Register now for the STC Conference, which will be held in Minneapolis, MN, next May. Conference Committee chair Saul Carliner, Program Committee Manager Phylise Banner Klein, and their team have put together an intensive program (to be announced soon).

This year's conference includes several one- and two-day pre-conference workshops, more than 200 sessions, five conferences-within-a-conference, and five certificate programs. Two keynote speakers (Simon Singh and Ze Frank) will keep everyone entertained during their sessions (Singh has the opening keynote and Frank has the closing session).

Visit the conference website for more information.

Well, Santa took off this morning at 4 am ET on his round-the-world tour. Jesse is tracking him on both Norad Santa and Google Earth. (Norad Santa requires Quicktime or Windows Media Player; Google Earth requires...well...Google Earth ;-) and the Santa Tracker.)

He's already been by New Zealand and Russia, and is currently delivering presents in Guam. (Google Earth is tracking him in real time, while Norad Santa puts up videos every hour showing where Santa has been.

Jesse planned on being up at 3 am today so that he could watch Santa take off. Luckily, he slept in until 5:30 am...but it's still going to be a long day!

From our family to yours, have a wonderful holiday :-)

Hat tip: Heidi Hansen (http://heidilhansen.blogspot.com/)

Heidi Hansen (formerly at Loud Carrot) keeps tabs on all sorts of stuff, and today's gem features links to an interview with Susan Burton that is posted at TechWriterVoices (http://www.techwritervoices.com). Check it out when you get a chance! (The total podcast is about 16 minutes long, but it starts over at 14 minutes.)

Updated to add text URLs.

I'll be attending the STC NNE Chapter meeting tonight...friend and colleague Sarah O'Keefe is speaking. Her topic is "Technical Writer or Soulless Automaton? Authoring in the Age of XML."

Sarah's been at the XML 2006 Conference in Boston this week, and she's been blogging about it at Palimpsest.

WritersUA has opened registration for the Fifteenth Annual WritersUA Conference! Visit the site to see the program, speaker bios, exhibitors list, travel information, and fun and games.

The program looks really good, with a nice blend of technology, design, and tool information. Predominant sessions include DITA, XML, and wikis, along with tool-based sessions on AuthorIT, Doc-To-Help, Flare, FrameMaker, and RoboHelp.

I'll be presenting two sessions: Implementing Accessible Web Design (with Brian Walker) and Innovations in Help Authoring Tools.

Hope to see you there!

[modified shortly after posting]

Continuing our wiki discussion...

I've set up two wikis: MSHelpWiki (a community wiki for anyone authoring Microsoft Help) and WikiWackyWorld (a community wiki for those who purchase the book, although it isn't open to the public just yet). And I'm in the process of creating a conference session on wikis that will include demos and more.

A discussion taking place on different email lists lately is using wikis for documentation, and how it should be set up. After all, by their nature, wikis can be edited by anyone. However, some sites are set up so that the folks on the documentation team are the only ones who can edit (see the Adobe Source Library (ASL) wiki for one example). Others are set up similarly to how the MSHelpWiki and WikiWackyWorld wikis have been set up: as community wikis around a common theme, where anyone can edit.

So I thought it was interesting to find out that WebWorks has set up a wiki for "helpful information" for the ePublisher platform at http://wiki.webworks.com. The site is still being worked on...the design has changed from last week a bit, and I like the latest layout better.

What's interesting is that no one seems to have the rights to any of the material that's posted. (As a comparison, many documentation wikis use the GNU Free Documentation License (GFDL) or Open Publication License.)

I was visiting the Boston Globe online this morning, and one of the front page articles was on wikis. Given that our book "Managing Virtual Teams: Getting the Most from Wikis, Blogs, and Other Collaborative Tools" is in the final stages of production, and that Brenda and I wrote an article about wikis for the January issue of Intercom, I had to read it.

Globe staff member Robert Weisman talks about how wikis are going more mainstream (quoting Dan Bricklin, maker of VisiCalc), along with some of the issues that exist. There's Wiki-Cake, where visitors help design a cake. Zillow.com, the property records website, has added a wiki so that homeowners can make comments on their properties.

I am a member of Wikipedia (although I don't seem to get there too often), and the MSHelpWiki. Brenda, Kit, and I created a wiki to support our book that will be going live by the end of the year. The STC office is using a wiki to track upcoming articles.

Do you wiki? Where? Leave a comment!

Tuesday, 14 November 2006, is World Usability Day. Visit the website to sign the charter and get information on events by region. Over 210 events in 39 countries are scheduled!

While you're at the site, visit Take a Red Balloon for a Walk! And click the link to the photos on Flickr...some are priceless. (Be sure to take your camera along so that you can snap some pix of things that are...or aren't!...usable. The one I love the best is the drive-up banking machine with braille.)

For those in the Boston area, the Museum of Science is the meeting place, from 9 am to 5 pm (Museum entrance required). Take the green line to Science Park and participate in activities sponsored by the Usability Professionals' Association (Boston Chapter), BostonCHI, and Boston IA, including the Great Sock Sort, Doors to Usability, Instruction Blocks, and Remote Control superUser.

Last Wednesday (8 November 2006), Scott Abel (The Content Wrangler) posted an interview with RJ Jacquez, Adobe Product Evangelist. (Hat tip: Sean Brierly)

It's a fairly long interview that covers RoboHelp and FrameMaker, and includes sprinklings of information about Adobe Connect (formerly Adobe Breeze), DITA, and Acrobat 3D. Jacquez talks about an upgrade to Frame, saying "Our current assumption is that the next major release of FrameMaker will be in the first half of 2007, although Adobe has made no formal announcements at this point."

I found the talk about WYSIWYG interesting, as my feeling is that editors are now WYSIOP, not WYSIWYG (especially when creating online content, and even more so when we're talking about XML).

Also interesting was Jacquez's answer to a question on Quadralay's WebWorks Publisher. When asked if WWP will continue to be included with Frame, he said, "WebWorks Publisher Standard Edition ships today in FrameMaker 7.2, and it will continue to do so throughout the life of that version." Anyone else reading between the lines? ;-)

Meanwhile, the RoboHelp beta is underway. It will be interesting to see the reactions to the improvements.

Curious about DITA? Wondering if it's right for your company and your workflow? Trying to decide if it's worth the hype?

Scriptorium Publishing has just released their white paper, Assessing DITA as a foundation for XML implementation. This white paper describes DITA (including the components), discusses the various aspects for making the business case, and provides an architectural overview. It ends by discussing DITA implementation as compared to a custom XML implementation.

