Rogue Wave Online Documentation
Rogue Wave is pleased to announce its initial offerings in online
documentation. This page discusses:
Rogue Wave is distributing online documents as follows:
- Site license customers
- Rogue Wave online documents are distributed to all site license
customers. Customers have permission to install the documents on an
internal network for access by all developers licensed to use the
associated product.
- Net.h++ customers
- The online class reference for Net.h++ is being distributed to all
customers who return the registration card, which includes a signed
agreement to abide by the licensing requirements. The license requires
that the document be installed only on the local disk of the registered
user.
Online documents pose a dilemma for Rogue Wave. Since we distribute
source code for our libraries, we have no physical means of preventing
wholesale copying and unlicensed use of our products. Until now,
distributing only one printed manual per license has been the only real
deterrent, albeit imperfect, we have had to unlicensed use. Online
documents remove even that barrier.
Rogue Wave wants to offer its customers the best possible products
and services. If online documents would significantly improve the
usability of our libraries, then universal distribution is a desirable
goal. But we must first assess the ramifications for our financial
well-being. Essentially, will the competitive advantage of offering
quality online documents offset the loss of revenue from increased
unlicensed use?
Currently, online class reference documents in HTML format are
available for the following products:
- Tools.h++ 6.1
- DBtools.h++ 1.1
- Net.h++ 1.0
- Money.h++ 1.3
Rogue Wave plans to create HTML class references for existing
products at the next update of the printed manual (typically at the next
major release) and for all new products as a matter of course.
The following developments are planned for the coming year:
- HTML user guides and tutorials
- HTML-formatted documents will be extended to include user guides
and tutorials.
- Windows Help
- Both the class references and the user guides and tutorials will be
available as Windows Help files to allow for closer integration with
Windows-based development environments.
- SGML documents
- SGML will be the intermediate format used for generating online
formats from the print documentation. These files would be available to
OEMs, business partners, and major corporate customers who use SGML for
their documentation.
A few other developments are also possible.
- Rogue Wave is evaluating the feasibility of creating its own
HTML or SGML-based browser to be shipped with online documents. The
proposed application would be based on zHelp, the newest member of the
zApp Developer's Suite,
and would also include a graphical browser for viewing a library's class
hierarchy.
- Other online formats might be supported, such as man pages if that
should prove the only reliable way of meeting the needs of our UNIX
customers.
© Copyright 1995-6, Rogue Wave
Software, Inc.