A quick question for of administrators out there.

Have you noticed any distinction between the information needs of users on the particular operating system that they are using? For example, have you ever got any feedback indicates that users are more fussy than Windows in terms of the information they expect in their guides and help systems? That sort of thing...

It would be really good to tap into your experiences.

Andy

The Citrix Technical Publications team is considering a change to the way we publish readmes, and I like to get your input on this subject.

Readmes are HTML documents that ship on product CDs/DVDs. We also published updated readmes on the web. These documents inform you of late-breaking information, critical pre-installation advice, and other started information that, generally speaking, you need at only one time before you install the product. At least, that how Citrix view the purpose of our readmes. Is that how you use them?

The change we considering is to dispense with the readmes on the product media (CD or DVD), and instead publish them only on our website. The benefits are that you only ever see one readme (the up-to-date document on the web) not two (the web-based one *and* the out-of-date document on the media, which you or your team still might feel the need to open, check, process, etc. which could be a time-consuming). />

So how do you feel about the possibility that we drop readmes from the CD/DVD? Below are a few other more detailed questions that you might also want to consider.

location

• In your Citrix deployment lifecycle, at what stage do you refer to a product readme? Before installation, during installation and configuration, during troubleshooting, never? Do you consult the readme at more than one of these stages? Perhaps you refer back to this document before installation and then again while troubleshooting.
• Would you refer to a readme if it were on the Citrix website?
• Furthermore, would you be happy if a readme were located only on our website (for example, where the product installer provided a link to the readme on the web)? Or would that present any problems to your organization or workflow?

Readme content

• What information are you expecting to see in our readmes? Essential late-breaking info, bugs, installation instructions, configuration instructions? Anything else?
• Do you find the answers you need in our readmes?
• Do you find readmes easy to read and navigate through?

Post a reply with your thoughts, and have your say.

Thanks! McAleer
Senior Technical Writer
Technical Publications team

This posting marks the close of the documentation but remember, it never too late to tell us how you access Citrix documents and how you feel about the different publishing formats that we maintain.

Thanks to everyone who took part in the survey. Your excellent feedback will be invaluable in helping the Citrix Technical Publications team determine the most appropriate ways of delivering information to administrators (and end-users).

A summary of your thoughts on formats (the last set of questions I posted): class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 0pt">Updated, online HTML seems to be preferred format for most of you. immediacy, especially if notifications are available, is ideal for information that supports you in day-to-day troubleshooting.
A potential issue with HTML is it varies across sites. In contrast, the relative consistency of PDF documents is an advantage of that as is the fact they are to save and refer to later.
Moving from static (CD-based) (web-based) documentation better reflects knowledge is generated and maintained in the software development industry.
Linking help to live web pages also seems like a good idea.I encourage you to keep visiting this blog. The Pubs team monitors it regularly, and no doubt there will be further postings about technical publications at Citrix.

There are also a variety of other ways to contact the Pubs team:

• You can submit specific feedback on any particular document from the document download page. Start here http://support.citrix.com/docs/ face="Calibri" size="3">and navigate to the document you want to comment on.
  If you prefer to contact us privately, you can do so by emailing documentation@citrix.com.
  Pubs are hoping to be at iForum in Edinburgh this year. We will be the ones with the clipboards asking for more feedback on Citrix publications!Now, those prizes I mentioned. You be delighted to hear that I be contacting the lucky winners of the prize draw in person shortly (but not week as I off on holiday [ip]). If you had your heart set on a lovely Citrix gift and didn win, my condolences. L

A big thank you to everyone who replied to my previous questions about accessing Citrix documentation. for the second and final set of questions in this about your documentation preferences. Remember, there a small, randomly drawn prize open to anyone who takes part. All you have to do is post a reply here, and I will enter you into the draw!

class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 0pt; line-height: normal">By the way, summary of the replies received on earlier questions:

• Not many of you use the docs on the CD directly or install them on servers.
• Many of you use the web to access and update docs.
• Other information sources (such as Brian Madden site) are helpful.
• The IBM and Adobe of documentation delivery worth checking out.

