? and in the help - create an application specific contents tab, Please explain. Help usually presents help specific to the open application. e.g. if you are in writer you get writer help. So we need to know how you would like to change this feature. - allow search for similar words, This needs explaining too. Entering, say lin, in the search box currently presents help items that start with this sequence thus giving users the opportunity to select further. - repair the full text search, Repair? Enhance sure sounds good. Have you filed an issue in Issue Tracker for this? - combine index and full text search into one search box. I would like to discuss the recommendations and some open questions with you. So, if someone is interested in the full analysis document please let me know. I would then send it as an attachment to your personal email address. Or does anyone know a site where I can put it so that everyone interested in the subject can download it? I think that your idea about indexing is good and I agree but the project needs to recruit someone with indexing skills. Can you help? WRT, help enhancements, you might like to subscribe to [EMAIL PROTECTED] where the Sun help team address and answer questions such as yours. You already have one answer in this list. To do so send an email to [EMAIL PROTECTED] otherwise your messages are moderated. -- PLEASE KEEP MESSAGES ON THE LIST. OpenOffice.org Documentation Co-Lead http://documentation.openoffice.org/ smime.p7s Description: S/MIME cryptographic signature
Re: [documentation-dev] analysis of competitor documentation
G. Roderick Singleton wrote: - allow search for similar words, This needs explaining too. Entering, say lin, in the search box currently presents help items that start with this sequence thus giving users the opportunity to select further. - repair the full text search, Repair? Enhance sure sounds good. Have you filed an issue in Issue Tracker for this? There is an issue for the broken full text search engine. Development is aware of that and currently working on a reimplementation. - combine index and full text search into one search box. I would like to discuss the recommendations and some open questions with you. So, if someone is interested in the full analysis document please let me know. I would then send it as an attachment to your personal email address. Or does anyone know a site where I can put it so that everyone interested in the subject can download it? I think that your idea about indexing is good and I agree but the project needs to recruit someone with indexing skills. Can you help? WRT, help enhancements, you might like to subscribe to [EMAIL PROTECTED] where the Sun help team address and answer questions such as yours. You already have one answer in this list. To do so send an email to [EMAIL PROTECTED] otherwise your messages are moderated. Hehe, Martina *is* on the Sun help team and she cross-posted the message to both dev and online_help. Pretty early in the morning for you, eh? ;-) Frank - To unsubscribe, e-mail: [EMAIL PROTECTED] For additional commands, e-mail: [EMAIL PROTECTED]
Re: [documentation-dev] analysis of competitor documentation
Frank Peters wrote: G. Roderick Singleton wrote: - allow search for similar words, This needs explaining too. Entering, say lin, in the search box currently presents help items that start with this sequence thus giving users the opportunity to select further. - repair the full text search, Repair? Enhance sure sounds good. Have you filed an issue in Issue Tracker for this? There is an issue for the broken full text search engine. Development is aware of that and currently working on a reimplementation. http://qa.openoffice.org/issues/show_bug.cgi?id=45826 ain - To unsubscribe, e-mail: [EMAIL PROTECTED] For additional commands, e-mail: [EMAIL PROTECTED]
Re: [documentation-dev] analysis of competitor documentation
On Mon, 2007-02-12 at 13:51 +0100, Frank Peters wrote: G. Roderick Singleton wrote: - allow search for similar words, This needs explaining too. Entering, say lin, in the search box currently presents help items that start with this sequence thus giving users the opportunity to select further. - repair the full text search, Repair? Enhance sure sounds good. Have you filed an issue in Issue Tracker for this? There is an issue for the broken full text search engine. Development is aware of that and currently working on a reimplementation. - combine index and full text search into one search box. I would like to discuss the recommendations and some open questions with you. So, if someone is interested in the full analysis document please let me know. I would then send it as an attachment to your personal email address. Or does anyone know a site where I can put it so that everyone interested in the subject can download it? I think that your idea about indexing is good and I agree but the project needs to recruit someone with indexing skills. Can you help? WRT, help enhancements, you might like to subscribe to [EMAIL PROTECTED] where the Sun help team address and answer questions such as yours. You already have one answer in this list. To do so send an email to [EMAIL PROTECTED] otherwise your messages are moderated. Hehe, Martina *is* on the Sun help team and she cross-posted the message to both dev and online_help. Pretty early in the morning for you, eh? ;-) It is and I noticed that her message to online_help was moderated so added the suggestion. Surprized you hadn't spotted that. :-) -- G. Roderick Singleton [EMAIL PROTECTED] OpenOffice.org smime.p7s Description: S/MIME cryptographic signature
