I would like to introduce you to two people at Alpha Software who are working very hard to make your life easier. Ed Larabee and Rosemary Marano, the documentation specialists at Alpha Software. Rosemary and Ed joined Alpha Software several months ago and have produced an absolute wealth of information. Please join me as I speak with Ed and Rosemary.

Q: Ed and Rosemary, I am very glad to see you onboard at Alpha Software. You are two of the newest members of the Alpha team, can you tell us a little about your past careers and what brought you to Alpha Software?

Ed: I spent 20 plus years in product management, product marketing, and sales with a variety of computer companies. My expertise was in graphic arts, networking, and digital video. Through these different jobs I had been writing marketing manuals, user manuals, data sheets, and producing websites. Since I was doing all this writing and enjoying it, I decided to switch over to writing as a full time career. It is also allows me to indulge in my hobby, which is programming.

Rosemary: My first career was in academic scientific research. I worked at the University of Rochester, NY, before moving to Boston in 1996. After looking for a job for several months, I decided to change careers and get a graduate certificate in Software Technical Writing. I worked at Macromedia prior to my job at Alpha Software.

Q: Ed, what programming language(s) do you use when you are programming for 'fun'?

Ed: Mostly Visual Basic, but I used to program in C and Java. I also have worked extensively with Access Basic, LotusScript, JavaScript, Dbase, Fortran, and PL/M.

Q: Ed, with your familiarity with all these languages, tell us your thoughts on Xbasic as a language.

Ed: Xbasic is a breeze for anyone who has worked with Visual Basic. You really don't have to learn anything new. Xbasic does have the advantage of having a more powerful function library. And Xbasic is a more productive tool for Alpha Five than VB is for Access.

Q: Rosemary, It would be my assumption that Macromedia is a fairly large company. Products like Flash, Freehand, and Dreamweaver come to mind. Can you compare the differences in culture and work environment between Macromedia and your current work with Alpha Software Inc..

Rosemary: Yes, Macromedia is a large and successful software company with many excellent products. Differences in culture and work environment mostly stem from these aspects: Macromedia's size; there I was part of a 20 person writing team with writers, editors, production and multimedia specialists, translators for Korean, Japanese, French, and others, not to mention a slew of developers and QA people. Also, different is that a major focus of Macromedia software is for developers and graphic designers, creating rich multimedia Internet applications, typically using the Macintosh platform. Lastly, the California-based company roots brought a laid-back style and culture of youth there, including perks like our Espresso machine, an extensive video and game room, work-out facility, dry cleaning service, and so on. Here at Alpha we indulge in good, old-fashioned, South African work ethic.

Q: Rosemary, I understand you have a doctorate degree. I should probably be calling you Doctor Rosemary. Can you tell us what your doctorate degree is in?

Rosemary: Only my parents send me letters addressed to Dr. Marano, probably because they were so supportive while I got my degree. I was 26 and living at home then. My Ph.D. is in Microbiology, however, my post-doctoral work and research was focused in molecular genetics and virology.

Q: Rosemary, I do not have a clue of course, but I would think that molecular genetics and virology, in today's world where the genetic code is finally giving up some of its secrets, would be a fascinating place to be. Do you miss it, or is it really all drudgery among the beakers?

Rosemary: Yes, I miss it. It was a financial decision to go into the High Tech field. My previous experience in research did not lead to the higher paying jobs in the biotech industry, but more of the all-work and no-pay academic jobs, of which I had already had enough.

Q: How do you two divide up your documentation work? You have both recently released separate new Alpha Five documents. Do you work on projects jointly, or do you each have your own separate areas?

Ed: We have largely separate areas, although we trade some materials. I have specialized in any writing that requires an understanding of Xbasic.

Rosemary: Ed and I are given separate writing projects by Selwyn. We haven't worked on the same documents though we do collaborate on information and document styles.

Q: Did either of you have any knowledge of Alpha Software and its products before beginning to work with Alpha Software?

Rosemary: I did not but, after receiving a call from Selwyn, I read all about Alpha and was very impressed.

