| T.R | Title | User | Personal
Name | Date | Lines |
|---|
| 48.1 | Minutes, 6 Nov 1990 | WORDY::MCALEESE | Learn that poem, learn that poem... | Tue Nov 20 1990 15:32 | 92 |
|
CUIP/E USER'S SOCIETY MEETING MINUTES
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
November 6, 1990
Attendees: Ron Brown
Sarah Kahn
Terry Sherlock
John Smart
David Goss
Michael Frascinella
Belinda Hutchins
Michael Kokernak
Donna Tramontozzi (Guest)
AGENDA
======
o Minute taker for meeting
> Michael Kokernak
o New Business
1. Additions/corrections/changes to distribution list
> Identified
2. Overview of CUIP/ITG: Donna Tramontozzi
> Donna provided a personal career background with DEC:
Writer/Project Leader for VMS 5.0, Bookreader and DECwindows
on-line documentation. Currently Manager CUIP/ITG reporting to
Sue Gault.
> Discussed impact of AEGP Task Force Report. CUIP Engineering
and CUIP/ITG consider AEGP recommendations when developing new
products or updating existing products and implementing these
recommendations whenever possible.
> Discussed (on-going) major problem in CUIP: communication
> Asked: Does CUIP need MORE documentation requirements?
Something for User's Society to think about.
> Summary: Want to improve relationship between CUIP/ITG and
CUIP/E User's Society. What can we do for each other
in a constructive way that would benefit all of CUIP?
Requested that the User's Society come up with some
short-term support requests by 11/26. CUIP/ITG
willing to provide short-term engineering support
based on extent of requests.
o Date/Place of next meeting
> November 20; room to be announced
DISTRIBUTION:
PICA::SCARBOROUGH
TOOLS::HUTCHINS
4GL::BROWN
BOOKIE::SHERLOCK
PICA::FRASCINELLA
TOPDOC::AHERN
STAR::J_ANGEL
DONVAN::KOKERNAK
TOPDOC::PERKINS
STAR::SMART
IOSG::ANDREWS
IOSG::GEE
GALVIA::LEDOUAREC
GALVIA::HENRY
CASEE::BROWN
CLARID::LEBIDOIS
DECSIM::GOSS
NEWS::LMELEWSKI
CURIE::RAMRATNAM
GALLAH::KAHN
REORG::HALVORSON
ABYSS::BINDER
WORDY::MCALEESE
DICKNS::FRIEDMAN
DECWET::KOSAK
PROSE::FOGAL
CLUTTR::SJONES
JOKUR::BOICE
|
| 48.2 | Minutes, 20 Nov 1990 | WORDY::MCALEESE | Learn that poem, learn that poem... | Tue Nov 27 1990 11:29 | 278 |
| From: DONVAN::KOKERNAK "NY GIANTS *** 10-0 *** Superbowl Bound" 21-NOV-1990 10:03:25.86
To: @CUIPE.DIS
CC:
Subj: CUIP/E User's Society Meeting Minutes 11/20/90
CUIP Engineering User Society Meeting Minutes 11/20/90
------------------------------------------------------
Attendees: Ron Brown
Terry Sherlock
John Smart
Sarah Kahn
Mike Frascinella
Jim McAleese
Mike Kokernak
AGENDA
o Minute taker for this meeting.
> Mike Kokernak
o New Business
1. Additions/correction/changes to distribution list
> None
2. Discussion of User Society and CUIP/ITG
short-term joint project. Bring your ideas.
> Criteria
* Short-term (3 months)
* Well defined
* New
* Workstation not required
* Motif interface(?)
Ideas
* Tool to read symbolic names from CD and .SDML files for
interfacing purposes--run against CMS.
* Tool to retrieve size of graphic files.
* Tool to build .SDML file--graphic file with name, depth,
attributes.
* PECO rewrite for syntax diagrams.
3. Discussion of EBIT 113 -- Using DECwrite in CUIP.
> * Reviewed what DECwrite needs/its limitations.
