RE: need help selecting doc tools

[Gordon McLean]

Aaron,

Have you posted this question anywhere else? To a non FrameMaker list for
example (TechWR?). Just a thought.

As others have said, I'd want to know more about what outputs were required,
how often you have to build them, and what the usage of the docs will be. 

FrameMaker + WWP is a good package but depending on your needs there are
better ones out there.

Gordon 

-Original Message-
Subject: need help selecting doc tools

Hello all:

I am starting a new venture on Monday at a startup company that has never
had a tech writer and needs me to write all the doc from scratch.  I've been
using FrameMaker 6.0 for several years now with WebWorks Professional 2003.
My new boss (VP of Engineering) has asked me to put together a doc tools
strategy plan for design and delivery for the technical documentation.



This email (and any attachments) is private and confidential, and is intended 
solely for the
addressee. If you have received this communication in error please remove it 
and inform us via
telephone or email. Although we take all possible steps to ensure mail and 
attachments
are free from malicious content, malware and viruses, we cannot accept any 
responsibility
whatsoever for any changes to content outwith our administrative bounds. The 
views represented
within this mail are solely the view of the author and do not reflect the views 
of the organisation
as a whole.

Graham Technology plc
Registered in Scotland company no. SC143434
Registered Office India of Inchinnan, Renfrewshire, Scotland PA4 9LH

http://www.grahamtechnology.com


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Re: FW: Graphics and Reference Pages

[Stuart Rogers]

Kristy Nolan wrote:

From: Kristy Nolan
Sent: Thursday, April 12, 2007 12:11 PM
To: 'framers@lists.frameusers.com'
Subject: Graphics and Reference Pages



Hello, All!

This has been my first real venture into reference pages and I have 
managed to befuddle myself.  I am trying to connect a small graphic to a 
particular paragraph tag. I managed to get the tagging part correct. 
However, I want the graphic to appear directly left of the paragraph, 
not above/below. Does anyone have an idea of how to do this? And, if so, 
am I correct in my assumption that there are no strange caveats to using 
structured Frame and these?


Please reply directly, as I am on digest and won't see any answers until 
tomorrow morning.




Kristy,

Frame doesn't directly support your goal via the frame above/below 
feature. However, you can get the result you want by using a borderless, 
one-row, two-cell table, with the left cell pgf-tagged with a tiny font 
(no content) and a frame below containing your icon. Put the textual 
content in the other cell.


An easier way is to get the free reficons plug-in by Chris 
Despopoulos, available here: http://www.freeframers.org/freeware/cud/


HTH,

--
Stuart Rogers
Technical Communicator
Phoenix Geophysics Limited
Toronto, ON, Canada
+1 (416) 491-7340 x 325

srogers phoenix-geophysics com

It is not enough that I succeed.
 Others must fail.

-- Oscar Wilde
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document window size

[Natalie Bircher]

Can I specify the size of the window that opens when I open a new file?
Sometimes the window opens at 120% sometimes it opens as a rectangle, and
other times it just opens the file and is minimized at the bottom of the
screen. My objective is to have the window open at 83% so I can view the
info without having to resize the windows.

 

At times,  I wish I had a HUGE monitor to organize all the open files,
structure box, tools, designer boxes,  etc. that I have to work with at one
time. How do you all organize your workspace?

 

Natalie Bircher

Technical Writer

BackStreet Media

Phone: 320-843-4337 

Fax: 320-842-4236

Email:  mailto:[EMAIL PROTECTED] [EMAIL PROTECTED]

 

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RE: document window size

[Lester C. Smalley]

On Monday, April 16, 2007 12:05 PM, Natalie Bircher wrote:

| Can I specify the size of the window that opens when I open
| a new file? Sometimes the window opens at 120% sometimes it
| opens as a rectangle, and other times it just opens the file
| and is minimized at the bottom of the screen. My objective
| is to have the window open at 83% so I can view the info
| without having to resize the windows.
| 
| At times, I wish I had a HUGE monitor to organize all the
| open files, structure box, tools, designer boxes, etc. that
| I have to work with at one time. How do you all organize
| your workspace?