One thing to note: this paper doesn't end with the message that you should immediately convert your content to DITA. What it does end with is questions that you should answer before making any decisions.

The paper also includes a list of resources, including a link to other Scriptorium papers (registration required, but free).

Post comments at Scriptorium's blog entry.

(Hat tip: Scriptorium Publishing Services)

Sarah O'Keefe, President of Scriptorium, has been asked by Adobe to help distribute a questionnaire that asks for ideas, feedback, and inputs from the technical communication industry.

If you have feature requests, comments, or complaints about FrameMaker or RoboHelp, now is your chance to be heard. Visit Scriptorium's blog for links to the Word and PDF versions of the survey.

Lisa Bronson, formerly of Techwr-l (and now our sales representative at HAT-Matrix.com) has started a new list for anything related to technical communication. Vist TechCommPros to sign up! You'll see some familiar faces, meet some new folks, but most importantly: get answers to those burning questions!

(If you are looking for information on what's been going on at Techwr-l, visit Bill Swallow's blog at http://techcommdood.blogspot.com/ and scroll through his latest posts. Also, it seems that Frameusers is having some kind of technical difficulty. No one seems to know when it will be back online.)

(Sorry for the multiple edits. I kept getting an error message about an invalid URL, and I had to figure out which one was causing the problem!)

Happy Halloween!

(Of course, he didn't look quite the same when he left for school...the bow tie disappeared, he lost the belt, adjusted his pants, and pulled out his shirt. But he kept the glasses...and the pocket protector ;-) )

Just a funny story...

I live in Lynn, Mass, about 10 miles north of Boston, in a 1905 Colonial about a mile from the ocean. It's a quiet, residential neighborhood of mostly older folks...not that many kids on the street, although there's a lot more on weekends when the grandkids come to vist their grandparents. (Jesse's made friends with many of them.)

In Lynn, I'm pretty much known as Jesse's mom, Jim's wife, and the woman who does websites. I've worked as the Executive Administrator for a non-profit (the Friends of Lynn Woods), and I've helped out at the Lynn Museum. Chamber of Commerce members know me because Jim takes care of the Chamber computers. We host several city websites.

Some people know what I do ("something with computers, right?"), fewer still know that I'm a tech writer (or even what a tech writer is). Some of my neighbors know that I'm an author. Just about everyone knows that I'm either home all day every day, or I'm travelling somewhere again. ("Where were you last week? London! Nice...")

Today, Jesse and I went to Lynn Woods to take part in Dungeon Rock Day put on by the Friends of Lynn Woods and the park ranger. When I helped the FLW board, I participated in Dungeon Rock Day for many years, which has been greatly enhanced...it originally started as a walk to Dungeon Rock and back (somewhere between 1 and 2 miles through the woods), but now includes skits by pirates. (You can read about Dungeon Rock, which explains why there are pirates. Unfortunately, the credit seems to have disappeared...the text is from an article written a hundred years ago, and accompanied the picture.) The kids love it. (Two years ago, I accompanied some of the tours, dressed as a pirate's wench.)

So we're walking along with the group, and Jesse's having fun with the different pirates. As we went to leave the last group, one of the pirates asks me how I'm doing...he and I used to work together on the old FLW website.

Another pirate then says, "Do you belong to STC?" I was, to say the least, shocked. I didn't even know there was another tech writer in Lynn, much less one who knew about STC ;-) It seems that he used to be a member and he recognized my name, but he's working for the government now and not doing much writing. But he's been thinking about getting back into it...and back into STC. We had a nice chat while Jesse went ahead with the group to the dungeon. (I caught up with our group before they went inside.)

Meanwhile...my worlds just collided ;-)

The day we've been wondering about has arrived (well, it actually arrived in London last Friday, and on HATT last Tuesday). Adobe RoboHelp is in beta!

For the last six months (maybe more), everyone wondered what was going on. Yes, Adobe announced that a new version would be out next year. Yes, Adobe spent a fortune on drinks and food at various conferences. Yes, Adobe released a FAQ that "addressed" some issues.

But a beta announcement just makes it much more real. And we have an announcement!

If you want to enroll in the Adobe RoboHelp Pre-release Program, send an email to robohelp-beta@adobe.com with the following information:

• Your full name
• Your company name
• Your company email address
• Your company's location

But do me a favor, OK? Check to see if any long-standing issues have been resolved, such as:

• Hyperlinks in Microsoft Word output now exist
• Kadov tags don't (exist, that is)
• Project management is described as project management, not content management
• No bugs in the Smart Word Import

(And let me know if you have any issues on your list.

Someone who's already started using the beta posted to the HATT list earlier today, saying that "as a long time RoboHelp user I am really happy and feel right at home." They like the improvements that have been made, and say that everything works better.

So sign up today, and let me know what you think!

Coming soon!

For the past several months, I've been co-authoring Managing Virtual Teams: Getting the Most from Wikis, Blogs, and Other Collaborative Tools with Brenda Huettner (the "Communication Vagabond") and Kit Brown. And it's almost ready to be published!

Managing Virtual Teams started as a book about wikis only, but was expanded to include blogs, RSS feeds, collaborative authoring applications, instant messaging applications, and more. The conceptual information is packed with tips for managers and team members, and part 2 covers a variety of applications that will make your lives easier.

The publisher is currently offering a 35% discount for pre-orders (and includes free shipping for those in the continental United States).

And within the next couple of weeks, we'll open our wiki to the public. (We're currently doing some minor clean-up to get ready.) We used the wiki while we wrote the book to share information...we wanted to use it when writing the chapters, but the publisher required Microsoft Word files. However, we did use it to track ideas, design the table of contents, and more. We'll let you know when the wiki is open!

Thanks to Dick Margulis at words / myth / ampers & virgule (http://ampersandvirgule.blogspot.com/)...

(I don't know why, but my blog software won't let me link to Dick's site.)

A friend just pinged me to ask about technical communication blogs, so I gave her some URLs. As we ended the conversation, she said, "Thanks! I've bookmarked them."

I was going to tell her about RSS feeds and aggregators, and then realized that she'd want to share the information with others...and that I knew several folks myself who could use the information. So rather than send one email, or record one (typed) conversation, I'm addressing it here.

Those of you who subscribe to my blog don't need this information...you're already keeping up in a virtual world ;-) But maybe you, too, know someone who might benefit.