* Agreed that it is a tools not designed and ready to
accomodate the production of large doc sets, rather
it is designed to produce low page-count documents,
newsletters, info sheets, etc.
* Need a non-workstation version.
o Other items
> Tools Guide
* Sarah Kahn will write info sheet for new doctypes.
* Mike Kokernak completed info sheet for PageMaker and is
working on info sheets for Adobe Illustrator and PC Paintbrush.
* Revised version complete by the end of December.
o Closing
1. Review of Action Items
> Summary of project ideas will be sent to Donna Tramontozzi.
(see attached)
> Comments on DECwrite will be sent to Evelyn Hines.
> Continue work on updates and edits to Tools Guide.
2. Date/place of next meeting
> Tuesday, December 4, Einstein Conf. Room, ZKO2, 9:00-10:00.
Donna,
Thanks again for attending the November 6th User Society meeting.
We spent much of the November 20th meeting discussing our
proposals for short-term joint projects. Our guidelines for
projects stated that they should be short-term (@ 3 months),
well-defined in scope, new, and should not require a workstation
to run the final product. With the exception of one proposal
that involves an existing, unsupported tool, I think we
hit the mark.
Please let us know if you'd like clarification on any of the
proposals. I'll be out of the office until Tuesday, November 27th,
but feel free to contact Terry Sherlock (BOOKIE::) or John
Smart (JARETH::) in the meantime.
Our next meeting is scheduled for December 4th, 9:00, in the
Einstein Room (ZK2-3). Let me know if you'd like to discuss
these proposals at that meeting and I'll put it on the agenda.
Ron
Tool to help writers and editors manage graphics
================================================
Description of Problem
----------------------
When an artist creates art and sizes it to final form,
the artist attaches a hardcopy sheet showing the
size of the final art in picas.
Writers must add the pica depth in the SDML files
from the artist's hardcopy sheets.
It is very easy to misplace the art size sheet.
Also, when "borrowing" art from other writers, a writer
will not get the artlist, and therefore not know the
art size.
Goal
----
Create a tool that reads in final-form PS or FSE files and,
at user's option, displays the figure size in picas or
creates an output file containing appropriate DOCUMENT figure tags.
Feature List (partial)
----------------------
Variety of output:
1. In batch mode, generates a list of specified (or all)
PS/FSE files and the sizes (within a subdirectory or a CMS library).
2. In interactive mode, user enters filename, system
prompts for Figure title and optional symbol, and creates
SDML code for the figure. If the figure needs to be \WIDE,
the system indicates this to the user, who can override or add
other attributes.
Tool to help writers identify symbol names in other documents
==============================================================
Description of Problem
----------------------
Bookreader V3.0 includes support for cross-book references. Support
for extending the VAX DOCUMENT <reference> tag is planned for a
future release. CUIP writers need an easy way to get an up-to-date,
online list of any/all symbol names used in another manual. The
"...other manual" can include books within the same docset, plus
manuals in other docsets that ship on the OLD CD.
Goal
----
Create a tool that extracts all existing symbol names from a specified
book(s). At user's option, display the symbol names and/or create an
output file containing information about the symbol.
Feature List (partial)
----------------------
1. Input file can be a .DECW$BOOK file or an .SDML file (user's option).
User can specify one or more files in a directory or (if .SDML)
a CMS library.
2. Symbol name extraction tool generates a report that lists (per
book):
- Book title, symbol name, file name of profile
- Chapter title, file name, symbol name
- Within each chapter, each symbol name, the object with which it
is associated, and (optionally) number of line on which the symbol
is defined
- For each instance of a symbol name, a completed, two-part reference
tag. (If default /OUTPUT=[] option selected, writers can then use
an editor to cut/paste tags into their file.)
3. Can be run in batch or interactive mode.
4. Can be run on a character-cell terminal. Depending on engineers'
time constraints, can optionally create an additional Motif interface.
Tool to help writers create and output railroad diagrams
========================================================
Writers require a method by which to create and output railroad
diagrams to include in postscript, text, bookreader, and HELP files.
PECO combined with PECO manager currently allows us to do this.
