Technical Writers usually count around five applications as their “faves”, or favorites. These applications all play a unique role in the creation of documentation and write-ups of all kinds. Here are my faves, and why I love each one of them:

One. Microsoft Word 2007. Some people have had a tough time adjusting to the new GUI of Word 2007, but once you get to know it, Word 2007 is a tremendous word processing program. You can do so many incredible things with it.

Two. Microsoft Visio 2007. Especially for system design and architecture, Visio allows the Technical Writer to create some pretty fabulous diagrams with an incredible amount of accuracy and detail. There is a book called “The Visio 2007 Bible” that I am reading right now so that I can maximize my use of this great diagramming software.

Three. Paint Shop Pro or Paint dot Net. Technical Writers need a program that will allow them to do screen-captures and interject text boxes with explanations and more in these images. I have enjoyed Paint Shop Pro and Paint Dot Net equally. Both are tremendous programs.

Four. Adobe Robohelp. As I have mentioned in previous posts, this software by Adobe allows the Technical Writer to create some pretty fantastic on-line help systems. Today, nobody wants to spend the time or make the effort to scroll through long-paged documents. So, the best option, otherwise, is to create nicely organized on-line help systems, with panes, where the left pane has concepts and the right pane has explanations of the concepts.

Five. Adobe Acrobat. Because nobody wants his or her work altered unnecessarily, it is best to first re-save your word processing document in Adobe Acrobat’s Portable Data File (PDF) format. This allows you to share your work with everyone without the risk of “unwarranted” alternation or change.