Many blogs (and other sites) include RSS feed buttons (sometimes labelled "RSS", sometimes labelled "XML"). If you click the button, an XML file is displayed. Now, you could read the XML file...but while it's not all that difficult, it's also not something you want to do every day. You want to know when the XML file has changed.

For that, you use an RSS aggregator. The aggregator checks the sites that you are interested in, and lets you know if any of those sites have changed. (It's a lot easier to use the aggregator than to check numerous sites every so often to see if they've changed.)

Dozens of RSS aggregators exist, and most are free. You can use an RSS aggregator that integrates with a browser, or you can visit websites specifically designed to store your information, or you can install a local application. The choice is yours.

For example:

• Firefox includes "Live Bookmarks". If you visit a site that has RSS enabled, a small web feed icon is displayed to the far right of the address field. Click the icon to add the site to your live bookmarks.
• Bloglines is a website where you subscribe to blogs, email groups, and websites (after creating an account). You can blog, collect clippings from other blogs, and share your clippings. Everything is organized on a personal web page.
• The CITA RSS Aggregator is a Windows application that runs in the background. When any watched feeds are updated, a small window is displayed on the screen (you can choose to read the feed then, or tell it to snooze).

I use the CITA RSS Aggregator. I know, I know, it's installed locally, which means that I can't just use any computer to log in and see what's new. However, I never travel without my laptop...and even if it's not turned on, I rarely get the urge to go see which sites have been updated. It works for me, it's unobtrusive, and it lets me create categories for the different types of sites I watch (such as CSS, friends, Microsoft, News, and STC).

The other thing I live about the CITA RSS Aggregator is that I can monitor sites that require a login (such as the STC Forums). I can even post replies to the forum from the aggregator.

It's also easy to add a site feed to the aggregator. In the field above the right pane, type the URL of the site that you want to monitor. An orange bar is displayed across the top of the site if an RSS feed is available. Click the orange bar to add it, assign it to a category, and wait for those updates!

So if you haven't gotten on the RSS bandwagon yet, join us! Keep up with the latest news from the sites that you're interested in, and use the time that you previously spent surfing for other things.

I started reading Dick Francis' books years ago...I don't remember exactly which one I started with, but I know I own them all now :-) A former jockey (to the Queen Mother), Francis' books are always set around the world of horse racing.

On average, he wrote a book a year from 1962 to 2000 (see his Wikipedia entry for the list of books). But in 2000, his wife Mary died, and the books stopped. Mary Francis had been her husband's researcher and editor for years, and rumors were that there would be no new books.

Last week, as I wandered into a bookstore in Manchester, England, I saw a hardcover by Dick Francis called Under Orders. I was trying to remember if I had read it or not, thinking it might be a new re-release, when I noticed the tagline at the bottom of the cover: The Master is Back!

And back he is :-) I really enjoyed the story, which brings back Sid Halley (himself a former jockey that we've met three times before; this is unusual in itself because Francis rarely brings characters back).

Francis will turn 86 on 31 October 2006. I don't know how many more books there will be, but I was absolutely thrilled to run into my old friend last week.

In 2001, I developed the original Help Authoring Tool (HAT) Matrix, which compared popular tools such as AuthorIT, Doc-To-Help, ForeHelp, and RoboHELP. Over the next five years, more tools were added (and some were removed, for various reasons: companies went out of business, others were bought out and stopped development, etc.).

In early 2006, I released an upgraded and updated version of the matrix, expanding it from a nine-page PDF (with approximately one tool per page) to a more detailed comparison chart organized into categories and features. But after I released it, I received requests to add more tools (from both vendors and users). (Several people were unhappy that I refused to add RoboHelp back to the matrix. I know how unhappy they were, because I received lots of emails about it ;-). Just one last time: I don't think anyone looking for a new tool should consider RoboHelp right *now*. When (or if) Adobe releases a new version, I'll let you know what I think.)

However, the matrix was already pushing its limits, and the table couldn't get any wider without causing layout and printing problems. And then Matthew Ellison asked me to present the session Choosing a HAT at the European Online Help Conference.

Now I have given presentations on this subject before, and included information on the different features themselves. But this time, I reworked the presentation to include the process itself. And during discussions with my husband, Jim Freeman, we designed a new—and greatly improved—HAT Matrix.

Instead of a static chart, we would use a customized database for the tool information. By using a combination of PHP, JavaScript, and forms, visitors would be able to publish different reports that list the tools with the features that were most important to them. By using a database, more tools could be added. And all this information would be available, for free, to anyone who wanted to research the tools that best met their needs.

The result of that discussion is HAT-Matrix.com, which will be available on 1 October 2006 (it's currently in "stealth" mode ;-) ). The logo, the website, the database, and the reports are currently in varying stages of development. (The logo is closest to being finished, and will be visible on the new site shortly.)

Currently, three reports have been designed: any tools with specific features, all tools with specific features (which could be a blank report), and up to four tools side-by-side. Therefore, once you know which features are most important to you and your team/company, you could run the "all tools" report to see which tools include all those features. You could then run a report to see which tools have other features that you are interested in. And you could run a side-by-side report once you've narrowed your selection to four or fewer tools.

Both the "any tools" and "all tools" reports can be printed for future reference. They also include links to vendor and tool pages within HAT-Matrix.com. The side-by-side report includes links to the tool page on HAT-Matrix.com.

In addition, registered users will be able to post tool reviews and comments. And the site will include a list of links to articles about the different HATs (and probably to conceptual information, too). Consultants* and trainers* can add their information to the database so that visitors can find them at the same time they research the HATs. (However, resellers won't be listed anywhere...the vendors are responsible for that aspect.)

Updates will be announced in a blog, which will include RSS feeds for those who want to know about the most recent news. (This will be dependent on the information we receive.)

We've already contacted the vendors* on the current HAT Matrix, many of whom have said that they want their tools listed. We'll be contacting others in the future, and they are welcome to contact us, too. We'll announce which vendors are listed within the next couple of weeks, once the blog is ready.

With the new HAT Matrix, we hope you find the tool that best meets your needs.

*Disclaimer: fees required. Contact us for more information.

A week from tomorrow, I leave for Manchester, England, to speak at the Online Help Conference - Europe 2006, where I'm one of seven speakers. Matthew Ellison has put together an incredible program, with some really neat topics: structured authoring, Web technology update, latest RoboHelp news, a discussion on case studies for AuthorIT and Help & Manual, DITA, embedded Help, and collaborative authoring.

My topics are Trends in Microsoft Online Help (on Thursday morning) and Choosing a Help Authoring Tool (on Friday morning). (I included exercises in the HAT session...it will be interesting to see the results.)

