Writer/editor and the computer
When the computer entered the publications process it created almost seismic shocks all along the line of creation from authoring to editing to composing to layout and to printing. Authors and editors of scientific and engineering documents felt the impact in adverse as well as beneficial ways. In the tradiational system, the writer/editor took from an author a manuscript and, using the powers of wordsmithing and the knowledge of the publications process, created a finished document using nothing more sophisticated than a red pencil for the mechanical process. Once the computer entered the scene, the writer/editor had to learn different hardware systems, try to keep up with the software explosion, and fight against a rising fear that a machine was going to take over. Fortunately, an innate flexibility and specialized knowledge of how to get a document into the best form for its specific audience guaranteed the writer/editor's survival, although there is still a long way to go in this transition phase from red pencil to VDT. This paper reviews the experiences of writer/editors in one scientific laboratory, experiences that typify challenges the forward-moving manager of a technical document production system can expect to encounter.
- Research Organization:
- Lawrence Livermore National Lab., CA (USA)
- DOE Contract Number:
- W-7405-ENG-48
- OSTI ID:
- 5708655
- Report Number(s):
- UCRL-92525; CONF-850864-1; ON: DE85011843
- Resource Relation:
- Conference: Forum 85, Helsingor, Denmark, 26 Aug 1985
- Country of Publication:
- United States
- Language:
- English
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