Writers require one of the following:
- Someone to support PECO as is (it is written in KOALA)
- PECO translated to a more supportable language such as C
- A new tool which supplies all the functionality of PECO and PECO
Manager and allows backwards compatibility with diagrams already
created with PECO.
In all cases, provisions should be made to update the tool as
necessary to support future output formats that may be required to
keep up with technology.
This is a list of the groups currently using or who plan to use PECO :
---------------------------------------------------------------------
(These are just the projects we're aware of...)
1) Rdb/VMS
2) RdbStar/VMS, RdbStar/UNIX
3) CDD/Plus
4) CALS
5) VTX (we believe they are still using it)
6) Data Distributor
7) VAX SQL (and ESQL)
SSB reports consistently show that the Rdb* docsets are among the
highest in terms of high volume sales.
Our hope is that PECO becomes a supported product. It is not supported
at present because the PECO code is written in KOALA. However, if the
program could be written in a language such as C or Pascal, this would
make PECO a candidate to become an officially supported product.
Having PECO as an officially supported product would make the projects
mentioned earlier rest a lot easier. Andrew (BOOKIE::GENT) Gent
estimates that a programmer could recode PECO in about 2 months. He is
familiar with the code for both PECO and the PECO Manager.
The database and dictionary writing groups have been asked several
times for requirements for new graphics editors. The problem in each
case is that none of the other existing graphics editors, nor the ones
being designed, offer all the current (crude but effective)
capabilities of PECO and PECO Manager. Until the tools do, these
writers must continue to use PECO.
Distribution:
=========================================================
Member Alternate Group Represented
--------------- ------------------ -----------------
Richard Andrews Phil Gee CUIP-UK
Jill Angel Corinne Perkins DUFRESNE/ORDE/SCHULTZ
Dick Binder HAMMERSTROM/FOGAL
Lynda Brown Genevieve Lebidois CUIP-FRANCE
Mike Frascinella Dennis Ahern DUFRESNE/PETRALIA
[Dave Goss] -- RICHER/MCGOWAN
Jane Halvorson RICHER/PORADA
Ron Brown Belinda Hutchins DUFRESNE/CRONIN
Sarah Kahn Malati Ramratnam RICHER/HOSIER
Jim McAleese TAN
Mike Kokernak DUFRESNE/ORDE/SEGAL
Fred Le Douarec Frank Henry CUIP-IRELAND
Bill Scarborough DUFRESNE/ANDERSON
Terry Sherlock DUFRESNE/SIME
John Smart DUFRESNE/WINSLOW
-- RICHER/GRELLA
==========================================================
|
| 48.3 | Minutes, 15 Jan 1991 | WORDY::MCALEESE | Learn that poem, learn that poem... | Wed Feb 06 1991 10:37 | 114 |
|
DIGITAL INTEROFFICE MEMORANDUM
TO: CUP Engineering User So- DATE: 4-FEB-1991
ciety FROM: Ron Brown
DTN: 381-2136
MS: ZKO2-3/O04
Loc: ZKO2-3/R44
SUBJECT: CUP/E User Society: Minutes of 15 January Meeting
Meeting date: 15 January 1991 (Tuesday)
Meeting time: 9.00am to 10.00am, Nashua time
Meeting place: Codd Conference room, ZKO2-2
o Minute taker for this meeting was Ron.
o Attendees:
Ron Brown
Jane Davis
Mike Frascinella
Sarah Kahn
Jim McAleese
Terry Sherlock
John Smart
o Absent:
Dick Binder
Lynda Brown
Belinda Hutchins
Mike Kokernak
Bill Scarborough
o Old Business
o New Business
1. DECwrite Information Flow.
Ev Heines met with the User Society to discuss a
possible role for the group in resolving problems
with the flow of information between various groups
involved in DECwrite development and documentation.
After discussing the problems and proposed solutions,
the User Society declined to become involved. The
group felt that the problem was outside our charter,
and that our involvement would not substantially
resolve the problems.
2. Joint Project.
We discussed the status of the joint project.