That's very odd - I have never had Frame open a NEW document minimized,
or as an oddly shaped window. It opens at the zoom setting in effect
when the template was saved, and for the FM supplied ones that is 100%.


Are you really opening a new document window, or opening a document that
someone else had worked on? If the latter, Frame remembers the zoom
settings when saving a document. But I don't believe that it saves the
window size or minimized status.

As for organizing your workspace, big monitors are good but even better
is two decent sized ones. In my opinion, that is absolutely the way to
go. There have been a number of discussion in this forum over the years,
and no one has ever regretted moving to dual monitors that I recall. The
key is the video card(s)-get one with at least 256 MB RAM per monitor.
You can either use a dual head card that supports more than one
monitor (there are cards available that support three monitors) , or
have a separate video card installed in the system for each monitor.

In my office, all our Frame users (5) have dual displays, of at least
19 size.  User productivity paid for the expense in less than two
months.  I have twin 21 LCDs at 1600x1200 [each], driven by a NVIDIA
GeForce FX5500 w/ 512MB RAM, and absolutely love it.

- Lester 
---
Lester C. Smalley  Email: lsmalley AT infocon DOT com   
Information Consultants, Inc.  Phone: 302-239-2942 FAX: 302-239-1712
Yorklyn, DE  19736   Web: www.infocon.com   
---
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Re: document window size

[Scott Prentice]

Hi Natalie...

If you're working on binary FM files (not opening an XML file), it 
*should* open to the size, zoom, and position that it was last saved. If 
you have the document minimized and you do a Save All Files .. it'll 
reopen in a minimized state. Or possibly someone else has been working 
on these files, and they are getting saved in other states.


We have a plugin called RestoreWindows that lets you specify the size, 
position and zoom for new or opened document windows, as well as the 
state and position of the other catalogs, palettes, and windows. You can 
use the 30-day trial to give it a whirl.


   http://www.leximation.com/tools/info/restorewindows.php

This is most useful for XML files, but also alleviates the problem you 
describe in a multi-user environment.


...scott

Scott Prentice
Leximation, Inc.
www.leximation.com
+1.415.485.1892



Natalie Bircher wrote:

Can I specify the size of the window that opens when I open a new file?
Sometimes the window opens at 120% sometimes it opens as a rectangle, and
other times it just opens the file and is minimized at the bottom of the
screen. My objective is to have the window open at 83% so I can view the
info without having to resize the windows.

 


At times,  I wish I had a HUGE monitor to organize all the open files,
structure box, tools, designer boxes,  etc. that I have to work with at one
time. How do you all organize your workspace?

 


Natalie Bircher

Technical Writer

BackStreet Media

Phone: 320-843-4337 


Fax: 320-842-4236

Email:  mailto:[EMAIL PROTECTED] [EMAIL PROTECTED]

 

  


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How many writers/engineer

[Krishna Mukherjee]

Hello,

I work for a semiconductor company in Silicon valley and my manager asked me 
to find out the following:


Are there are any stats regarding how many writers per engineer various 
companies and industries have?


Frankly, I don't know where to start from and would appreciate your help 
with an answer.



Thanks,
Krishna

_
Mortgage refinance is Hot. *Terms. Get a 5.375%* fix rate. Check savings 
https://www2.nextag.com/goto.jsp?product=10035url=%2fst.jsptm=ysearch=mortgage_text_links_88_h2bbbdisc=yvers=925s=4056p=5117


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RE: document window size

[Natalie Bircher]

Ah,yes. It is not a new window, it is a saved doc. Strange that FM saves the
zoom level, I think. 

The time that the file opens minimized, is when I open a file from the book.

I may pass your suggestions on to the power$ that be to see if I could get
another monitor. I always hate to ask for things, but if it will help
productivity, then maybe it's okay.

Thanks!

