atw: Re: New Software for Documentation Department

For the range of products you are looking at producing, Adobe Creative 
Suite 2 could be a way to go. However it would depend on how much 
information you are going to be managing. If you are running a large 
department, high quality, constantly changing and evolving information or 
products, then don't consider the Adobe suite, and look closely at 
AuthorIT.  Also, are you going to be designing documents or is your role 
content management? If you are managing only, go with AuthorIT products.

If you are with a smaller company, and you can manually control the flow 
of information, and go with Adobe, you would convert Word source material 
generated with SME input, using Indesign for your manuals, brochures, 
training materials.
Brochures and so on are usually glitzy and meant to be graphical, and 
adobe is the industry standard for that. Training materials tend to be a 
bit glamorous these days to.

Go-Live is a useful html editor (with a familiar Dreamweaver/Frontpage 
style GUI) that could be used to create on-line based information, 
although how good you are with html and javascripting I don't know. 
AuthorIT would be the better product for online help based projects. How 
it is with creating sales and marketing brochures is the question I can't 
answer.

The one thing that you don't have in the suite is a content management 
system.
It is also a very VERY big learning curve... And requires a very powerful 
computer, with well in excess of 1Mb of RAM.

Warren Lewington
Technical Writer
Metso Minerals
Arndell Park, Sydney.
NSW, Australia.

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