I'm going to be making an announcement during Tuesday's session about a new project that JTF Associates is putting together, and then I'll announce it here. Stay tuned!

Edited because the days that I'm speaking were incorrect. Unless it's possible for me to speak on the morning before the day I arrive ;-)

Jesse has always been a "critter guy", and we've done nothing to discourage him. Of course, this has meant a variety of critters at the house at any given time, including a garter snake, a frog, spiders, snails, etc. (This is in addition to the two dogs, cat, Senegal parrot, cockatiel, two parakeets, and fish.)

Jim has never been a critter guy, unless it's birds (although he'd much prefer a cockatoo or maccaw instead of our smaller birds) or fish (thus the fish tank). He's ok with the dogs and cat, but he's not all that crazy about the bugs or reptiles. (I'm not all that crazy about the bugs, either, but I'm ok with the reptiles.)

But we had the chance to add to the menagerie when a friend of ours bred two of her corn snakes and then offered Jesse one when they were ready to leave (which was this week). He was so excited! We went over one night last week to look at them (and choose which one of the 16 he wanted), and Jesse fell for one of the brown and tan ones.

I fell for one of the pink and white ones ;-)

So last night, we went and picked up our new additions. We had nice clean tanks ready for them and even got a new wire bookcase to hold the tanks. (Given that the bulk of items in my living room consists of cages, I figured we may as well organize them instead of always having them on top of bookcases.)

But welcoming our two new little ones into the house isn't why anyone should mark the day on the calendar (including us). What makes it a red banner day?

Jim held both baby snakes.

We were told to bring them home and let them acclimate a bit, and to feed them either the same night (last night) or the following night (today). But really, two baby snakes? How could we not hold them, just for a little bit? (And Jesse's snake, now named "Scorpy", was very active and inquisitive. Mine was still a bit shy.)

So Jesse took Scorpy out and was holding him, when Jim's curiousity finally won the battle, and he asked to hold it. If you've never held a snake, you're not really ready for what they feel like, and Jim's first comment was that Scorpy felt like velvet. (I think they feel more like silk than velvet.)

And I got a picture :-)

Obviously, I couldn't be left out ;-), so I took my snake out for a bit, too. (I haven't come up with a name I like yet.) And Jim held her, too, and then took a picture of Jesse and I holding our new babies.

After holding them for a bit, we put them back in their tanks, and Jim fed them. (This works for me, because they eat pinkies, which are frozen thawed baby mice. I'd rather hold a snake than touch a pinkie!)

And after the snakes eat, they can't be picked up for two days, so we've watched them today. They like to hide under their water dishes and in the paper towel tubes we've put in the tanks, so every now and then we check on them by peeking in and under ;-)

So far, so good!

BTW, for those who are curious, corn snakes are constrictors. They can bite if scared, but we hope to minimize those incidents. Because they are reptiles, they don't bond with humans the way that dogs and cats do, but if they are held, they remain fairly calm. Our babies are about 12 inches long and weigh about 10 grams. Jesse's snake Scorpy, a male, will get to be about 5 feet long, while mine, a female should grow to about 4 feet. They like to hide, and even as adults, they can fold themselves inside a paper tube (like those for paper towels). If they get nervous, they shake their tails...in the wild, they would shake them against dry leaves to mimic a rattlesnake.

WritersUA has made a slight change in the venue for next year's conference, which will now be held at the Hyatt Regency Long Beach from 25-27 March 2007. The hotel has wireless Internet access, and is located near the Queen Mary and Disneyland.

Watch for the call for proposals! And start talking to your boss now about taking advantage of early registration.

Some of the HAT vendors have been busy...

• AuthorIT announces its new Website Manager, which lets you create and publish websites. The Website Manager builds on the AuthorIT concepts of separating content and presentation, and adds in pre-programmed items. Visit their site to request the evaluation edition.
• Quadralay has published an "end-of-life" announcement for WebWorks Publisher 2003. (Hat tip: Palimpsest). Update: They've also announced WebWorks ePublisher Express.
• MadCap has been quiet lately...it's probably all that work on Blaze ;-) But I ran into monkeypi tonight...he (he? she?) makes some interesting points on the future of RoboHelp.
• Adobe's forums have been quite active, too. (BTW, if you had problems activating RoboHelp recently, the activation servers are now up and running again.)
• Congratulations to ComponentOne! They've received the Reader's Choice Merit Award for Doc-To-Help recently, along with several other awards.

Ever since the WritersUA Conference earlier this year in Palm Springs, folks have been asking about RoboHelp. (I mostly get asked...or told ;-)...to add RoboHelp back to the HAT Matrix because, after all, Adobe says a new version is in development. But that's another story...)

Last night, John Daigle posted a link to Adobe's updated FAQ to the HATT list. (Thanks, John!) It covers RoboHelp, FrameMaker, and even mentions Quadralay.

They cover some interesting points:

• The next major release is expected in the first half of 2007. This has slipped slightly from the time frame that was announced at WritersUA, when they announced that the new version would be released in the first quarter of 2007. However, the latest version of Microsoft Office has also slipped, which could be a factor. (I'll feel better when a RoboHelp beta is announced.)

• You can submit new feature requests through the link on the FAQ page.

• They are monitoring logs and the user forums to track the most common bugs so that they can be fixed. (I wonder if the print output will now contain true cross-references?)

• They state that they continue "to sell and support RoboHelp", but later on, state that they will "evaluate the opportunity to reintroduce upgrade and maintenance plans". So, "support" means that you can use the Knowledge Base and forums, and pay for individual support calls. It *doesn't* mean that you can purchase an upgrade or maintenance plan.

  Another FAQ says that current users shouldn't consider migrating to another HAT.

  The combination of these three FAQs really bothers me. While many of the other paragraphs are nothing more than "marketing-speak" (and everyone knows how fond I am of "marketing-speak" ;-) ), these three answers actually hope that you'll continue to invest in X5, even though the status quo hasn't changed. That bothers me. (And I know it doesn't bother everyone. I'm just saying that it bothers me.)

• OK, seriously, it is possible to produce online Help with RoboHelp from FrameMaker source files. However, most experts pity those who have to use this process because it's a) not single sourcing and b) it's highly inefficient. (Does this mean that they might seriously consider bringing back RoboHelp for FrameMaker?)