Natalie

-Original Message-
From: Lester C. Smalley [mailto:[EMAIL PROTECTED] 
Sent: Monday, April 16, 2007 1:11 PM
To: [EMAIL PROTECTED]
Cc: framers@lists.frameusers.com
Subject: RE: document window size

On Monday, April 16, 2007 12:05 PM, Natalie Bircher wrote:

| Can I specify the size of the window that opens when I open
| a new file? Sometimes the window opens at 120% sometimes it
| opens as a rectangle, and other times it just opens the file
| and is minimized at the bottom of the screen. My objective
| is to have the window open at 83% so I can view the info
| without having to resize the windows.
| 
| At times, I wish I had a HUGE monitor to organize all the
| open files, structure box, tools, designer boxes, etc. that
| I have to work with at one time. How do you all organize
| your workspace?

That's very odd - I have never had Frame open a NEW document minimized,
or as an oddly shaped window. It opens at the zoom setting in effect
when the template was saved, and for the FM supplied ones that is 100%.


Are you really opening a new document window, or opening a document that
someone else had worked on? If the latter, Frame remembers the zoom
settings when saving a document. But I don't believe that it saves the
window size or minimized status.

As for organizing your workspace, big monitors are good but even better
is two decent sized ones. In my opinion, that is absolutely the way to
go. There have been a number of discussion in this forum over the years,
and no one has ever regretted moving to dual monitors that I recall. The
key is the video card(s)-get one with at least 256 MB RAM per monitor.
You can either use a dual head card that supports more than one
monitor (there are cards available that support three monitors) , or
have a separate video card installed in the system for each monitor.

In my office, all our Frame users (5) have dual displays, of at least
19 size.  User productivity paid for the expense in less than two
months.  I have twin 21 LCDs at 1600x1200 [each], driven by a NVIDIA
GeForce FX5500 w/ 512MB RAM, and absolutely love it.

- Lester 
---
Lester C. Smalley  Email: lsmalley AT infocon DOT com   
Information Consultants, Inc.  Phone: 302-239-2942 FAX: 302-239-1712
Yorklyn, DE  19736   Web: www.infocon.com   
---


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RE: How many writers/engineer

[Dodd, Frank J]

I wear both hats in my company. And in many cases in industry, I feel
this is true.
But no hard facts like you requested. 

-Original Message-
From: Krishna Mukherjee [mailto:[EMAIL PROTECTED] 
Sent: Monday, April 16, 2007 10:24 AM
To: 
Subject: How many writers/engineer

Hello,

I work for a semiconductor company in Silicon valley and my manager
asked me to find out the following:

Are there are any stats regarding how many writers per engineer various
companies and industries have?

Frankly, I don't know where to start from and would appreciate your help
with an answer.


Thanks,
Krishna

_
Mortgage refinance is Hot. *Terms. Get a 5.375%* fix rate. Check savings

https://www2.nextag.com/goto.jsp?product=10035url=%2fst.jsptm=yse
arch=mortgage_text_links_88_h2bbbdisc=yvers=925s=4056p=5117

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Re: PS to PDF (Distiller) Error

[John Pilla]

Thanks, after trying everything else, that worked! 

(Short of PDFing ea book file, and putting it all back together, 
which worked in the short time.) 

I used our Corporate required TechDoc printer driver, 
but changed the file extension to .prn instead of the default .ps 
and it worked just as it should. 
Great! 
 
~ John ~ 
Sr. Learning Specialist, Educational Services 
MRO Software (An IBM Company) 
Phn: +1.781.280.2003, Fax: +1.781.280.2201 
[EMAIL PROTECTED] 
 
Maximo 5 Certified, Maximo 6 Certified EAM 
IBM Certified Deployment Professional - Maximo V6 ITSM 
Foundation Certificate in IT Service Management 
 




Hi John, 

not sure if you found resolution yet, but I had the same problem.  I even 
created a very basic word doc with nothing in it but the text hello, 
just to rule out formatting problems.  Then I stumbled on to an article 
that said that if Acrobat is installed correctly you can skip the 
Distiller step and just print right to pdf by selecting 'PDF Writer' as 
the printer.  That didn't work for me but it led me to this: 

1. Print document to file - select 'Adobe PDF' as the printer, and use a 
.prn extension - not .ps 
2. Distill the .prn file to .pdf 

This worked for me.  I'm using Acrobat 7 Professional.  BTW, this worked 
both manually and also in VB.net code.  Hope this helps! 