Re: [documentation-dev] analysis of competitor documentation
G. Roderick Singleton wrote: On Mon, 2007-02-12 at 13:05 +0100, Martina Waller wrote: Hi all, Recently, I analyzed the documentation of several competitors (Microsoft Office, WordPerfect Office, SoftMaker Office, GNOME Office and KOffice). Underlying analysis criteria were languages, documentation types (printed and online), search functions, information types, visualization, navigation and organization of the contents. In the end, I wanted to give some recommendations for OpenOffice/StarOffice. With respect to search functions for example I would recommend to - use more indices in printed material, Good idea. We had an indexer but she had to give up the task unfortunately for OOo User Guide and we are searching for someone else to take on the task. You? I really feel flattered that you want me as an indexer for the User Guide. But given the fact that this Guide is a very big beast of more than 400 pages and I am working only part-time I fear that I have not enough time for the whole project. But I could imagine to edit the index when it is drafted. and in the help - create an application specific contents tab, Please explain. Help usually presents help specific to the open application. e.g. if you are in writer you get writer help. So we need to know how you would like to change this feature. The contents tab (left side of the help window) is the only tab that is not application specific. There are always the same folders listed. - allow search for similar words, This needs explaining too. Entering, say lin, in the search box currently presents help items that start with this sequence thus giving users the opportunity to select further. Users often make spelling mistakes when they enter words in search boxes. A search for similar words would automatically generate an idea of the correct spelled word. Martina - To unsubscribe, e-mail: [EMAIL PROTECTED] For additional commands, e-mail: [EMAIL PROTECTED]
Re: [documentation-dev] analysis of competitor documentation
Hi, Ain Vagula wrote: Frank Peters wrote: There is an issue for the broken full text search engine. Development is aware of that and currently working on a reimplementation. http://qa.openoffice.org/issues/show_bug.cgi?id=45826 and http://www.openoffice.org/issues/show_bug.cgi?id=38553 and http://www.openoffice.org/issues/show_bug.cgi?id=61820 yes, they are aware since 2004, but not much progress :-( Uwe -- [EMAIL PROTECTED] - Technical Writer StarOffice - Sun Microsystems, Inc. - Hamburg, Germany http://www.sun.com/staroffice http://documentation.openoffice.org/online_help/index.html http://wiki.services.openoffice.org/wiki/Category:OnlineHelp http://blogs.sun.com/oootnt - To unsubscribe, e-mail: [EMAIL PROTECTED] For additional commands, e-mail: [EMAIL PROTECTED]
Re: [documentation-dev] analysis of competitor documentation
Martina Waller wrote: G. Roderick Singleton wrote: On Mon, 2007-02-12 at 13:05 +0100, Martina Waller wrote: Hi all, Recently, I analyzed the documentation of several competitors (Microsoft Office, WordPerfect Office, SoftMaker Office, GNOME Office and KOffice). Underlying analysis criteria were languages, documentation types (printed and online), search functions, information types, visualization, navigation and organization of the contents. In the end, I wanted to give some recommendations for OpenOffice/StarOffice. With respect to search functions for example I would recommend to - use more indices in printed material, Good idea. We had an indexer but she had to give up the task unfortunately for OOo User Guide and we are searching for someone else to take on the task. You? I really feel flattered that you want me as an indexer for the User Guide. But given the fact that this Guide is a very big beast of more than 400 pages and I am working only part-time I fear that I have not enough time for the whole project. But I could imagine to edit the index when it is drafted. and in the help - create an application specific contents tab, Please explain. Help usually presents help specific to the open application. e.g. if you are in writer you get writer help. So we need to know how you would like to change this feature. The contents tab (left side of the help window) is the only tab that is not application specific. There are always the same folders listed. - allow search for similar words, This needs explaining too. Entering, say lin, in the search box currently presents help items that start with this sequence thus giving users the opportunity to select further. Users often make spelling mistakes when they enter words in search boxes. A search for similar words would automatically generate an idea of the correct spelled word. It's not even about spelling, many languages have cases, eg. I search word in nominative case but it appears in index in genitive or dative case, therefore such suggestions were very useful. ain - To unsubscribe, e-mail: [EMAIL PROTECTED] For additional commands, e-mail: [EMAIL PROTECTED]
