Words on a page

Tools of the trade

While I don't consider myself a "writer," I do write for a living. By day, I'm a technical writer/information developer/documentation specialist/software word chimp. I create and update manuals, online help, and the like. On the job, I use tools like FrameMaker, DocBook, and Acrobat. One of the jobs I'm doing now forces me to use Word (more on Word in a future blog).

On top of that, I also write articles, essays, and reviews for magazines, newspapers, and Web sites. When people learn that I'm a tech writer and that I do work for technology publications they get the idea that I'm using the latest hardware and software. Nothing but cutting edge gear for yours truly.

Boy, do they get a shock when they learn the truth. Most of my writing is done on an old Pentium 300 running Linux. Four gigabytes of hard drive space, 128 MB of memory. Hardly the screaming machine of peoples' imaginations. And, believe it or not, I do about half my writing in a text editor.

But the real kicker is the other way I write. On an old 486(!) notebook, running DOS and a graphical suite called NewDeal Office (now known as Breadbox Ensemble). If you don't know anything about NewDeal/BreadBox, check out the BreadBox Web site. You'll learn all you need to know there.

Why do I use this decidedly retro hardware and software? Part of it is my belief that old doesn't equal useless. I'm obviously quite productive using these applications; often far more so than friends and colleagues using the latest screamers. The other reason is budget. I just don't have the bucks to upgrade. At least not yet.

I learned long ago that having the latest word processor doesn't make you a better or even a more efficient writer. Words are words, regardless of whether you type them in Nedit, BreadBox Writer, or in Word XP. What makes the difference is the person doing the writing.