Third Wave Studios is launching an video-based training tool for technical writers who document software. The video was designed and presented by award-winning, 25-year veteran writer-programmer and long-time STC Montreal member Manuel Gordon. Full of illuminating advice, easy-to-follow examples and practical exercises, Just Enough Java: Workshop-on-a-DVD is based on his popular seminar of the same name.

The Just Enough Java: Workshop-on-a-DVD is just what the name implies, a live, full-day, technical writing workshop edited down to three hours and 40 minutes of professionally-filmed video. It provides technical writers with an understanding of “just enough Java” to decode a Java source file and make an educated guess about the purpose of each function. This will enable them to work with software developers to create useful documentation for Software Development Kits (SDK’s) and Application Programming Interfaces (API’s).

“Java is today’s most widely used programming language, and there is tremendous demand for technical writers who have a basic understanding of it,” said Gordon.

“That’s the central idea behind the Workshop-on-a-DVD series,” added Marc Proulx, head of Third Wave Studios. “Technical writers really need to know ‘just enough’ about these complex products and processes to read the source files and start documenting the functionality, without getting bogged down in the nitty-gritty.

“Moreover,” Proulx added, “you get all the benefits of going to a day-long workshop without the expense and inconvenience of travel.”
The Just Enough Java: Workshop-on-a-DVD, which includes a 173-page hard copy workbook containing slide printouts, exercises, a glossary and a bibliography, is available for order online at www.thirdwavestudios.com. A seven-minute video preview is also available on the site.