By next year at this time, new versions of both RoboHelp Office and FrameMaker should be available. Cross your fingers :-)

This version of my blog hasn't been around that long, but within days of getting it set up and running, I started fighting the spammers. And until last last week, I was beginning to think that they were winning ;-)

Part of the problem is that I just didn't know enough when I installed the software. It seems that spammers are well acquainted with blogging applications, and have figured out how to get around most of the things that we as bloggers do to stop them.

I use b2evolution, which was easy to install thanks to cPanel (an administrative interface to my server). And I was even able to pull it into my updated design for helpstuff. But it was a week before I learned about the blacklist...and by then, I had been hit with search spam, referrer spam, and comment spam.

So I started a daily routine of updating the blacklist and deleting the various forms of spam. Meanwhile, my site stats were a mess...they told me that helpstuff had suddenly become one of the most popular sites on the Web ;-) Of course, every time a spammer hit the site, the stats were updated...and updated...and updated... The kicker was last week when I discovered a referral search term that I really didn't want showing up (and thankfully, it's fallen off the search pages now). (Basically, because I wasn't deleting comment spam quickly at the beginning, it was getting caught by the search bots.)

I finally implemented some sanity-saving features. I disable trackbacks and pingbacks. I blocked domains. I even modified .htaccess, but that kinda caused a few other problems ;-), so my last change was to restore the backup version and hack the source files so that registration is required for comments.

I doubt the spammers will stay away for long...they'll figure something out. (I now get to delete several registered users a day, but that's a whole lot easier than trying to remove hundreds of bogus comments...especially when the comments all say "Sorry about this".)

Obviously, it's harder to update the blog when spending that much time just deleting stuff I don't want you to deal with. (You must get enough of your own spam...you don't need to read more here!) And I've had a couple of things going on, plus I'm waiting for some different pieces of news so that I can make announcements.

I hope you're enjoying this time of year, wherever you are :-) The backyard office is now open...Jesse likes it because he can swim as long as he likes ;-), and I like it because...well, really, isn't this why we have laptops and wireless connections? (We even watched the final World Soccer game by the pool on Sunday, which meant that there was no discussion about who would go outside and keep an eye on the swimmers and who got to watch the game.)

Talk to you soon!

Lots of good stuff coming up within the next year!

• Online Help Conference - Europe 2006 will be held 7-8 September 2006 in Manchester, England. Registration is open now for this conference, produced by Matthew Ellison Consulting (in association with WritersUA). Five experts (including me :-) ) will present ten sessions (including the now-famous User Assistance Trends Panel - Hot Tips and Predictions). I'll be presenting Trends in Microsoft Online Help - Preparing for Vista and Choosing a Help Authoring Tool.
• Speaking of WritersUA, Joe Welinske today announced the dates for next year's WritersUA Conference, which will be held at the Hilton San Diego Resort on 25-28 February 2007. Registration opens 1 November 2007.
• STC Region 2 is running Making Cents of Making Sense: Technical Communications and Business from 13-14 October 2006 in London. The conference site needs to be updated with more information, which should be coming soon.
• The TCWorld Conference, organized by tekom and TCeurope, runs from 8-9 November 2006 in Weisbaden, Germany. tekom will host the first OASIS Open Standards Day in Germany at the same time.

Hope to see you!

However did I miss this?

SnagIt now lets you save images as PDF files. Take a screenshot. Print a report. Grab a Web page. And then click Save As and select PDF.

I always have the latest version of SnagIt (and Camtasia). And, if anyone had asked, I would have said that I know what the latest features are that TechSmith added, because of course I read the "what's new" pages.

But somehow I missed this, finding it by accident this weekend. My ever-diligent system administrator (also known as my husband Jim ;-) ) set me up with a new dual core machine last week, but I haven't installed Acrobat yet. So when I wanted to save a report this weekend, I figured I could at least grab a screenshot so I had a record of it.

So I was a bit surprised when SnagIt selected PDF as the file type. Pleasantly so :-)

Sweet :-)

Remembering Josef Becker (4 July 1950 - 29 March 2006)

The Microsoft Help MVPs have learned that Josef Becker died suddenly on 29 March 2006. Josef was well known in the Help authoring world for his collection of Help utilities, now found online at http://www.helpmaster.info. Many Help authors have referred to his site over the years, as Josef linked to many utilities that couldn't be found anywhere else.

Josef wrote his first technical documentation in 1982. Ten years later, he developed his first WinHelp system using pure Word. He was a Microsoft Help MVP from 1999 to 2005.

In later years, Josef was the Managing Director of Becker & Poettgen Software GmbH, a firm that specializes in developing computer-based training, Web-based training, and hypertext-based training. The firm continues under the direction of his daughter, Anne.

The Microsoft Help MVPs extend our deepest sympathies to his family.

Microsoft has released Knowledge Base article 917607: Windows Help program (WinHelp32.exe) is no longer included with Windows.

This KB article talks about the decision to remove WinHelp as a component from Vista, and that third-party programs that include .hlp files are prohibited from redistributing winhelp32.exe. (Not much new here...)

HOWEVER:

"Users who want to view .hlp files must download the program from the Microsoft Download Center, and then install it on their computers. The download for Windows Help is still in development and will not be available for the release of Windows Vista Beta 2."

This information updates earlier announcements (including mine).

So what does this mean?

Well, there's been a slight change in the plans announced in April, because now a WinHelp32 engine will be available for download. This helps those who have hundreds of archived WinHelp files (most in maintenance mode) supporting their apps, as those .hlp files can still be distributed.

However, if you have WinHelp files, you should continue to think about converting them to HTML Help. WinHelp will not be supported forever.

One week ago yesterday (at 1 am!), I got back from the STC Conference in Las Vegas. I'm not really a big fan of Vegas, but considering I never went outside while I was there, I guess it didn't much matter! I stayed at Paris, which was a nice hotel, but those cobblestones! I wore my Crocs most of the time...the one day I wore dress shoes, I really regretted it :-)

This was my first conference as a board member, and the hardest part for me was the dress code ;-) I'm so much more comfortable in jeans or even dress pants and Polo shirts, and I'm just not used to dressing up any more. (I'm sitting here now in a T-shirt and sleep pants...bliss :-) )

The board started the conference with a workshop, which was great. Rob Moran, Interim Executive Director, ran the workshop. He is amazing and just what STC needed during this transition. This workshop gave the new board a chance to learn a bit more about each other and what our personal goals are for the upcoming year. We then had an all-day board meeting the next day, and we had a chance to meet our new Executive Director, Susan Burton. This is a great time to belong to STC...the changes made over the next few years will make this a much better, much stronger organization.

