Software Engineers as Technical Writers
Just because software engineers may have
a list of deficiencies that make them less than ideal for writing API
reference material, this should not be used to dictate where the information
resides. They are the subject matter experts. Maintaining information
in the source files puts it in their face in the hopes that
they do update the information as soon as it changes. The process and
the working relationship with the technical writer will determine the
final quality regardless of where the information physically resides.
Auto-documentation tools require a level
of trust that the software engineers are keeping their code comments
up to date. If they cant keep their own code comments up to date,
what makes us think that theyll remember to tell a technical writer?
Open-Source tools compliments of Voyant Technologies, Inc. and Glenn C. Maxey.
01/13/2003
TP Tools v2-00-0a
# tpt-hug-02