Ed: No. But I had never explored the PC database market. My marketing activities took me in other directions.

Q: One of the most interesting aspects of Alpha Software is the fiercely loyal and committed user group. As a couple of its newest members do you have any observations or insights into our community?

Ed: I have been in the software industry for *** years (a long time) and I have never seen anything like the Alpha Five user group before. With every other software package I have used, if you have a significant question about how to do something, and you cannot find it in the help text, then you are stuck. With Alpha Five, new developers can always find a helping hand.

Rosemary: I worked for Allaire (ColdFusion / HomeSite) prior to its acquisition by Macromedia, and benefited greatly from a similarly strong and loyal developer community, as I have at Alpha. Answering questions, providing relevant and up-to-date information, helping new users get started with the software, helping advanced users accomplish their tasks, that's our mission and the Alpha community is a vital part of our ability to accomplish it. I am extremely grateful for the input and insights I've gotten from them on the documentation. I greatly enjoy the Newsletter, and I'm very impressed with the video tutorials done so far.

Q: Obviously you have both had to get up to speed with Alpha Five to some extent. Tell us about your own learning experience and what it is like to document a product while learning about it.

Rosemary: My getting up to speed experience was wonderful because my first assignment was writing the Getting Started with Alpha Five tutorial book. I thoroughly enjoyed it and learned a lot.

Ed: I have been working with Microsoft Access for years. Way back before that I was a Dbase programmer. Just before I came to Alpha I was developing an Access application as a consultant. The result was that I understood the issues and principles associated with Alpha Five. It was more a question of learning the details. When I arrived Selwyn put me to work documenting the AlphaSports sample database. My attempt to explain it gave me the opportunity to learn how the software works. However, I have to say my learning experience was different from the typical user. When I don't understand something, I just ask the guy who wrote much of the code. I also haven't had the time to develop any applications from start to finish - too busy writing.

Q: Geez Ed, I do not think that is fair……. How much would you charge to rent out your office for a week or so?

Ed: The price is very reasonable. Now you know why Burlington, MA is becoming a premiere vacation destination.

Q: Rosemary, Alpha Five is a huge program with more features and options than one would imagine. I would think it a daunting task to try to figure out how to bring a new user though the process of learning a multifaceted program like Alpha Five.

Rosemary: The good news is that there was a broad foundation of documentation to build upon, and best of all, Selwyn is an excellent writer, thinker (all the information is in his head), and communicator (he makes my mission perfectly clear).

Q: Documentation of Alpha Five has been an area of criticism over the past several years, but because of your efforts, we are seeing a huge positive change in this area. The software world presents a distinct challenge. In the past, knowledge has been fairly static. Today we find the pace of change is exponential, rendering yesterday's documentation obsolete. Give us your views of the past documentation at Alpha Software.

Rosemary: Alpha's past documentation needed updating and review and that's what we've done, along with documenting new versions and add-ins that our developers create.

Ed: The technical references that I found were reasonably good efforts when they were written. However, they were way out of date by the time I arrived. I have been working to fill the gaps. Since the main publishing medium is the web, my attitude is to publish as fast as I can produce the content, even if it is not perfect or is incomplete. If someone wants specific information or finds a mistake, I'll make the addition or correction and republish the same day. Let's call it demand-driven technical documentation.

Q: In the short term, what do you both hope to see in terms of your respective work?

Rosemary: I'm looking forward to getting my current project, a revised and updated version of the Alpha Five User Guide, available to the Alpha community, and to documenting the next Alpha Five version that's in the works.

Ed: I would like to get Alpha Five version 5 documented before the next release comes out. I would also like to flesh out the Xbasic Reference with more practical examples, sample code, and answers to the common types of developer questions that frequently appear in the phorum.

Q: Rosemary, several months ago you completed a new tutorial for Alpha Five version five, "Getting Started with Alpha Five", can you tell us how it has been received?

Rosemary: The original version of the Getting Started tutorial benefited greatly from the review and input of our Alpha users. The current revised version, available from the website, seems to be well received. I am always grateful to get corrections, input, and all feedback regarding the documentation. It improves the quality and usefulness of our work.