On Leadership Day, incoming President Paula Berger showed the Interim Strategic Plan and new organization chart. Check them out when you get a chance...these pieces describe The New World of STC.

The organization has new strategic objectives, based on a core block of three:

• Communicating effectively
• Supporting STC with leading-edge technology
• Cultivating a risk-taking global culture

These core objectives support:

• Telling our powerful story
• Implementing a strategic business model
• Growing relationships and choosing partners
• Making money
• Growing and supporting our leaders
• Improving practice through research and education

Everything the STC does going forward must support these core objectives. To get the work done, the org chart has been completely redone. Eight committees (Governance, Marketing, Membership, Communities, Communication, Professional Development, Education, and Finance) have been created, and each committee has been assigned one director and one staff person. Sub-committees will focus on specific areas within each committee.

So what can you do? Volunteer! Look at the org chart, and see if there's a sub-committee that interests you. Use your skills to help us meet the goals of the Interim Strategic Plan. Contact the appropriate director and help us strengthen The New World of STC.

I look forward to working with you :-)

The Annual Business Meeting is being held Monday night at 5:30 pm (I'm not sure where right now). The good news is that it's not being held at the same time sessions are going on.

The bad news, of course, is that there are other competing events (such as the TechWhirl Dinner).

This year, I'm required to be at the meeting. However, I would have attended even if I hadn't won the election. I think that it's important to attend this meeting as an STC member, and hopefully you will think the same.

See you in Las Vegas!

[Note: I've given several presentations since the beginning of March, and I promised those who attended that I would create a list of links so that they wouldn't have to retype them from the handouts. I started creating a blog entry for this on Thursday night, and when I went to preview it, I got a message that something was wrong with a URL...probably one from Microsoft. So I figured I'd save the entry, and come back later to edit it. What I didn't realize was that b2evolution doesn't save posts with bad URLs...so I'm going to try this again.]

Microsoft links

Microsoft has been a frequent topic of discussion ;-)

• Search HATT and techwr-l for discussions on the fate of WinHelp.
• "The Windows Vista Developer Story: Application Compatibility, Migration, and Interoperability" has been used as a reference as to Microsoft's intentions (scroll down to Deprecated Components). However, at this time, this paragraph is incorrect. I'll post a note when it has been updated.
• See Microsoft Assistance Markup Language (AML) in action! Visit Microsoft Windows TechNet Server TechCenter (Beta), which is Microsoft AML transformed to HTML. (The beta Microsoft Windows Vista Help and Support site also uses Microsoft AML, but it is not currently available.)
• When (if?) the Microsoft AML schema is made available, you can see it at the Microsoft Help Technologies Start Page.
• The Microsoft Help MVPs are trying to keep the MSHelpWiki updated.

CSS and HTML

(Support W3C standards!)

• Why tables for layout is stupid: problems defined, solutions offered
• CSS Layout
• From Table Hacks to CSS Layout: A Web Designer’s Journey
• CSS Zen Garden
• CSS Design (Wiki and listserv)
• W3 Schools
• Max Design (Listamatic, Floatutorial, Selectutorial, and more)
• Position Is Everything
• Fix Your Site with the Right DOCTYPE

Validating your files

If the display is off (usually in Firefox or other compliant browser), or if something just isn't working the way you think it should, validate.

• W3C’s validator
• HTML Tidy
• CSE HTML Validator Lite
• W3Schools Online Validator
• XML-capable browser list

Whew! I think that's all of them...let me know if there are any that I missed.

I received a sales email from MadCap Software the other day...usual stuff, mostly (last chance pricing, new products, training, and V2 announcement). All in all, a pretty decent email...until I got to the paragraph on version 2.

It starts with "MadCap Flare is already the best Help authoring tool on the market...". (Isn't this how RoboHelp became the "industry standard"??? ;-) ) I'm not knocking Flare or the team that put it together...I think they did an amazing job in a short timeframe, and I think Flare will be the right tool for many people. But I'm having problems considering Flare to be the "best Help authoring tool on the market" when it's still at version 1, it's only been out for about six weeks, and when it is the *wrong* tool for some folks.

For years, I've been saying that folks should figure out what they need their HAT to do, and then find the one that matches. I get really frustrated when I hear someone say that they're going to get the HAT that says it's the industry standard, because that has nothing to do with their workflow. As Help authors and technical communicators, we have so many things going on now, the last thing we need to do is take time figuring out how to force our process to work with a tool. We need tools that fit the way we work, but it's up to us to figure out which tool that is. (Or, in some cases, which tools those are.)

This is part of the reason why I originally put together the HAT matrix, and a big part of the reason why I updated it. If you've been working with a HAT for awhile, and keep saying "I really wish it would do x", then look at the matrix and see if another HAT is a better fit.

The pie is big enough for all. No one needs exaggerated marketing.

Yesterday, the STC released preliminary results for the elections, and I was elected Secretary.

Thanks to all who voted for me :-) I appreciate your support, and I'm looking forward to working with the board.

This year's conference has definitely raised more questions than answers.

• WinHelp. The Help MVPs decided that I would be the one to post to the public groups (HATT, Techwr-l, etc.), and I've answered lots of posts since I made the WinHelp announcement. To clarify a few things:
  • Yes, what I provided was the latest official announcement. It currently supersedes all other announcements (although once Microsoft updates some stuff on their site, that won't necessarily be true...on the other hand, they'll be updating the information to what I provided.
  • No, you don't need to convert your WinHelp files today. Or tomorrow. Or even next week. But you definitely need to plan on it.
  • Yes, the WinHelp engine should run on Vista. But this doesn't mean anyone should do it. Microsoft has some very good reasons for making this decision, and it was not made lightly. (No, I can't publicly state what these decisions are. But I can tell you that I agree with them, and I know a lot of what went into making this decision.)
• Adobe and RoboHelp. One post that I read said "too little, too late". It would have been great if this announcement had been made last year. (Heck, it would have been great if they had showed up last year.) What concerns me is that the announced release date is mid 2007. I don't know how many folks will still care by then...it's a long time away. Anyone who has any kind of issue will have moved by then...no one can wait 15 months (on top of the 3+ years we've already waited) for a possible solution. (At this point, we don't even know what that solution is.)
• MadCap. Last year, MadCap showed up (pretty much before they had much more than some T-shirts and a banner ;-) ). This year, Flare has been released, and two other tools were announced: Mimic (for animations) and Capture (for screenshots). Both apps are tightly integrated with Flare. (They also gave away new T-shirts, including the "die kadov" shirt. See the MadCap store!)
• Scriptorium. Structured Frame users now have an easy solution to providing online Help outputs with Scriptorium's latest tool, DocFrame. I might not use Frame, but I know a tool designed for its users when I see it!

