[comp.text.desktop] SURVEY - Are there any Technical Writing Magazines?

gerry@dialogic.UUCP (Gerry Lachac) (11/10/89)

We here in the Technical Publications department are looking for some
good tech writing/desktop publishing magazines.  We are looking for
mags a bit more technical than Publish!  i.e. something more related to
writing computer manuals (which is what we do :-).

Could anyone please email me the names of any good magazines that you
may read or have heard of? 

Thanks... 

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jwi@cbnewsj.ATT.COM (Jim Winer @ AT&T, Middletown, NJ) (11/16/89)

> Gerry Lachac writes:
> 
> We here in the Technical Publications department are looking for some
> good tech writing/desktop publishing magazines.  We are looking for
> mags a bit more technical than Publish!  i.e. something more related to
> writing computer manuals (which is what we do :-).

There is virtually nothing available.

	PC Publisher is amateurish
	Personal Publisher is worse
	Publish! thinks it's Spy Magazine and gives bad advice
		with terrible graphics in the name of Trendiness
	
You may be interested in the publications of the Society of Technical
Communicators -- the professional society for technical writers. The
problem I have found is that their features are very well written with
almost no content -- except for the articles about how writers should
be professionals, those are filled with hypocracy (sp?).

The best available publication is Step-By-Step Electronic Design. It
provides several articles each month on how to create various graphics
and/or publication designs with the steps and screens for the programs
used. They include all major PC and Mac page layout programs and 
illustration programs. The problem is that they are more oriented
towards magazine type and advertising subjects than technical
writing. While I would highly recommned this publication, it is
somewhat off the subject.

As I said, there is virtually nothing available.

If you want to seem some copies, want more information, or want a
copy of a survey of computer systems for technical writing and 
references to books on the subject, give me a call. Please note
that I cannot usually return email (it bounces).

Jim Winer -- The opinions expressed here are not necessarily
	     and do not represent nor in any way imply
	     of any other sane person and especially not
	     employer.
"My reply is that such pre-theoretical conceptual essences are often
riddled with deep ambiguity and internal incoherence, despite strong
convictions people have that they know what they mean." -- Aaron Sloman
201-957-6068 (w) 201-899-0804 (h)