Although time and workload are limiting factors,
we agreed that the joint project was worth
pursuing. A subgroup meeting will take place
to discuss process; John Smart, Sarah Kahn, and
Ron Brown will attend. Mike Frascinella volunteered
to do spec reviews, and Jane Davis volunteered
to test a prototype. Frank Henry also asked to
be involved -- this will give us an international
testing program! Ron will book a room for the
subgroup meeting.
3. Tools Guide
A new build of the Tools Guide is scheduled for
25 January 1991.
o Other items
o Closing
The meeting concluded at 9.50.
1. Action Items:
o Write and distribute minutes (Ron)
o Build Tools Guide with revisions,
scheduled for January 25 (John)
o Coordinate joint project subgroup meeting (Subgroup
members)
2. Next meeting will be 5 February 1991 in Galileo (ZKO3-
3) at 9.00am Nashua time.
ADDENDUM to minutes -- Subgroup Meeting, 22 January 1991
John Smart, Sarah Kahn, and Ron Brown met to discuss
the process we would use on the joint project.
We agreed that the group would not perform engineering
tasks, but would act as user-based partners to
voice questions and concerns for the CUIP community.
John agreed to speak with Mary Utt and to obtain specs.
We also want to find out on what machine development
will occur. Once we have distributed and reviewed the
specs, we can start to identify test sights within
CUIP.
|
| 48.4 | Minutes, 5 Feb 1991 | WORDY::MCALEESE | Learn that poem, learn that poem... | Mon Feb 18 1991 13:31 | 138 |
|
CUIP Engineering User Society Meeting Minutes 02/05/91
------------------------------------------------------
Attendees: Ron Brown
Terry Sherlock
John Smart
Sarah Kahn
Jim McAleese
Jane Davis
Mike Kokernak
Richard Andrews (UK)
Phil Gee (UK)
Lynda Brown (France)
AGENDA
======
o Minute taker for this meeting.
> Mike Kokernak
o New Business
1. Additions/correction/changes to distribution list
> None
2. Discussion of joint project with CUIP/ITG(Ron Brown, John
Smart)
> John Smart, Sarah Kahn and Ron Brown met to discuss the
process we would use on the joint project. We agreed that
the group would not perform engineering tasks, but would
act as user-based partners to voice questions and concerns
for the CUIP community. John agreed to speak with Mary Utt
and to obtain specs. We also want to find out what machine
development will occur. Once we have distributed and
reviewed the specs, we can start to identify test sights
within CUIP. Test sights are now being sought.
3. Tools Guide editing and update status(John Smart).
> * Goal is to announce availability of new release by 2/12.
* Contributors(Jane Davis, Sara Kahn, Mike Kokernak, me,
others) are working on info sheets to be completed by
2/8.
* John is incorporating edits from Susan Chesser and
Barbara Abbott and completion is expected by 2/8.
* New info sheets were added recently will not go through
an editorial pass prior to 2/12 release, however, John
will check files for consistency with the already
submitted edits.
* John would really appreciate if each User Society member
would send a mail message by 2/8 stating whether you are
satisfied with your assigned sections.
* John will perform the book build on 2/11.
o Other items
> Inter-Book/Docset Hot Spots and Dependability Guide
> Cross References in the VMS High-Availability Manual
(John Smart)
John met with Ken Andersen and Mary Utt to discuss the
inter-book and inter-docset hot spot possibilities for the
manual, the GUIDE TO BUILDING DEPENDABLE VMS-BASED SYSTEMS.
Mary Utt wrote a memo summarizing the comments, requirements
and realizations discussed in the meeting. John provide the
User's Society with copies of the memo to review and make
comments about.
First four paragraphs extracted from Mary Utt's memo:
I met this morning with Ken Andersen(Manager, VMS High
Availability project), Viv Schupmann and John Smart(writers
on the project) to discuss the possible use of "hot" book
cross references in the high-availability manual.
The nature of this manual is such that it must cross refer to
a large number of documents, both within the VMS docset and
outside the VMS docset(for example, the Rdb and ACMS docsets).