So, other questions I have for you... concern the different publishing formats that we use at Citrix. A few of you have already touched on this, but I thought it was worth asking explicitly about file formats because they can really influence how you interact with (not just read) content in our publications. Depending on the task you performing (planning, installing, troubleshooting, etc.), different doc formats are more suitable than others. Furthermore, product documentation in different may affect how your organization shares and there may even be security implications. In short, formats are important.

Which formats do you prefer, and why?

Citrix publishes product documentation in a variety of formats administrator guides as PDFs, in-product Help systems as compiled HTML Help, readmes as standalone HTML files, and Knowledge Base articles in HTML format on our web site.

Please tell us about any preferences you have. Maybe you don have a strong opinion about this, but try looking at it this way: if you like your guides in PDF format (say, when you planning your Citrix deployment), would it bother you if these guides were only available in HTML format on the Citrix website?

Conversely, if you frequently consult the online Help (say, to check how to fill in a field in a dialog box), would your organization be concerned if the Help were not installed with the Citrix product, but were instead available on the Citrix website? In other words, you need an Internet connection while using the product, but, once connected, you have access to more up-to-date Help topics. Is a permanent Internet connection that available from any Citrix server a constraint for your organization?

Do you prefer reading content on web pages rather than in PDF documents?

class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 0pt; line-height: normal">Also, as a matter of interest, have you changed your opinion about publishing formats in the last few years? Maybe you now less reliant on PDF documents than you were a few years ago, and instead favor HTML-based documents.

Please tell us about your experiences, expectations, and desires in this area. We like to hear from you.

As promised (see my earlier posting on this), here the first of two sets of questions for you about Citrix documentation. Remember, there will be a small prize for a few randomly selected people who take part in this All you have to do is post a reply here with your responses and insights, and I will enter you into the draw!

Don feel like you have to answer every question here. Of course, we be happy if you did, but any feedback in this area will be extremely helpful to the Technical Publications team.

When you and others in your organization consult Citrix documentation, how do you access it?

We interested in finding out how you and others in your organization install, download, and distribute administrator-related publications from Citrix. These might be administrator guides, getting started guides, configuration guides, readmes, or any other publications aimed at Citrix administrators.

Some of you may access documents on the CD (in the /docs folder). If so, are you happy doing this? Perhaps having publications ship on the CD is a requirement for your organization.

Some of you may access those same CD-based documents but you install them using the documentation option (aka the Docs.msi) on one or more computers. If that your organization preference, how does that work? How many computers do you install them on and is a single person responsible for that task? Are they also responsible for downloading and distributing updated docs when they become available?

Other folk may rely on downloaded documentation from our website. If so, is the Citrix website your first port of call, or do you go elsewhere in the first instance? How often do you visit our web site to get the latest docs? Do you find it easy to locate the appropriate document? Is lack of web access an issue (because, say, you in a locked-down environment)?

Maybe your organization is considering a change to the way Citrix or other documentation is obtained and distributed. Tell us about that.

Please tell us about your experiences, expectations, and desires in this area. We like to hear from you.

Thanks!

Hi!

I Andy McAleer, a Senior Technical Writer in the Citrix Technical Publications team, and one of my responsibilities is customer feedback. I created this blog so that the Pubs team has direct contact with you, our customers. I would really like to hear any opinions and ideas you have about the documents that the team creates.

I want to tell you my immediate plans for this blog, but first a short introduction to the Pubs team and the deliverables we create. We are a team of writers working in Citrix offices around the world. We have various backgrounds - computer science, teaching, science, psychology, English, journalism, technical writing. You name it; we probably done it. We work closely with Citrix project teams to create technical documents including administrator guides, help systems, etc.

Now, back to the plan for this blog I shortly be posting some questions about Citrix documentation. If you care about Citrix docs, and spare a small amount of time, I really appreciate it if you could answer them (by creating on this blog). Not only this mini-survey be good way of establishing contact between the Pubs team and world but more specifically your answers will help us shape Citrix documentation strategy.

THERE WILL BE A SMALL PRIZE FOR A FEW, RANDOMLY CHOSEN CONTRIBUTORS. []

So watch this space (or better still set up an RSS feed) and stay tuned for my questions, which I post here in the next couple of days. Please answer them as honestly as you like.

In the meantime, feel free to blog away and let me know about any thoughts you have on Citrix documentation.

Needless to say, the Pubs team really value your input.