-Carol 

Carol Jeffries
Freddie Mac
Market Risk Oversight
PHO IV - 3/3607B
571/382-3735
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RE: How many writers/engineer

[Mary Anthony]

Krishna,

The exact ratio you need depends on a number of factors. Meaning, a team
is responsible for documenting APIs and none of the writers have
experience with this type of doc, it kind of doesn't matter whether you
have 1 or 5 writers.  If you have three writers and all have API
experience but none have experience working as a doc team, they may run
into coordination issues.

You might want to look at the dependency calculator at:

http://www.comtech-serv.com/dependency_calculator.htm

This will give you hours per page based on a number of factors including
writer experience and technical experience. 

Still doesn't answer your question regarding writers/engineer does it?
I've heard 1 writer to 6 engineers.  I've managed teams with a ratio of
1 to 4 when the release cycles are high and the material is highly
technical.  

Mary



-Original Message-
From: [EMAIL PROTECTED]
[mailto:[EMAIL PROTECTED]
On Behalf Of Krishna Mukherjee
Sent: Monday, April 16, 2007 10:24 AM
To: framers@lists.frameusers.com
Subject: How many writers/engineer

Hello,

I work for a semiconductor company in Silicon valley and my manager
asked me to find out the following:

Are there are any stats regarding how many writers per engineer various
companies and industries have?

Frankly, I don't know where to start from and would appreciate your help
with an answer.


Thanks,
Krishna

_
Mortgage refinance is Hot. *Terms. Get a 5.375%* fix rate. Check savings

https://www2.nextag.com/goto.jsp?product=10035url=%2fst.jsptm=yse
arch=mortgage_text_links_88_h2bbbdisc=yvers=925s=4056p=5117

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RE: How many writers/engineer

[Daniel Doornbos]

Hello Krishna,

I have not seen any official statement of the proper ratio.
But I did read an article that said, in general, an organization should
have one tech writer per eight developers or engineers. Asking around my
STC chapter and in tech writing classes, it seems that one writer per 15
to 30 developers or engineers is more common. At my company, I am the
lone writer supporting 80 developers.

HTH

Daniel Doornbos
Technical Writer
Promise Technology, Inc.
408 228-1437
[EMAIL PROTECTED]
 

-Original Message-
From: [EMAIL PROTECTED]
[mailto:[EMAIL PROTECTED] On
Behalf Of Krishna Mukherjee
Sent: Monday, April 16, 2007 10:24 AM
To: framers@lists.frameusers.com
Subject: How many writers/engineer


Hello,

I work for a semiconductor company in Silicon valley and my manager
asked me 
to find out the following:

Are there are any stats regarding how many writers per engineer various

companies and industries have?

Frankly, I don't know where to start from and would appreciate your help

with an answer.


Thanks,
Krishna

_
Mortgage refinance is Hot. *Terms. Get a 5.375%* fix rate. Check savings

https://www2.nextag.com/goto.jsp?product=10035url=%2fst.jsptm=yse
arch=mortgage_text_links_88_h2bbbdisc=yvers=925s=4056p=5117

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need help selecting doc tools

[Marcus Carr]

It was written:

> Something that you may want to look into is using DITA as your 
> underlying data model (if you're entertaining the idea of using 
> structured authoring). One of the biggest problems that people have in 
> using DITA is the migration of legacy content .. you don't have this 
> problem.

The same logic holds for creating a dataset using a more descriptive 
structure, so why only go halfway? Why not design a structure that fully 
describes the data?

> If the focus of your output is to online Help or web delivery, 
> DITA's topic-oriented focus may be ideal. One of the benefits of using 
> DITA is that through the OpenToolkit (free open source set of tools), 
> you get all you need to generate various forms of online output (no 
> WebWorks required). (Caveat: you will need to spend time/money modifying 
> the XSLT transformations to get the output to look the way you want, but 
> perhaps you've got some XSLT developers on staff(?).)

If you have XSLT developers on staff, you can create the outputs from 
any XML, though it may be more work than using the toolkit. (I don't 
have any experience with it.)

> Also, because DITA is XML, you can easily integrate (both in and out)
> with code in your development stream.

The same applies for any XML structure.

> If you're really on a tight budget, you could also forgo using
> FrameMaker and just use an XML editor...