Q: Ed, you just completed a mammoth Xbasic manual, "Xbasic Reference Manual", some 2200+ pages in length. I am an Xbasic addict and was very glad to see this document. There is a ton of previously undocumented routines covered in this book. How was the birth process for this work?

Ed: The writing process appealed to my pack rat tendencies. I keep accumulating tidbits of information and stuffing it into the package. And there is more to come. The production of the WebHelp and .CHM files is easy, but the production of the PDF files has been very slow. I have to go from RoboHelp to Microsoft Word to PDF. Microsoft Word is not a very forgiving work environment when a document is this large.

Q: Ed, by more to come, do you mean lots more previously undocumented info?

Ed: As far as the current release is concerned, there are many functions designed for internal use that developers could possibly use. I keep chipping away at this list. Also, there is the next Alpha Five release with all its new functions, methods, and utilities.

Q: I would assume that the release of the Alpha Five Web Application Server is in the not too distance future, and I also anticipate the next version of Alpha Five, version 6. Both of these products will probably entail a fair amount of documentation. How about it, are you actively working of this?

Rosemary: It's upcoming.

Ed: Yes. However, it is like standing at the side of the road and painting a picture of the car that just went by at 70 MPH. It's possible to do some documentation at this stage, but unfortunately we will have to get much closer to actual ship date before I can really get into it.

Q: Commercial software packages used to come bundled with extensive printed manuals and user guides. Those days are gone, and we now see most manuals delivered in electronic format. Although I like the search capabilities on the electronic versions, I cannot take a PDF file to bed to read for an hour or so.

Ed: Stay tuned! You will shortly be able to buy a printed copy of the Xbasic Reference Manual. You will see why I like getting paid by the pound.

Rosemary: I like PDF because you can print out what you want to read and "take it to bed." Personally, I am also a fan of printed documentation but professionally, the electronic formats are more easily updated and economical.

Q: What are your hopes for the future of documentation at Alpha Software?

Rosemary: To keep up with the developers!

Ed: I like Selwyn's vision of an integrated WebHelp that links application notes to developer reference to tutorials through hyperlinks - constantly being updated, so that you can get the latest information with a couple of key clicks.

Q: We now know a little about your work with Alpha Software, but who are you really? Tell us a little about your life outside of Alpha, any family? How about hobbies and interests?

Rosemary: Life outside Alpha? Do we have that? Well, yes, I have a family to whom I go home at night, some pets, kids, hobbies, and interests; for me, it's dancing, running, going to the movies, and reading.

Q: Rosemary, what style of dancing?

Rosemary: Partner dancing, mostly Swing and Latin.

Q: Rosemary, when you say 'running' do you mean marathon type running, or running to the corner grocery store?

Rosemary: Something in between. I've mostly run in 10K races and plan to train for a half-marathon next year.

Q: Rosemary, I've got to ask, what do your read for leisure, surely not technical manuals?

Rosemary: Correct, not technical manuals. I have an eclectic group of favorite authors, Tom Robbins, David Sedaris, Rita Mae Brown, and some of my favorite movies are listed in the AlphaMovies database in the Getting Started manual (I prefer foreign and independent films).

Q: How about you Ed?

Ed: My wife and I live in a big house surrounded by a very large beautiful garden and lots of trees in New Hampshire. I program for fun. I also do flower photography and woodworking, when not busy as assistant gardener.

Q: Ed, what kind of woodworking do you do?

Ed: I have my carpentry and woodworking modes. I am currently in carpentry mode, building a deck at one end of the house. My woodworking has mostly been building tables and cabinets.

Q: Ed, do you use digital photography or film?

Ed: Totally digital! I like to get very tight close-ups, showing things that you usually don't see?

Q: I would assume that in flower photography detail is everything. What kind of printer do you use to get the output you desire?

Ed: I use an HP Deskjet 930. But I rarely print the pictures; I mostly view them on screen.

Rosemary and Ed, I appreciate the time you have taken and wish you both the greatest success in your endeavors with Alpha Software, Inc..