Caz: You wrote: > Small problem with that little rant Peter: organisations stand and fall - off > line - by > program changes. Fact. We've all seen large organisations bought to their > knees for > hours or days because of undocumented configuration changes. > > Unless I've misunderstood, this isn't at all the same as routine history / > version > records of routine documents that civilians use. > My point is that if that stuff goes into a version control system with code changes etc (or Bugzilla etc etc) it can still be referenced without having to clutter up a document which might otherwise be read. I've seen that done, done it, and it works quite nicely. Or a simple database can be used to maintain records separately to avoid all the white noise at the front or back of a document. > On Tue, Jun 30, 2009 at 12:28 PM, Peter Martin <peterm_5@xxxxxxxxxxxxxx> > wrote: > >> Bob Trussler: > You wrote: >> I am at a site were we are developing document standards, with accompanying >> templates. The work we do is designing, building and maintaining large >> computer >> systems. The programmers (developers) are used to noting every program >> change in a >> table at the start of the program. >> >> 23Jun09 Bob T Added link to new server 03 >> >> There is a debate starting about the correct, or the best, or the usual, or >> I'm-used- >> to- this-format place to put that page with the version management and >> approval >> details in a document. The page that has both >> V1.3 23Jun09 Bob T Added new server details and Approved for >> publication by >> BBBBB on 24Jun09. >> >> There are two aspects being discussed. >> >> ONE >> Where do we put the page with the version history? 1 the full history on >> the front >> page 2 current version details only on the front page 3 following the >> title page 4 >> following the table contents 5 on the last page of the document. During >> the course >> of a project, or during the life of the subject matter, the history of who >> did what >> when can get quite long and spread over several pages. I suggested a >> combination of 2 >> and 5. TWO >> Approval or sign off notes. These can be in two formats here. 1 one >> approval note >> for the current version. This by implication covers all previous versions. >> 2 an >> approval note for each and every version, change, or update. This note to >> be added >> as the last column on the version details table. >> >> >> Does anyone have any idea what the current, trendy, latest way to do this and >> preferably WITH SUPPORTING ARGUMENTS. >> I have looked around and found every possible variation. >> >> Feel free to contact me off-line with examples at bob-trussler@xxxxxxxxxxx >> > Well this might stir up a storm, but my personal view of this stuff is that > most of it > simply shouldn't be there. > As far as most users are concerned, it's junk, and if there's a need to > retain a record > of document changes (which I can understand -- with some qualifications), > these should > be kept for lookup in a separate version control system of some kind. > > >> Sure, a note that the document is approved (when/ by whom), if you must (and >> even >> there, I'd prefer an online system of storage which carries the implication >> that the >> document wouldn't be there if it wasn't approved) >> >> Yes, a version number and release date. With these details the perfectionist >> has a >> key to the records of changes and updates, held somewhere else out of the >> bloody way. >> What else is at all useful ? Pages and pages of detailed change notes ? >> YUK! >> Get a life ! >> > >> Who the hell then really ever reads the change details at the start of a >> document (or >> anywhere else) -- or who is there that wants this stuff that can't find it >> in a doc >> change audit trail ? >> > The emperor has no clothes. He's nude. > > -PeterM > peterm_5@xxxxxxxxxxxxxx > Scitum est inter caecos luscum regnare posse. (It is well known, that among > the blind > the one-eyed man is king.) - > Gerard Didier Erasmus > ************************************************** To view the austechwriter > archives, > go to www.freelists.org/archives/austechwriter > > To unsubscribe, send a message to austechwriter-request@xxxxxxxxxxxxx with > "unsubscribe" in the Subject field (without quotes). > > To manage your subscription (e.g., set and unset DIGEST and VACATION modes) > go to > www.freelists.org/list/austechwriter > > To contact the list administrator, send a message to > austechwriter-admins@xxxxxxxxxxxxx > ************************************************** -PeterM peterm_5@xxxxxxxxxxxxxx If there are no stupid questions, then what sort of questions do stupid people ask? - Dogbert ************************************************** To view the austechwriter archives, go to www.freelists.org/archives/austechwriter To unsubscribe, send a message to austechwriter-request@xxxxxxxxxxxxx with "unsubscribe" in the Subject field (without quotes). To manage your subscription (e.g., set and unset DIGEST and VACATION modes) go to www.freelists.org/list/austechwriter To contact the list administrator, send a message to austechwriter-admins@xxxxxxxxxxxxx **************************************************