Remember when the first PC's came out on the market almost seventeen years ago? Few people knew how much impact they would have on our lives. Probably even fewer people were aware of how important attractive, concise and, above all, comprehensible documentation would be for the wealth of new software which soon began flooding the market.

Professional tools for professional products
Tiud anticipated this growing need and became one of the first technical writing companies in the country. Our experience using writing tools ranges from the long-forgotten WordStar word processor to the most popular DTP tools such as the latest versions of FrameMaker and Ventura. The advanced features of the various versions of Word are not a mystery to us.

Latest technologies
Nowadays, of course, a printed manual is not enough. PDF and HTML electronic publishing capabilities for distribution on a CD or in a networking environment are a must. In addition, a good help package is essential to the success of any software product. Tiud's experts have years of experience in designing focused help systems that can easily be integrated into your software environment, providing context-sensitive, intelligent help to guide your users through your product. We support a wide range of online help environments, ranging from the earliest version of traditional WinHelp to the latest technologies from Microsoft and Sun - HTML Help and JavaHelp.

Clear, precise, accurate English
But no matter what new technologies are developed, the information must still be written and the target market must still be considered. Each type of documentation requires a totally different style of writing. Our writers know the difference between Queens' English (American English) and the Queen's English (English English) and have the technical knowledge to understand and explain your product in the clearest way possible.

Stringent quality control
Tiud's writing department does not overlook the need for stringent quality control procedures. Every written word is read and checked, and every printed or electronic page is looked at before being published. We remember to rerun the table of contents after the last-minute update to the text and to verify the phone and fax numbers on your business card.

The magic success formula
Tiud's numerous man-years of experience, the latest technologies, superlative writing skills plus the desire to provide second-to-none service will all play their part in contributing to the success of your product.

The Importance of Online Help
A good help package is essential to the success of any software product. Most users have neither the time nor the energy to read a lengthy manual from cover to cover. Thus when users operate your software, they may find it difficult to understand certain features or, worse, they might not discover some of the features at all. This situation causes frustration and can reduce the user-satisfaction level of your software.

Online help is designed to overcome problems such as misunderstood or overlooked features and to make the software package user-friendly. Unfortunately, many online help documents on the market today resemble printed manuals in structure and appearance. Instead of providing the user with quick and concise information on a topic, the user is forced to browse through an electronic mirror of the user manual.

Tiud’s online help experts can design a focused help system that is easily integrated into your software environment, providing the user with a context sensitive, intelligent help system to easily guide him through your product. We have years of extensive experience in designing and creating online help systems. In addition, we support a wide range of online help environments, ranging from the earliest version of traditional WinHelp to the latest technologies from Microsoft and Sun - HTML Help and JavaHelp.

Online Help Technologies

Microsoft Windows Help (WinHelp)
WinHelp is the term used loosely to describe the help system for Microsoft Windows 3.x, Windows 95 and Windows NT versions 3.x and 4.0. Older versions of WinHelp supported simple linking between topics and pop-up definitions. Today’s newer engines of Windows 95 and Windows NT 4.0 support linking to other applications and stronger embedding of the help system into the software product.

Microsoft HTML Help
The Windows 98/NT5 help system, officially called HTML Help, is a technological leap in the field of help systems. As the name suggests, HTML Help is based on HTML, thus it is easy to publish on the web or in an Intranet environment. Do not mistake HTML Help with a set of simple web pages. HTML Help employs custom ActiveX components to make it as comprehensive as the WinHelp system in terms of linking and integration, while retaining the power of Dynamic HTML and scripting. This powerful combination enables your clients to enjoy visually appealing content using the standard help system of Microsoft Windows in the future.

What’s This?
Widely implemented in Windows 9x and Windows NT 4.0+, “What’s This?” help describes every object (button, field, checkbox, etc.) in your application, providing the user immediate and untroubled help that is concise and to the point. “What’s This?” help should be an integral part of any online help system in the Windows 9x/NT 4.0+ field.

JavaHelp
JavaHelp is the name of a help system developed entirely in Java. JavaHelp, to date, is not wide spread or implemented in commercial help development tools, but is the prime choice for a completely cross-platform, Internet-ready Online Help system.

Tiud Ltd. e-mail: tiud@tiud.com