We experienced a down time from 1pm to 7pm (CET), today due to an issue installing the new customer support software, FogBugz.

Things are working properly now. I thank people at webhost4life for promptly fixing the issue.

I started my reading blogs using an aggregator about eight months ago and my choice was bloglines. The most important thing was the ability to have everything online, so that I could read the feeds at work and at home with no need to synchronize them.

After reading a rave review of the updated Google Reader on Lifehacker, I decided it was time to give it a another try. I must say I’m really thrilled with this web app.

Here’s what I really love about it:

• Clear and easy to use interface
• Items are marked as read as you scroll: this is a big improvement over bloglines that automatically marked all items as read when displayed on the right panel. This can be useful when I have a long list and no time to read it all in one session
• Ability to see the posts in list and detail view and mark them as special
• Shortcuts harmonized with GMail to navigate between posts

On top of that, there are some greasemonkey scripts for Firefox that make using it even easier:

• Jasper’s google reader subscribe shows a small feed icon on the top of any site that supports feeds. Clicking on that, you can add the site to your subscription list. If you are already subscribed to the feed, it shows a check mark.
• Feed integration for Gmail that lets you easily integrate Google Reader feeds into Gmail

The only thing I miss is the ability to specify the tag of a new feed when I add one.

Technorati Tags: aggregators, Google Reader, rss

I found a nice service called ClockLink that allows you to put a virtual clock on your site or blog.

You just choose the type of clock you want (there are many analog and digital ones), the color, the time zone and there you have a script that you can add to your site. I believe it’s good for telling your customers what time is at your place (so that they don’t call you at 3 am, for example).

The service is free but you can also create your customized clock for a fee.

Give it a try. I’ve placed one on my website. You can see it at http://www.nagarsoft.com/Nagarsoft.aspx

ClockLink
http://www.clocklink.com

Technorati Tags: clock, javascript, local time, timezone

This is a quote from Personality Traits of the Best Software Developers about who is really an expert. Food for thought.

“Someone who fixes a problem but doesn’t take the time to find out what caused it is doomed to never become an expert in their field. Experience is not years on the job, it’s learning to recognize a problem before it occurs, which can only be done by knowing what causes it in the first place.”

I’ll be on vacation in Canada from the 17th August to the 7th September. Orders will be processed automatically. I should get access to the Internet pretty easily there so I’ll be able answer to e-mails as usual (it may just take a little bit longer if I’m among the whales!).

Writing software documentation for Direct Access has not been easy for two reasons: I’m not a native English speaker and I don’t have a complete mastery of all the nuances of the English language; I’m a programmer which has the tendency of using a lot of technical terms (I cannot help myself!).

So, recognizing my weaknesses, I looked for help and I found a Scotsman operating as Documentation Doctor. He is a talented and skilled technical writer who helped me rewrite the online documentation of Direct Access but also made a great deal of work fixing typing errors, reorganizing contents and adapting my geeky language to be comprehensible by the average user. All this was done with a great professionalism and a quick exchange of email messages.

Here are the lessons I learned. I lifted same examples (and corrections) from the Direct Access manual.

Show, don’t tell
This is the first rule. Demonstrate how to do things with clear and concise instructions. Avoid embarking in long and abstract explanations.

Less is more
Using less copy to express your concept will result in a more economic and efficient communication.

Reduce the use of screenshots in your help file
Although screenshots are good for a printed manual, they take a lot of screen space. Reduce them to the bare minimum. On top of that, having to update all the screenshots when something changes in your program, is also a major burden for you.

Avoid needless technical terms and explanation
If your software is aimed at non programmers, avoid technical terms as much as possible: they pose a barrier between you and your prospects. When people are confused, they don’t buy.

Avoid convoluted English
Use a direct and simple language, use the present tense and avoid the passive form.
FIRST TRY: Direct Access associates words (called commands) to actions, so that when a certain word is typed, in any application, it can execute the appropriate action.
BETTER AS: Direct Access enables you to specify words (called commands) to trigger actions whenever you type them. This works for any program.

Capitalize screen element names
FIRST TRY: context menu
BETTER AS: Context Menu

Avoid redundant words
FIRST TRY: Group: Indicates what group in the hierarchy contains the action. This column is shown only when the All Actions group is selected
BETTER AS: Group: The action belongs to this group. Only displayed when All Actions is selected

Give navigation details in logical order
When you direct users through menus and windows, start from the general to go to the specific.
FIRST TRY: uncheck the command confirmation in the Actions Panel for the desired action
BETTER AS: in the Actions panel, uncheck the command confirmation for the desired action

Use imperative for field description
FIRST TRY: Parameters (optional): Optional parameters that will be passed to the application. This is generally used to start an application with a certain document.
BETTER AS: Parameters (optional): Pass these parameters to the application. This is generally used to start an application with a certain document.

In conclusion, these are just some basic guidelines for your documentation. However, if you are not very experienced at technical writing, whether you are an English native speaker or not, taking advantage of the help of a professional will improve the quality of your technical documentation. Your customers will thank you for that.

Technorati Tags: Techincal writing, software documentation