Viv and John are therefore extremely motivated to put their
books in V3.0 format to take advantage of the V3.0 Bookreader's
cross referencing functionality. This book will go into
production in either June(for the Sept CD) or September(for the
Nov CD).
I outlined the prototype VAX DOCUMENT support for book cross
references(and gave them a written discription). They are
interested in being one of the pilot projects for book cross
references and expect to be contacted by Andrew Gent about this.
The high-availability manual should provide an excellent test
for book cross references, because they will be pointing to so
many different manuals. Viv and John will be able to give us
good feedback on the interface and functionality and, in turn,
the manual will benefit from greater usability with "hot" book
cross references. There are, however, a number of issues around
using the high-availability manual as a pilot project:
memo con'ts......
> Discussed feasability of PECO use and support
> Ron brought up 2 questions submitted by 2 CUIP employees:
* Is there anything that can be done to keep UTOX supported?
* Is there are slicker way to make coded examples in a
different font?
o Closing
1. Review of Action Items
> Schedule another joint project subcommittee meeting to
further discuss the joint project.
> Complete info sheets for tools guide by 2/8.
> Review cross references memo and provide comments.
> Research advocates for PECO support.
> Address questions submitted by CUIP employees.
2. Next meeting scheduled for 02/19/91.
|
| 48.5 | Minutes, 19 Feb 1991 | WORDY::MCALEESE | Learn that poem, learn that poem... | Thu Feb 28 1991 13:54 | 195 |
|
CUIP Engineering User Society Meeting Minutes 02/19/91
------------------------------------------------------
Attendees: Ron Brown
Terry Sherlock
Sarah Kahn
Jane Davis
Mike Kokernak
Richard Andrews (UK)
Phil Gee (UK)
Lynda Brown (France)
AGENDA
======
o Minute taker for this meeting.
> Mike Kokernak
o New Business
1. Additions/correction/changes to distribution list
> None
2. Tools Guide build and announcement status
> (From John Smart's mail message. John was unable to attend.)
Second version of Tools Guide built. Many useful updates and
4 new tools included. However, I still have more edits to
incorporate and (since Susan Chesser and Barbara Abbott put
in a lot of work doing the editorial review) I want to
complete that before sending out an E-BIT announcing the new
book.
3. Joint project (cross referencing tool) status.
> (From John Smart's mail message.)
I haven't met again with Mary Utt. Did User Society members
comment on the handout from the last meeting? My writing
assignment has a long-range interest in XREFS to specific
sections of related docsets.
Terry's point last time that most writers simply need a
program that searches the .sdml's and creates a list of the
symbols used was a very good one. To use this symbol
extraction beast and for intra- and/or inter-docset xrefs to
work, you wouldn't have to build all the files involved at
the same time. For the DOCUMENT command to build a particular
book, you'd simply use some qualifier (similar to /SYMBOLS=)
to bring in the .BSF file that Mary Utt's sym-extr program
generates. I don't think it'd be any more complicated than
the current /INCLUDE=CUP$VMS_BOOKNAMES.SDML (or LP_...) that
most writers go through.
I FAXed the handout to Richard, Lynda, and Frank.
3. PECO support situation (Jane Davis).
> In the User Society joint project proposal, sent to Donna
Tramontozzi 11/20/90, Ron gave the following summary of the
railroad diagram tool requirement:
Writers require a method by which to create and output
railroad diagrams to include in postscript, text, bookreader,
and HELP files. PECO combined with PECO manager currently
allows us to do this. Writers require one of the following:
- Someone to support PECO as is (it is written in KOALA)
- PECO translated to a more supportable language such as C
- A new tool which supplies all the functionality of PECO
and PECO
Since our last meeting, I met with Ingrid Stuart, who began
the PECO Users' Society Jan. 4, 1990. and has since been
pursuing PECO support in monthly meetings with Jon Parsons
of DOCUMENT engineering. What follows is a rough summary of
what I learned. (To pursue PECO support, I'll need more
information on these issues.)