As above - the same applies for any XML.

Although I'm yet to find it, I'm sure that DITA has its place. 
Recommending for a green-fields scenario where the opportunity exists to 
put a startup on a good footing smacks of lost potential to me though.

My advice for the original poster would be to forget the budget for 
tools - sort out the strategy for data management over the foreseeable 
future and then try to establish what you will require to support it. If 
you choose tools first, you'll design a data strategy that suits your 
choices, not one that serves your dataset.


-- 
Regards,

Marcus Carr  email:  mcarr at allette.com.au
___
Allette Systems (Australia)  www:http://www.allette.com.au
___
"Everything should be made as simple as possible, but not simpler."
- Einstein

need help selecting doc tools

[Gordon McLean]

Aaron,

Have you posted this question anywhere else? To a "non" FrameMaker list for
example (TechWR?). Just a thought.

As others have said, I'd want to know more about what outputs were required,
how often you have to build them, and what the usage of the docs will be. 

FrameMaker + WWP is a good package but depending on your needs there are
better ones out there.

Gordon 

-Original Message-
Subject: need help selecting doc tools

Hello all:

I am starting a new venture on Monday at a startup company that has never
had a tech writer and needs me to write all the doc from scratch.  I've been
using FrameMaker 6.0 for several years now with WebWorks Professional 2003.
My new boss (VP of Engineering) has asked me to put together a doc tools
strategy plan for design and delivery for the technical documentation.



This email (and any attachments) is private and confidential, and is intended 
solely for the
addressee. If you have received this communication in error please remove it 
and inform us via
telephone or email. Although we take all possible steps to ensure mail and 
attachments
are free from malicious content, malware and viruses, we cannot accept any 
responsibility
whatsoever for any changes to content outwith our administrative bounds. The 
views represented
within this mail are solely the view of the author and do not reflect the views 
of the organisation
as a whole.

Graham Technology plc
Registered in Scotland company no. SC143434
Registered Office India of Inchinnan, Renfrewshire, Scotland PA4 9LH

http://www.grahamtechnology.com

FW: Graphics and Reference Pages

[Stuart Rogers]

Kristy Nolan wrote:
> From: Kristy Nolan
> Sent: Thursday, April 12, 2007 12:11 PM
> To: 'framers at lists.frameusers.com'
> Subject: Graphics and Reference Pages
> 
> 
> 
> Hello, All!
> 
> This has been my first real venture into reference pages and I have 
> managed to befuddle myself.  I am trying to connect a small graphic to a 
> particular paragraph tag. I managed to get the tagging part correct. 
> However, I want the graphic to appear directly left of the paragraph, 
> not above/below. Does anyone have an idea of how to do this? And, if so, 
> am I correct in my assumption that there are no strange caveats to using 
> structured Frame and these?
> 
> Please reply directly, as I am on digest and won't see any answers until 
> tomorrow morning.
> 

Kristy,

Frame doesn't directly support your goal via the frame above/below 
feature. However, you can get the result you want by using a borderless, 
one-row, two-cell table, with the left cell pgf-tagged with a tiny font 
(no content) and a frame below containing your icon. Put the textual 
content in the other cell.

An easier way is to get the free "reficons" plug-in by Chris 
Despopoulos, available here: http://www.freeframers.org/freeware/cud/

HTH,

-- 
Stuart Rogers
Technical Communicator
Phoenix Geophysics Limited
Toronto, ON, Canada
+1 (416) 491-7340 x 325

srogers phoenix-geophysics com

"It is not enough that I succeed.
  Others must fail."

-- Oscar Wilde

document window size

[Natalie Bircher]

Can I specify the size of the window that opens when I open a new file?
Sometimes the window opens at 120% sometimes it opens as a rectangle, and
other times it just opens the file and is minimized at the bottom of the
screen. My objective is to have the window open at 83% so I can view the
info without having to resize the windows.



At times,  I wish I had a HUGE monitor to organize all the open files,
structure box, tools, designer boxes,  etc. that I have to work with at one
time. How do you all organize your workspace?



