scott meyers, ph.d. software development consultant [email protected] voice: 503/638-6028 fax:...

Scott Meyers, Software Development Consultanthttp://www.aristeia.com/

Copyrighted material, all rights reserved.Last Revised: 1/27/09

Scott Meyers, Ph.D.Software Development Consultant

[email protected]

Voice: 503/638-6028http://www.aristeia.com/

Fax: 503/638-6614

Authoring Challenges in a Multiplatform World


Copyrighted material, all rights reserved.

Slide 2

What do I Know?

1992 1996 1998

Monochrome books: Wrote, created diagrams, indexed, typeset, wrote bcc.

1996

Adaptation for HTML on CD: Designed, supervised, wrote new content.

2001 2005

Two-color books: Wrote, created diagrams, indexed, typeset, wrote bcc.

200820082008

Adaptation for PDF: Designed,

supervised.19951996

Monochrome books: Co-wrote.

2010?

Multi-platform book: Writing,

designing, agonizing.

Monochrome and multi-color

articles for print and web: Wrote,

created diagrams. 1983-

2002-

Monochrome books: Series

editor.



Slide 3

The Vision and Why Authors Matter

Printed book

Computer screen

Portable electronic book reader

Multipurpose portable device

Audio device

Manuscript from author

What's in here…

…affects how easy andeffective these transitions are



Slide 4

The GoalPlatform-agnosticmanuscript fromauthor.

Facilitates:

Exploitation of platforms' strengths and capabilities.

Accommodation of their weaknesses.



Slide 5

Some Platform VariationsColor? Display

SizeDiagram

s, Graphs, Tables?

Page-Based?

Dynamic?

Personal-izable?

Rarely Medium Yes Yes NoMaybe with POD

Typically Big Yes Maybe Yes In

concept

Maybe Medium Maybe Maybe Yes In concept

Typically Small Yes, but

small Maybe Yes In concept

Maybe Typically small Maybe No No In

concept



Slide 6

What Works Poorly

Authors design/write books that are:

Static

Monochrome

Page-based

Visible

Other formats suffer.

Conventional manuscript from author



Slide 7

What may go in a Platform-Agnostic Manuscript?

Anything that “works” in printed form.

The usual suspects:

Text, diagrams, tables, photographs, etc.

In addition:

Color

Video/AnimationsExpository animations: OK.Talking Heads: typically OK.Other: often not.

Audio“Speaking Voices”: typically OK.Songs: often OK.Music: typically not.



Slide 8

Challenge: Adopting New ToolsNew expository tools:

Color, video/animations, audio

Authors need to learn:

What works where? Why?

What doesn’t? Why not?

As true for novelists as for technical writers.



Slide 9

Adopting New ToolsNew software tools to create/capture/edit:

Video/animations

Audio/video files and streams

Color application/manipulation

Capability-dependent content and formatting

The more authors do themselves, the more expertise they’ll need.



Slide 10

Challenge: Capability-Dependent Content

TTS does a decent job on prose†:

Tables not so much†:

Graphs, diagrams, charts, etc., are similarly troublesome.

† From “State of the Computer Book Market, Part 2: The Technologies,” Mike Hendrickson, O’Reilly Radar, February 22, 2008, http://radar.oreilly.com/2008/02/state-of-the-computer-book-mar-20.html.

In the table immediately below, you can see how the cat_family groupings have performed (total units) both by quarter and yearly results.



Slide 11

Capability-Dependent ContentAuthors should provide capability-dependent content when appropriate, e.g., when

Only part of a table is really important and

The output device has a small or nonexistent display:

If such objects are not optimized away, Table 1 demonstrates that their size could be significant (up to many thousands of bytes per feature set), an artifact of the use of virtual inheritance in the current implementation.



Slide 12

Challenge: Capability-Dependent Formatting

Authors should provide capability-dependent formatting when appropriate, e.g., when

Color most effectively communicates something, but

Some target platforms lack color.void g(MakeFeatures<tepsafe>::type features){

int xVal, yVal;...f(xVal, yVal, features);...

}

void g(MakeFeatures<tepsafe>::type features){

int xVal, yVal;...f(xVal, yVal, features);...

}



Slide 13

Capability-Dependent FormattingThe more colors, the less practical to use line styles, etc.†:

† Figure 8-12 from Thomas Erl, SOA Principles of Service Design, Prentice Hall, 2008.



Slide 14

Aside: Personalized FormattingConditional formatting allows per-reader “POD” formatting. Uses:

Gratuitous personalization :-)

Effective color combinations for color-blind readers.

Natural color combinations for different readerships:



Slide 15

Challenge: Cross References and LinksReferences to page numbers are problematic:

Not all platforms are page-based.John Broughton: “Page numbering (hardcopy has page

numbers, a wiki does not) was particularly problematical.”

Different platforms may have different page breaks.Inhibits communication among readers on different

platforms.

Authors should minimize references to page numbers.

Number paragraphs instead?

Similar to legal codes.

The Iliad and The Odyssey use book/line.

The Bible uses book/chapter/verse.



Slide 16

Cross References and LinksReferences to platform-dependent descriptors are problematic:

“…the photo in the upper right…”

“…the diagram on the facing page…”

“…the red line in the graph…”

Authors should use capability-dependent content instead.



Slide 17

Cross References and LinksReferences/links truly helpful only when referents are present.

URLs largely useless off-line.

“Old” URLs often close to useless anyway.“We’ve reorganized our site…”

Internal xrefs inhibit partial book sales:E.g., chapters, recipes.“Continuing with the example of Chapter 2…”

But xrefs and links are useful!

Create “smart” references/links that (optionally) appear only when referent is available?



Slide 18

The Role of Publishers Experiment

Encourage thinking beyond “black text on white pages.”

Learn what works (or doesn’t) where – and why.

Collect ExperienceAcross authors, genres,

“consumerships.”

Disseminate InformationShare results with authors.Create guidelines, templates,

software recommendations and quick-starts, etc.



Slide 19

Summary Effective multiplatform publication requires author

cooperation.

Designing/writing for print and “porting” to other platforms is a poor approach.

Specific challenges include:Adoption of new expository and software tools.Expression of capability-dependent content.Application of capability-dependent formatting.Specification of cross-references and links.

Publishers should experiment, collect experience, and disseminate the lessons they learn.



Slide 20

Further Information

“The Fastware Project,” Scott Meyers, Blog, http://fastwareproject.blogspot.com/.

Entries for November-December 2008 are most relevant.



Slide 21

Roundtable Tonight7:30 PM, Broadway North (6th Floor)

Topics:

Everything in this talk.

Facilitating community:How book content can foster

post-publication discussion.

Revision issues:Automated builds.Offer readers deltas, older versions?

Anything else that comes up.

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