o Demand for railroad diagrams concentrated in Database
Systems
According to Ingrid, writers in Database Systems are the
major users of railroad diagrams, which they use to
illustrate syntax in reference manuals for products such
as RDO, SQL, and ESQL. (A complete list of PECO users who
expressed interest in the PECO Users' Society can be found
in REORG::SYS$PUBLIC:PECO.DIS.) Railroad diagrams are a de
facto industry standard for database documentation: IBM,
Oracle and other vendors use railroad diagrams in their
books.
o Current support efforts
Jon Parsons, while concerned, has no resources to devote
to PECO support. Ingrid couldn't recall the figure, but
thought Jon estimated that it would take an engineer 3-6
months to translate PECO code from KOALA to C.
Barry Rogoff, a writer on ESQL, coded tag support into
PECO so that we can highlight diagrams. As a field test
site for EDMS, Database Systems documentation is testing
this support along with electronic publication software.
o Elevating requests for PECO support
Ingrid says that she and Kirk have kept PECO support alive
as an issue in status reports to Susan Porada, who has
made Kathy Richer aware of it, but she didn't know of any
efforts toward soliciting engineering management support.
o Alternative to railroad diagrams: Brackets-and-braces
format
Recently CDD/Plus documentation made the decision to change
from PECO diagrams to brackets-and-braces style syntax
diagrams. The reason for this change cited in Gene Cronin's
status report was that railroad diagrams take up one third
of a writers' time. According to Kirk Searle, CDD/Plus
documentation treated each diagram as art, rather than
including the PostScript or RAGS file directly in the
document. On my project (SQL), we use a command procedure
to automate creation of PostScript and RAGS files, and I
would estimate that I spend a maximum of 1 hour a day (one
eighth of my time) drawing and maintaining diagrams.
Ingrid suggested that I locate a writer experienced in
drawing brackets-and-braces style diagrams and give him
/her some SQL syntax to diagram. If the diagram does take
up more room than a PECO diagram of the same syntax, we
could consider page count improvements as an argument
for PECO support.
o Alternative to PECO tool: RAGS
Jon Parsons has been encouraging us to use RAGS instead
of PECO, but Ingrid opposes this.
o RAGS diagrams take longer to draw.
Ingrid said that she once arranged a demonstration
for Jon Parsons in which she gave an experienced PECO
user and an experienced RAGS user the same statement
to diagram: the PECO user finished in five minutes,
but the RAGS user took twenty.
o RAGS diagrams would have to be redrawn by an artist
or we would have to develop standards about fonts,
spacing and line width.
o PECO diagrams requested in Requirements document
Ingrid said that, on one of the requirements documents
for a project in Carol Perlman-Todd's group, engineers
requested that the writers use PECO in documentation.
o Character cell BOOKREADER could benefit from a railroad
diagram tool
If BOOKREADER for character cell terminals becomes a
product, it might stimulate the need for PECO.
o Arguments against PECO support
If our documentation requires graphics file formats other
than those supported by PECO/Manager, PECO could become
obsolete.
o Other items
> XREFS Tool. Terry Sherlock wrote a XREFS.COM that searches for
cross references and puts the xrefs in a file. It can run
against a subdirectory or single file and finds, for example,
chapter cross references, heading cross references, table cross
references or figure cross references and writes the cross
references to a separate file.
o Closing
1. Review of Action Items
> John will complete Tools Guide book build and identify
its location.
> Jane will continue follow-up on PECOS support.
> Terry will identify where to get the XREF.COM.
2. Next meeting scheduled for 03/05/91 in the Dijkstra
Room (ZK2-2).
|
| 48.6 | Minutes, 5 Feb 1991 | WORDY::MCALEESE | Learn that poem, learn that poem... | Tue Mar 05 1991 10:41 | 137 |
|
CUIP Engineering User Society Meeting Minutes 02/05/91
------------------------------------------------------
Attendees: Ron Brown
Terry Sherlock
John Smart
Sarah Kahn
Jim McAleese
Jane Davis
Mike Kokernak
Richard Andrews (UK)
Phil Gee (UK)
Lynda Brown (France)
AGENDA
======
o Minute taker for this meeting.
