1. Free Alternatives to Expensive Technical Writing Software
(Technical Communication/Technical Communication Lessons)

... documentation. HelpMaker is the only open-source alternative to commercial online help sofware that I've found. Most importantly through learning HelpMaker, technical writers will learn many of the fundamentals ...

2. Using Comic Books for Technical Instruction
(Technical Communication/Technical Communication Lessons)

... and fun, especially when you approach it as Google did when they created the documentation for their new web browser, Chrome. Google has always been a bit quirky. From their logo to the names of their ...

3. What is a Technical Writing Portfolio?
(Technical Communication/Technical Communication Lessons)

... etc. For technical writers, they are expected to show examples of things they've written or helped to write: award-winning grant proposals, end-user documentation, websites, etc. Examples of things you've ...

4. How to Gain Experience in Technical Writing
(Technical Communication/Technical Communication Lessons)

... projects are usually chock full of programmers, but thin on the writing staff. Chances are they'd welcome someone to take over their documentation tasks, from user manuals and install guides to API docs ...

5. 5 Important Books in Technical Writing
(Technical Communication/Technical Communication Lessons)

... Funnel is an edited collection that demonstrates this principle put to use in many different communication environments, not just software documentation (which was his first focus). He also updates his ...

6. Quickly Getting into Technical Writing
(Technical Communication/Technical Communication Lessons)

... specific topics in your area of interest. There's a world of difference between grant writing and software development. Look at technical documentation as models of what you intend to write. This sounds ...

7. Technical Communications and Programming: The Economic Reasons for Commenting
(Technical Communication/Technical Communication Lessons)

... At least half of a maintenance programmer’s time is spent on this activity according to some studies (4; 5). A software system’s documentation can do much to moderate the cost of that system’s maintenance. ...

8. Technical Communication and Programming: Internal and External Documentation
(Technical Communication/Technical Communication Lessons)

There are some fundamental differences between a program's internal and external documentation. Internal documentation--that is, comments--should give a close explanation of specific things within the ...

9. Universal Usability and Culture
(Usability/Usability Tips, Lessons and Articles)

... that can be transferred to another culture. Instead, documentation must be truly localized to fit the culture they are being transfered to. Then, they should be tested for usability within that culture.  ...

10. The Use of Programming Source-Code Comments
(Technical Communication/Technical Communication Lessons)

Attached to this is a rather long article drawn from my dissertation research on the use of source-code comments in programming. Why is it published here rather than elsewhere? Well, the simple answer ...

11. Minimum Functionality for Increased Usability
(Usability/Usability Tips, Lessons and Articles)

... usability of our own documents. In a manner, we do this already when we create single-sourced documents. A user or reader can essentially create a documentation set tailor made to his or her own liking ...

12. Resume Guide Part 1
(Resume Writing/Resume Writing Lessons)

... we need to know for the new job. Notice how this is done. We essentially use the same language as the language they use. In the first bullet we make sure to use the words, documentation and counseling. ...

13. Technical Communication and Programming: Using Writing Rules
(Technical Communication/Technical Communication Lessons)

This article is about better commenting practices for the purpose of—perhaps—helping some to better their programming practices. But before beginning, let me qualify the entire thing by saying that I am ...