Natalie Bircher

Technical Writer

BackStreet Media

Phone: 320-843-4337 

Fax: 320-842-4236

Email:   natalieb at backstreetmedia.com

document window size

[Lester C. Smalley]

On Monday, April 16, 2007 12:05 PM, Natalie Bircher wrote:

| Can I specify the size of the window that opens when I open
| a new file? Sometimes the window opens at 120% sometimes it
| opens as a rectangle, and other times it just opens the file
| and is minimized at the bottom of the screen. My objective
| is to have the window open at 83% so I can view the info
| without having to resize the windows.
| 
| At times, I wish I had a HUGE monitor to organize all the
| open files, structure box, tools, designer boxes, etc. that
| I have to work with at one time. How do you all organize
| your workspace?

That's very odd - I have never had Frame open a NEW document minimized,
or as an oddly shaped window. It opens at the zoom setting in effect
when the template was saved, and for the FM supplied ones that is 100%.


Are you really opening a new document window, or opening a document that
someone else had worked on? If the latter, Frame remembers the zoom
settings when saving a document. But I don't believe that it saves the
window size or minimized status.

As for organizing your workspace, big monitors are good but even better
is two decent sized ones. In my opinion, that is absolutely the way to
go. There have been a number of discussion in this forum over the years,
and no one has ever regretted moving to dual monitors that I recall. The
key is the video card(s)-get one with at least 256 MB RAM per monitor.
You can either use a "dual head" card that supports more than one
monitor (there are cards available that support three monitors) , or
have a separate video card installed in the system for each monitor.

In my office, all our Frame users (5) have dual displays, of at least
19" size.  User productivity paid for the expense in less than two
months.  I have twin 21" LCDs at 1600x1200 [each], driven by a NVIDIA
GeForce FX5500 w/ 512MB RAM, and absolutely love it.

- Lester 
---
Lester C. Smalley  Email: lsmalley AT infocon DOT com   
Information Consultants, Inc.  Phone: 302-239-2942 FAX: 302-239-1712
Yorklyn, DE  19736   Web: www.infocon.com   
---

document window size

[Scott Prentice]

Hi Natalie...

If you're working on binary FM files (not opening an XML file), it 
*should* open to the size, zoom, and position that it was last saved. If 
you have the document minimized and you do a "Save All Files" .. it'll 
reopen in a minimized state. Or possibly someone else has been working 
on these files, and they are getting saved in other states.

We have a plugin called RestoreWindows that lets you specify the size, 
position and zoom for new or opened document windows, as well as the 
state and position of the other catalogs, palettes, and windows. You can 
use the 30-day trial to give it a whirl.

http://www.leximation.com/tools/info/restorewindows.php

This is most useful for XML files, but also alleviates the problem you 
describe in a multi-user environment.

...scott

Scott Prentice
Leximation, Inc.
www.leximation.com
+1.415.485.1892



Natalie Bircher wrote:
> Can I specify the size of the window that opens when I open a new file?
> Sometimes the window opens at 120% sometimes it opens as a rectangle, and
> other times it just opens the file and is minimized at the bottom of the
> screen. My objective is to have the window open at 83% so I can view the
> info without having to resize the windows.
>
>  
>
> At times,  I wish I had a HUGE monitor to organize all the open files,
> structure box, tools, designer boxes,  etc. that I have to work with at one
> time. How do you all organize your workspace?
>
>  
>
> Natalie Bircher
>
> Technical Writer
>
> BackStreet Media
>
> Phone: 320-843-4337 
>
> Fax: 320-842-4236
>
> Email:   natalieb at 
> backstreetmedia.com
>
>  
>
>   

How many writers/engineer

[Krishna Mukherjee]

Hello,

I work for a semiconductor company in Silicon valley and my manager asked me 
to find out the following:

"Are there are any stats regarding how many writers per engineer various 
companies and industries have?"

Frankly, I don't know where to start from and would appreciate your help 
with an answer.


Thanks,
Krishna

_
Mortgage refinance is Hot. *Terms. Get a 5.375%* fix rate. Check savings 
https://www2.nextag.com/goto.jsp?product=10035=%2fst.jsp=y=mortgage_text_links_88_h2bbb=y=925=4056=5117

document window size

[Natalie Bircher]

Ah,yes. It is not a new window, it is a saved doc. Strange that FM saves the
zoom level, I think. 