> Mike Kokernak
o New Business
1. Additions/correction/changes to distribution list
> None
2. Discussion of joint project with CUIP/ITG(Ron Brown, John
Smart)
> John Smart, Sarah Kahn and Ron Brown met to discuss the
process we would use on the joint project. We agreed that
the group would not perform engineering tasks, but would
act as user-based partners to voice questions and concerns
for the CUIP community. John agreed to speak with Mary Utt
and to obtain specs. We also want to find out what machine
development will occur. Once we have distributed and
reviewed the specs, we can start to identify test sights
within CUIP. Test sights are now being sought.
3. Tools Guide editing and update status(John Smart).
> * Goal is to announce availability of new release by 2/12.
* Contributors(Jane Davis, Sara Kahn, Mike Kokernak, me,
others) are working on info sheets to be completed by
2/8.
* John is incorporating edits from Susan Chesser and
Barbara Abbott and completion is expected by 2/8.
* New info sheets were added recently will not go through
an editorial pass prior to 2/12 release, however, John
will check files for consistency with the already
submitted edits.
* John would really appreciate if each User Society member
would send a mail message by 2/8 stating whether you are
satisfied with your assigned sections.
* John will perform the book build on 2/11.
o Other items
> Inter-Book/Docset Hot Spots and Dependability Guide
> Cross References in the VMS High-Availability Manual
(John Smart)
John met with Ken Andersen and Mary Utt to discuss the
inter-book and inter-docset hot spot possibilities for the
manual, the GUIDE TO BUILDING DEPENDABLE VMS-BASED SYSTEMS.
Mary Utt wrote a memo summarizing the comments, requirements
and realizations discussed in the meeting. John provide the
User's Society with copies of the memo to review and make
comments about.
First four paragraphs extracted from Mary Utt's memo:
I met this morning with Ken Andersen(Manager, VMS High
Availability project), Viv Schupmann and John Smart(writers
on the project) to discuss the possible use of "hot" book
cross references in the high-availability manual.
The nature of this manual is such that it must cross refer to
a large number of documents, both within the VMS docset and
outside the VMS docset(for example, the Rdb and ACMS docsets).
Viv and John are therefore extremely motivated to put their
books in V3.0 format to take advantage of the V3.0 Bookreader's
cross referencing functionality. This book will go into
production in either June(for the Sept CD) or September(for the
Nov CD).
I outlined the prototype VAX DOCUMENT support for book cross
references(and gave them a written discription). They are
interested in being one of the pilot projects for book cross
references and expect to be contacted by Andrew Gent about this.
The high-availability manual should provide an excellent test
for book cross references, because they will be pointing to so
many different manuals. Viv and John will be able to give us
good feedback on the interface and functionality and, in turn,
the manual will benefit from greater usability with "hot" book
cross references. There are, however, a number of issues around
using the high-availability manual as a pilot project:
memo con'ts......
> Discussed feasability of PECO use and support
> Ron brought up 2 questions submitted by 2 CUIP employees:
* Is there anything that can be done to keep UTOX supported?
* Is there are slicker way to make coded examples in a
different font?
o Closing
1. Review of Action Items
> Schedule another joint project subcommittee meeting to
further discuss the joint project.
> Complete info sheets for tools guide by 2/8.
> Review cross references memo and provide comments.
> Research advocates for PECO support.
> Address questions submitted by CUIP employees.
2. Next meeting scheduled for 02/19/91.
|
| 48.7 | Minutes, 5 Mar 1991 | WORDY::MCALEESE | Learn that poem, learn that poem... | Thu Mar 21 1991 11:53 | 145 |
|
CUIP Engineering User Society Meeting Minutes 03/05/91
------------------------------------------------------
Attendees: Ron Brown
Terry Sherlock
Jane Davis
Mike Frascinella
Mike Kokernak
Richard Andrews (UK)
Phil Gee (UK)
Lynda Brown (France)
AGENDA
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o Minute taker for this meeting.