I have to run...I'll gather more information today :-)

Well, yesterday certainly was an interesting day!

The day started with the Pundit's Panel. Like last year, the panel included four gurus (Sarah O'Keefe, Dave Gash, Mike Hughes, and Saul Carliner), and was moderated by Joe Welinske. While Joe ended last year with the news that RoboHelp would probably go away (thus leading to all sorts of posts), he started this year's by saying that it looks like RoboHelp would be around for awhile.

Officially, Adobe announced at the evening's mixer that RoboHelp development would continue. Right now, the "when" is a bit iffy, but obviously, I will post as soon as I hear anything substantive.

There was also a forum in the afternoon, taking the place of the usual "here's what's going on with Vista Help" session. The forum included seven panelists, including Kip Knox and Paul O'Rear from Microsoft, Help MVP Paul Neshamkin and myself, and three other Help experts (Rob Houser, Tony Self, and David Locke). Part of the discussion centered around the fact that WinHelp is being deprecated for Vista.

In a meeting last night, the Help MVPs were told that the WinHelp engine would not be included in Vista, and it also won't be available for download or distribution. The one thing I want to emphasize is that this decision was not made lightly, and everyone in the meeting knew both what the reaction would be and what the effects are.

If you are currently developing WinHelp, you need to think about switching to another output. WinHelp hasn't been touched in years, other than for security updates. However, at some point, even the security updates will not happen.

I'm not sure what announcements will be made today, but I'll keep you informed!

No major announcements just yet...but yesterday was more of an "arrival and get set up" day. I got a few pictures at the informal mixer, but not that many...Chuck was, as always, taking thousands of shots, so I'm sure you'll see some on his blog later today.

Today's sessions include the Pundit's Panel, which starts the conference. Last year's panel (of which I was a member) created all kinds of buzz with Joe's prediction that RoboHelp was being sunset. I'm curious to hear what this year's predictions are.

There's been one major change to the schedule...Microsoft's session on Vista Help has been cancelled and has been replaced by a panel on the future of Help. (And I'm a member of that panel...I'm stressing the importance of Web standards. Like usual ;-) )

And tonight we have the Networking Mixer (sponsored by Adobe...we're still waiting to hear any announcements there. Although the booth is labeled with signs for Macromedia RoboHelp, which is really kinda funny ;-) )

Stay tuned...

Tomorrow, Help authors from around the world will gather in Palm Springs (California) for the annual WritersUA Conference. It's going to be an interesting week...Adobe is expected to make some kind of announcement (personally, I don't think anyone cares what they say as long as they say something), lots of information will be going around, and who knows what rumors and facts will be announced.

If you aren't attending this year, keep an eye on this blog (and Chuck Martin's) for the latest news.

And if you will be there, find me and say "hi"!

As I was so gently reminded today ;-), my blog is a bit out of date. (The general consensus is, if I'm not blogging, I'm busy!)

And I've been accumulating things that I need to post. But until I get home to my many lists, I'd like to start by saying "thank you" to the Pittsburgh and Northeast Ohio chapters of the STC.

I was invited to speak at an all-day event (which just happened to be today), and I had a great time :-) We started the day with Trends in Help Authoring Tools (including a wee trip down memory lane ;-) ), moved to an introduction of Vista Help, and finished with a workshop on preparing a Needs' Analysis (to select a HAT). Three vendors were present: ComponentOne (Doc-To-Help), MadCap Software (Flare), and Quadralay (WebWorks ePublisher). These vendors and others (including Adobe, AuthorIT, TechSmith, and RAD Com) sponsored the day's events, including breakfast, lunch, and door prizes.

The weather was just overcast enough that no one wished to be outside ;-), and the food was great. And, from the comments I heard, my presentations were very well received.

Thanks again :-)

Well, it's finished. Well...at least this draft is ;-)

It took me a lot longer than I had planned to get this finished. Part of it was because I completely revamped the design, hopefully making it much more usable. (It certainly made it much longer!) The other part is financial...jobs for clients always take priority over volunteer activities.

So thank you for your patience :-)

Some background: several months ago, I was looking for a specific type of software, and I came across a site that compared different applications by feature. I adopted this method for the matrix because I think it provides a lot more information, making it easier for you to determine which tool fits your needs. (I cringe every time I see someone write, "I chose This Wonderful Tool because [insert reason here]", and the reason has nothing to do with how they want to work.)

I do want to explain a few things:

• The new chart is 27 pages long, landscape, letter size. (I haven't tested it, but if it doesn't print well on A4, let me know and I'll adjust the margins.)
• The matrix includes 10 tools. I know that others are available, but these are the ones I see the most questions about. The matrix is not designed to fully cover every possible HAT.
• Several tools are included that technically aren't HATs, given that they publish existing documents (for example, WebWorks Publisher). However, they produce outputs that online Help authors use, and so I've included them.
• The matrix is now divided into sections. Everyone has different needs, and hopefully this new style addresses most of them.
• Every section lists the applicable features. In some cases, no features apply to a specific tool, which means that that row is blank. Typically, I included that feature just because I was sure that someone might ask about it ;-)
• I'm working on descriptions for some of the terms, typically the ones that I think might be confusing. Of course, it could be awhile before I get them finished and linked ;-)

One final note: because of the number of features that are now included, and because I only know some of these tools at the "expert" level, I did something I've never done before...I asked the vendors for input. I created individual copies of the matrix and deleted all information except the specific company's, and then sent the matrix to the eight vendors. (Two of the tools on the list are Microsoft's HCW and HHW.) They made their corrections, which I incorporated. (I'll announce here when I'm notified of mistakes, and I'll correct and upload the matrix.)

Oh! One other note: I did not include RoboHelp in this matrix. I know that nothing has been officially announced. I know that there's an equal chance of Adobe doing nothing as them restarting development. But I'm not comfortable promoting a HAT that hasn't been updated in several years; that has no maintenance plans available; that has no development team that we know of. Should Adobe announce a new version, I will add it back to the matrix at that time.

MadCap Software made their self-imposed deadline last night with the release of the Flare Sneak Peek. This release is not the final release, but more like a fourth beta that everyone can participate in. Technically, this is not the finished version, and MadCap plans on fixing more bugs before releasing the final version by the end of February.

As a result, MadCap does not guarantee that projects created with the Sneak Peek version will be 100% compatible with the final version.