Re: [documentation-dev] analysis of competitor documentation
On Mon, 2007-02-12 at 14:38 +0100, Martina Waller wrote: G. Roderick Singleton wrote: On Mon, 2007-02-12 at 13:05 +0100, Martina Waller wrote: Hi all, Recently, I analyzed the documentation of several competitors (Microsoft Office, WordPerfect Office, SoftMaker Office, GNOME Office and KOffice). Underlying analysis criteria were languages, documentation types (printed and online), search functions, information types, visualization, navigation and organization of the contents. In the end, I wanted to give some recommendations for OpenOffice/StarOffice. With respect to search functions for example I would recommend to - use more indices in printed material, Good idea. We had an indexer but she had to give up the task unfortunately for OOo User Guide and we are searching for someone else to take on the task. You? I really feel flattered that you want me as an indexer for the User Guide. But given the fact that this Guide is a very big beast of more than 400 pages and I am working only part-time I fear that I have not enough time for the whole project. But I could imagine to edit the index when it is drafted. I will remember and take you up on your offer. It would be a big help. Now to see if I can get the index completed so we can do it. :-) and in the help - create an application specific contents tab, Please explain. Help usually presents help specific to the open application. e.g. if you are in writer you get writer help. So we need to know how you would like to change this feature. The contents tab (left side of the help window) is the only tab that is not application specific. There are always the same folders listed. Ah, I see. I have no idea at the moment on how one could do this. I will think on it and add anything constructive to the discussion on the online_help list. - allow search for similar words, This needs explaining too. Entering, say lin, in the search box currently presents help items that start with this sequence thus giving users the opportunity to select further. Users often make spelling mistakes when they enter words in search boxes. A search for similar words would automatically generate an idea of the correct spelled word. Hmm, I understand. Fuzzy logic. Again not certain how this could be implemented considering how help is built. Again I will think on it and see if I can come up with some suggestions to put on the online_help list. -- G. Roderick Singleton [EMAIL PROTECTED] OpenOffice.org smime.p7s Description: S/MIME cryptographic signature
Re: [documentation-dev] analysis of competitor documentation
Hello, Uwe Fischer schrieb: Hi, Ain Vagula wrote: Frank Peters wrote: There is an issue for the broken full text search engine. Development is aware of that and currently working on a reimplementation. http://qa.openoffice.org/issues/show_bug.cgi?id=45826 and http://www.openoffice.org/issues/show_bug.cgi?id=38553 and http://www.openoffice.org/issues/show_bug.cgi?id=61820 yes, they are aware since 2004, but not much progress :-( And another one: http://qa.openoffice.org/issues/show_bug.cgi?id=53299 kind regards Regina - To unsubscribe, e-mail: [EMAIL PROTECTED] For additional commands, e-mail: [EMAIL PROTECTED]
[documentation-dev] Tutorials For OpenOffice website
We are in the process of developing our website. www.tutorialsforopenoffice.orgHave you any suggestions as to how we might work better together? How we might supplement each other better? Walter Hildebrandt Denver CO - To unsubscribe, e-mail: [EMAIL PROTECTED] For additional commands, e-mail: [EMAIL PROTECTED]
Re: [documentation-dev] analysis of competitor documentation
Martina Waller wrote: With respect to search functions for example I would recommend to - use more indices in printed material, I am happy to report that the third edition of the Writer Guide from OOoAuthors (due to be published later this week) includes an index. (At last!) The draft index has been available for review and editing for several weeks on the OOoAuthors website, but so far no one has commented. http://oooauthors.org/en/authors/userguide2/writer/WG-index.odt/view --Jean - To unsubscribe, e-mail: [EMAIL PROTECTED] For additional commands, e-mail: [EMAIL PROTECTED]
