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Assist your end-users first: technical writing, copywriting, HTML Help, usability, and multimedia - by Epic Trends

Connect with your customers-and fuel your sales-through user assistance: technical writing, multimedia, web content, copywriting, usability, user interfaces, demos, tutorials, html help, and online Help.

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The latest security update from Microsoft interferes with HTML Help

Monday, June 20, 2005

I have not posted in awhile because I have had an ear infection, but I'm feeling better now.

The newest security update from Microsoft (896358) interferes with Help topics:

MS05-026: A vulnerability in HTML Help could allow remote code execution

After you install security update 896358, downloaded Compiled Help Module files cannot be opened

One problem appears in a .chm that is accessed across a network share or mapped drive. The HTML Help viewer opens and displays the table of contents and index tabs. However, instead of displaying a topic, the viewer displays the error message: . To display topics, the .chm file must be located in the zone on the client computer that is designated as "local machine" or My Computer. Microsoft Security Bulletin MS05-026 describes a zone model: the permissions for the help file are restricted to a particular security zone. The security zone is determined by the location of the Help file.

Microsoft Security Bulletin MS05-026


Another problem appears in Web-based applications that use the HTML Help ActiveX control (HHCTRL) for cross-frame navigation. The content that should appear in a different frame may appear in the same frame that contains the ActiveX control. Cross-frame navigation is often used for hyperlinks to other topics within the Help, text popups and image maps, and Related Topics buttons.

You cannot use certain Web applications that use the InfoTech protocol after you install Windows Server 2003 Service Pack 1, MS05-026, or MS04-023


You cannot specify a security zone when you compile the .chm. Setup programs must check to see if the HTML Help file is installed to a UNC path. If that is the case, the Setup must tweak the registry of the client computer.

In other cases, such as distributed applications, you might want to provide a utility script that tweaks the registry of the client computer.

Statistics about web surfers with disabilities

Monday, June 13, 2005

This article by a well-known accessibility expert gives statistics about the percentage of web surfers with handicaps.

Simple facts about accessibility by Joe Clark

If you use a news feed on your site, your web site visitor is in the driver's seat

Monday, June 13, 2005

And that's what you intended, isn't it? This article outlines navigation habits of folks who read news feeds. The study points to one fact: You should pay more attention to your web site content and words these days. Users are using blogs to control their navigation and using the navigation on your web site less frequently.

More on navigation habits within feed readers

Does Yahoo have a better user interface design than Google?

Friday, June 10, 2005

I enjoyed reading this comparison of Google and Yahoo! The conclusion is that Yahoo! does a better job in selling their services online from their front door, their main page. I would have to agree. I hear about new services that Google offers through blogs and newsletters, such as the following web sites:

Software Marketing Resource

Shareware Promotions

However when I visit Google's main page, getting information and finding that new service can be a real challenge. Read the comparison of the Google and Yahoo! interfaces at:

http://www.lukew.com

Give me a whole series on design . . . and make it excellent . . .

Monday, June 06, 2005

Good user interface design can be learned. Look no further . . . the following articles from IBM will keep you busy . . .

Design series