> Mike Kokernak
o New Business
1. Additions/correction/changes to distribution list
> None
2. Alternates
> Ron requested that any CUIP/E members that do not have
designated alternates, please make one available.
3. Tools Guide status
> Release still pending (will be soon).
4. Joint project status
> Discussed the following memo from John Smart:
In a meeting related to my writing assignment, I met on
Thursday with Tom Parmenter, Mary Utt, Viv Schupmann (VMS
writer) and Ken Henderson (VMS engineering manager) to
discuss cross book hot spots.
Briefly, it looks like the Patriots will win a Super Bowl
before CUIP writers can use cross book/docset references. A
variety of recent decisions have led to this unfortunate and
sad situation, including:
* Bookreader engineering moving to OSAG. Tons of issues here
like:
- Which group in OSAG will take Bookreader?
- When? What is the schedule for the transition and for
the subsequent Bookreader versions? When CUIP Engineering
had Bookreader (for a brief time), the V4 Bookreader ship
date was Jan-92. Add at least six months to that
schedule?
- Can CUIP really learn how to work with OSAG and make the
"preferred customer" promise a reality? Can CUIP relate
the writing groups' Bookreader requirements to OSAG? Can
CUIP writers who meet customers continue to convey
Bookreader comments successfully to Bookreader product
management and OSAG engineering?
- Who (if anyone) from CUIP/Engineering will move into the
part of OSAG that works on Bookreader?
- Mary said she felt that OSAG would still consider the V4
Bookreader requirements assembled by CUIP/ITG (char-cell
support, print a range of user-specified sections,
search) as important as OSAG sets out to develop V4.
* The CUIP decision (Mike Cic.) that the OLD CD will never
include CUIP books created with V3.0 Bookreader. As you
know, the V2.0 Bookreader used at most customer sites would
not have been able to read V3.0-format books on the disc;
but cross-book refs support is in V3 Bookreader. So now
CUIP's policy is to wait for V4.0 Bookreader, which
*should* fix the file format incompatibility problem.
However, there's still the "should fix" might turn out to
be "oh shoot - the file formats are still incompatible..."
Even if the OSAG release fixes this problem, V4 is quite a
ways out. That's a long time to wait for an online hot
spot to another book.
* DOCUMENT transitioning to Micro Systems Development (MSD)
in ZKO.
MSD plans to build DOCUMENT V3.0, an SGML release. Plans
reportedly call for MSD to create a DOCdesigner to assist in
the definition of doctypes. Also, an SDML-to-SGML convertor
for customers. Meanwhile, CUIP/Engineering is investigating
whether CUIP needs its own SDML-SGML convertor.
Mike Fitzell (sp?) has completed the Symbol Extraction Tool
for .DECW$BOOK files that Mary defined. Perhaps we can show
Mike the .SDML version that Terry created and determine
whether it makes sense to have Terry's doctool features
incorporated into Mike's program?
(Terry felt that CUIP/ITG's Symbol Extraction Tool and his
XREF.COM performed significantly different functions and that
incorporation would not be useful.--RB)
5. Help tool suggestion/request -- Tree Walker for help files
(Ron -- from Peter Cimmin memo)
> Ron
Where do I address sugg/requests for writing tools?
I've asked for this in other contexts. I still need it. The
need for the tool is high because writers need to check all
help topics before each release of the tool.
The needed tool is a tree-walker for help files. It should
step through .hlb files and display ea topic sequentially.
The primary use is for writers to see ea topic while ensuring
that no topic remains unseen.
Features (descending order of importance):
* Ability to move to next or previous topic
* Ability to interrupt a tre-walk session and then to pick up
where you left off
* Ability to pause the tree-walker, navigate to other topics,
return to paused topic, and continue
* Integrate the tool w/ LSE to allow navigation to source
files from the display of topics (for editing)
Sounds like a simple program to me.
o Other items
> PECO: Jane provided hard-copy sample of Railraod diagrams and
Brackets and Braces diagrams.
o Closing
1. Next meeting scheduled for 03/19/91.
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