The time that the file opens minimized, is when I open a file from the book.

I may pass your suggestions on to the power$ that be to see if I could get
another monitor. I always hate to ask for things, but if it will help
productivity, then maybe it's okay.

Thanks!

Natalie

-Original Message-
From: Lester C. Smalley [mailto:lsmal...@infocon.com] 
Sent: Monday, April 16, 2007 1:11 PM
To: natalieb at backstreetmedia.com
Cc: framers at lists.frameusers.com
Subject: RE: document window size

On Monday, April 16, 2007 12:05 PM, Natalie Bircher wrote:

| Can I specify the size of the window that opens when I open
| a new file? Sometimes the window opens at 120% sometimes it
| opens as a rectangle, and other times it just opens the file
| and is minimized at the bottom of the screen. My objective
| is to have the window open at 83% so I can view the info
| without having to resize the windows.
| 
| At times, I wish I had a HUGE monitor to organize all the
| open files, structure box, tools, designer boxes, etc. that
| I have to work with at one time. How do you all organize
| your workspace?

That's very odd - I have never had Frame open a NEW document minimized,
or as an oddly shaped window. It opens at the zoom setting in effect
when the template was saved, and for the FM supplied ones that is 100%.


Are you really opening a new document window, or opening a document that
someone else had worked on? If the latter, Frame remembers the zoom
settings when saving a document. But I don't believe that it saves the
window size or minimized status.

As for organizing your workspace, big monitors are good but even better
is two decent sized ones. In my opinion, that is absolutely the way to
go. There have been a number of discussion in this forum over the years,
and no one has ever regretted moving to dual monitors that I recall. The
key is the video card(s)-get one with at least 256 MB RAM per monitor.
You can either use a "dual head" card that supports more than one
monitor (there are cards available that support three monitors) , or
have a separate video card installed in the system for each monitor.

In my office, all our Frame users (5) have dual displays, of at least
19" size.  User productivity paid for the expense in less than two
months.  I have twin 21" LCDs at 1600x1200 [each], driven by a NVIDIA
GeForce FX5500 w/ 512MB RAM, and absolutely love it.

- Lester 
---
Lester C. Smalley  Email: lsmalley AT infocon DOT com   
Information Consultants, Inc.  Phone: 302-239-2942 FAX: 302-239-1712
Yorklyn, DE  19736   Web: www.infocon.com   
---

document window size

[Rick Quatro]

Hi Natalie,

The zoom setting for a document gets saved with the document. You can also 
set the zoom for all of the files in a book, although you can only choose 
from several settings. If you have FrameScript, you could set all of the 
FrameMaker files on your hard drive to any zoom percent you want.

Instead of a huge monitor, you are probably better off with a two-monitor 
setup. I have 2 19-inch flat panel monitors. I use the right monitor for 
email, dialog boxes, etc., and use the left monitor for my main work area. 
In my opinion, even 2 17-inch monitors would be better than one big monitor.

Rick Quatro
Carmen Publishing
585-659-8267
www.frameexpert.com


> Can I specify the size of the window that opens when I open a new file?
> Sometimes the window opens at 120% sometimes it opens as a rectangle, and
> other times it just opens the file and is minimized at the bottom of the
> screen. My objective is to have the window open at 83% so I can view the
> info without having to resize the windows.
>
> At times,  I wish I had a HUGE monitor to organize all the open files,
> structure box, tools, designer boxes,  etc. that I have to work with at 
> one
> time. How do you all organize your workspace?
>
> Natalie Bircher
> Technical Writer
> BackStreet Media
> Phone: 320-843-4337
> Fax: 320-842-4236
>
> Email:   natalieb at 
> backstreetmedia.com

PS to PDF (Distiller) Error

[John Pilla]

Thanks, after trying everything else, that worked! 

(Short of PDFing ea book file, and putting it all back together, 
which worked in the short time.) 

I used our Corporate required TechDoc printer driver, 
but changed the file extension to .prn instead of the default .ps 
and it worked just as it should. 
Great! 
 