Use this time to evaluate Flare's workflow and functionality. Remember that this is a version 1 release, and more changes are planned for the future.

If you pre-order Flare before 28 February 2006, you can save $350 off the retail price, and they will send you a licensing key that disables the random character generator in the Sneak Peek output.

I love SnagIt and have used it exclusively for screenshots since 2003. I've got all sorts of profiles defined that make my life much easier (all assigned to keystrokes, of course). The included editor lets me crop areas, add text, resize graphics (when I didn't resize them on capture), and more.

So I'm thrilled to see the new features that TechSmith has included with version 8. They've changed the design of the Profiles screen, making it even easier to grab screenshots and to see the details for each profile. They've also enhanced the editor (which I use a lot).

And they've added some new features that will help me when supporting clients. SnagIt now lets you capture a Web page as a graphic, but the links aren't static; they are embedded, as long as you save the graphic in a format that supports embedded links, such as PDF (a new SnagIt output format) or Flash. There's also a feature that lets you create interactive graphics (like imagemaps).

If you're looking for a screen capture tool, check out SnagIt. And if you already use it, plan on upgrading...you'll be glad you did.

You hear a lot these days about the "sandwich generation"...folks "in their 50s or 60s, sandwiched between aging parents, adult children and grandchildren. OR Those in their 30s and 40s, with young children, aging parents and grandparents." (term coined by Carol Abaya)

Technically, I should be a member of the Sandwich Generation, although they really don't have a definition that fits me. I'll soon be in my 50s, I have a young child, and I guess my mother is considered "aging" at 74 (although she'd probably be offended by it ;-) ).

What I really am is a generation straddler. I don't really fit in with any generation...on the other hand, I fit in with several. I have a lot in common with Jesse's friends' parents...school, soccer, kid's movies, etc. But I also have a lot in common with their grandparents...we lived through the same events.

Meanwhile, I went to a Pampered Chef party last night at a friend's house. One of the women commented that her mother needs to be more careful. It seems that her mom broke a finger while sledding with her granddaughter. Her mom is 51.

At the same party, someone asked me how Jesse was doing with swimming. We're proud of him...he's qualified for 10 events at Regionals in three weeks. And his team has been invited by Harvard University to watch the Harvard-Yale-Princeton (HYP) meet next weekend. Another woman, whose son swims for Yale, asked which college he swims for. (Uh...none. He's in third grade ;-).)

So I enjoyed reading Adair Lara's article on MSN today. She's three years older than I am, and she's been trying to figure out what she wanted her grandaughters to call her, because she's too young to be called "grandma". And she doesn't look anything like Fisher-Price's picture of a grandma...although I might by the time Jesse has kids ;-)

One of the many discussions on HATT this week revolved around Web standards. It's long been known that RoboHelp HTML (from eHelp > Macromedia > Adobe) is non-standard and non-compliant. Someone asked if this really caused a problem on end-user systems.

The answer is, of course, "it depends": It depends on the browser you're using. It depends on how you access the output (dial-up or high-speed; browser or mobile device or Internet-enabled refrigerator). It depends on the phase of the moon ;-)

My answer onlist was that non-standard output can be an inconvenience, one that you don't necessarily know about ahead of time. You could visit a page from one system today and it works fine. You could visit it from another system tomorrow and it doesn't. Or a browser could implement a change, and the non-standard site stops working.

Then someone pointed group members to Google's Web Authoring Statistics. I've read some of the earlier studies that they quote, and I was fascinated by those results. But Google's results really point out the wide variations used in Web sites today. They analyzed just over a billion documents for elements, classes, headers, metadata, and more.

(I disagree with one piece of information, however. The Google team states that "Most people (roughly 98%) include head, html, title and body elements. This is somewhat ironic, since three of the four elements are optional in HTML." Later, they state that title is the only required element. Given that title belongs inside the head tags, that implies that the head tag is also required. I learned long ago that all HTML pages required the html tag, and that the only time the body tag wasn't required was for frameset pages. Maybe they got the information backward, and the statement is supposed to be that only one of the four elements is optional? This doesn't work with their conclusion, though. More research is needed ;-). )

I've confirmed several speaking engagements in the last week...mark your calendars!

• STC Pittsburgh and NEO (joint), Saturday, 1 April 2006. Boardman, OH. This is an all-day event, and I'll be giving three presentations (Trends in Online Help, Introducing Windows Vista Help, and the Online Help Workshop). I'll post the link to the event as soon as I get it.
• WritersUA, 10-12 April 2006. Palm Springs. I'll be presenting two sessions during the conference: Migrating to XML/XHTML and Creating HTML Layouts without Tables.
• STC San Diego, Thursday, 13 April 2006. San Diego. I'll be speaking at the monthly chapter meeting about Vista Help.
• STC Annual Conference, 7-10 May 2006. Las Vegas. I'll also be presenting two sessions during this conference: Introducing Windows Vista Help and Creating Customized Outputs with AuthorIT.

Hope to see you at one of these events!

One of my clients has a WinHelp project that needs to be ported from RoboHelp for Word to another tool. So I've spent the last week testing the import procedures for various HATs.

Now, this is, overall, a pretty plain project. It has a lot of topics (4,021) and index entries (5,000+), not that many hyperlinks (just under 500), and no graphics. I've reformatted the Word documents, so I know that they're clean.

Import times have taken anywhere from 40 minutes to over three hours. Different issues I've run into:

• The content didn't import. (The topic headings were there, but the topics themselves were blank.)
• The formatting wasn't maintained. It was either ignored completely, or occasionally.
• Hidden text (used for comments in the original Word document) was either omitted or brought in as not hidden. (I can't decide which is worse.)
• The CNT structure was ignored. The original CNT only included 400 topics, but in several cases, they were imported as a flat list.
• The map numbers were ignored. (My idea of fun: re-entering 4000+ map numbers...NOT! ;-) )

What was also interesting was the time it took to compile the project. One HAT took anywhere from 45 minutes to 1 hour, 20 minutes to compile a WinHelp project. Another took 40 minutes. The original project took less than a minute, but this just points out the differences between RoboHelp for Word and the other HATs: RoboHelp always saved the raw RTF file so that it was immediately available for compilation. The other HATs have to generate the RTFs, which is where the time comes in.

I have more work to do on this...like talk to the different vendors and discover if it's my installation that is causing these problems or if these are legitimate problems that can be fixed. I'll let you know what I find out.

(And, no, I haven't forgotten about the HAT matrix. It's almost finished...but still not quite ready for publication.)