~ John ~ 
Sr. Learning Specialist, Educational Services 
MRO Software (An IBM Company) 
Phn: +1.781.280.2003, Fax: +1.781.280.2201 
John.Pilla at us.ibm.com 
 
Maximo 5 Certified, Maximo 6 Certified EAM 
IBM Certified Deployment Professional - Maximo V6 ITSM 
Foundation Certificate in IT Service Management 
 




Hi John, 

not sure if you found resolution yet, but I had the same problem.  I even 
created a very basic word doc with nothing in it but the text "hello", 
just to rule out formatting problems.  Then I stumbled on to an article 
that said that if Acrobat is installed correctly you can skip the 
Distiller step and just print right to pdf by selecting 'PDF Writer' as 
the printer.  That didn't work for me but it led me to this: 

1. Print document to file - select 'Adobe PDF' as the printer, and use a 
.prn extension - not .ps 
2. Distill the .prn file to .pdf 

This worked for me.  I'm using Acrobat 7 Professional.  BTW, this worked 
both manually and also in VB.net code.  Hope this helps! 

-Carol 

Carol Jeffries
Freddie Mac
Market Risk Oversight
PHO IV - 3/3607B
571/382-3735

How many writers/engineer

[Mary Anthony]

Krishna,

The exact ratio you need depends on a number of factors. Meaning, a team
is responsible for documenting APIs and none of the writers have
experience with this type of doc, it kind of doesn't matter whether you
have 1 or 5 writers.  If you have three writers and all have API
experience but none have experience working as a doc team, they may run
into coordination issues.

You might want to look at the dependency calculator at:

http://www.comtech-serv.com/dependency_calculator.htm

This will give you hours per page based on a number of factors including
writer experience and technical experience. 

Still doesn't answer your question regarding writers/engineer does it?
I've heard 1 writer to 6 engineers.  I've managed teams with a ratio of
1 to 4 when the release cycles are high and the material is highly
technical.  

Mary



-Original Message-
From: framers-bounces+mary.anthony=scalent@lists.frameusers.com
[mailto:framers-bounces+mary.anthony=scalent.com at lists.frameusers.com]
On Behalf Of Krishna Mukherjee
Sent: Monday, April 16, 2007 10:24 AM
To: framers at lists.frameusers.com
Subject: How many writers/engineer

Hello,

I work for a semiconductor company in Silicon valley and my manager
asked me to find out the following:

"Are there are any stats regarding how many writers per engineer various
companies and industries have?"

Frankly, I don't know where to start from and would appreciate your help
with an answer.


Thanks,
Krishna

_
Mortgage refinance is Hot. *Terms. Get a 5.375%* fix rate. Check savings

https://www2.nextag.com/goto.jsp?product=10035=%2fst.jsp=y
arch=mortgage_text_links_88_h2bbb=y=925=4056=5117

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How many writers/engineer

[Daniel Doornbos]

Hello Krishna,

I have not seen any "official" statement of the proper ratio.
But I did read an article that said, in general, an organization should
have one tech writer per eight developers or engineers. Asking around my
STC chapter and in tech writing classes, it seems that one writer per 15
to 30 developers or engineers is more common. At my company, I am the
lone writer supporting 80 developers.

HTH

Daniel Doornbos
Technical Writer
Promise Technology, Inc.
408 228-1437
danield at promise.com


-Original Message-
From: framers-bounces+danield=promise@lists.frameusers.com
[mailto:framers-bounces+danield=promise.com at lists.frameusers.com] On
Behalf Of Krishna Mukherjee
Sent: Monday, April 16, 2007 10:24 AM
To: framers at lists.frameusers.com
Subject: How many writers/engineer


Hello,

I work for a semiconductor company in Silicon valley and my manager
asked me 
to find out the following:

"Are there are any stats regarding how many writers per engineer various

companies and industries have?"

Frankly, I don't know where to start from and would appreciate your help

with an answer.


Thanks,
Krishna

_
Mortgage refinance is Hot. *Terms. Get a 5.375%* fix rate. Check savings

https://www2.nextag.com/goto.jsp?product=10035=%2fst.jsp=y
arch=mortgage_text_links_88_h2bbb=y=925=4056=5117

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