Shanghai Tech WriterTechnical Writing, Technology, WordPress, Web 2.0, National Instruments, LabVIEW, Shanghai, China

This is a no brainer. There’s nothing worse than working on a slow machine, especially when there’s a need to run multiple (and heavy duty) applications simultaneously!

Fortunately, I have a powerhorse PC and am very pleased with its performance. I have a Dell OptiPlex GX745 with Intel(R) Core(TM)2 CPU, 6400 @ 2.13 GHz, 2.00 GB of RAM, and 250GB HDD, along with a 19″ flat panel monitor. It was a brand new computer when I started working at NI in October (2007) and since then, I’ve installed a bunch of software, some of which are memory-killers. Performance has definitely slowed down a bit but I am not complaining yet. Considering that I usually have at least 8-10 windows/applications open at the same time, performance isn’t bad at all. There are so many steps/procedures and tools used in the documentation process that it is utterly impossible to have only a few applications open and maintain a clean taskbar.

Here is a list of some of the windows/applications/tools/folders that are most likely to be open at any given point in time:

1. LabVIEW—This is the product I’m documenting, so the application is always open because I need to play with it, test it, install/uninstall it, use it, and break it. Just kidding about the last part.
2. XML Spy—This is the main editor I use for writing my XML-based documentation. Since the project I am working on is completely written in XML, I spend quite a bit of time staring at symbols like <VI id=”1234″>, <para>, <h2 id=”Digital Filter”> and <img src=”bd_convert_structure.gif”>.
3. HomeSite—This is the main editor I use for editing, searching, checking, and validating HTML files.
4. Access Database—This is the database where all the VIs for LabVIEW are stored. This is where I make edits to the documentation for the VIs.
5. Perforce—All the source files are located on the perforce server so whenever I make changes to any file, I have to check the files in/out of Perforce
6. Scratch folder—This is the folder where all the XMLs, HTMLs, images, scripts, and miscellaneous files are generated daily. From this folder I can find all the project-related files and compile the online help, or CHM.
7. Temp folder—Since scratch folder in read-only, I often copy the contents to a temp folder on my desktop so I can make changes for testing purposes.
8. FreeCommander—This application is always open because this is the most taskbar-saving tool there is! This file management system allows me to view multiple folders without actually opening each one. If it weren’t for this application, the number of items on my taskbar would be twice as many. More on this software in a different post.
9. IrfanVIEW—I’m constantly making screenshots and editing images, but this is a small application so I can easily open/close them immediately when needed.
10. Lotus Notes—This should not be the last but the first on the list! It’s certainly the first application that is opened on a fresh boot up. I’m constantly checking my inbox, my to do list, my calendar, and the CAR (correct action request) database used for fixing bugs in software/documentation.
11. Lotus SameTime & MSN—I would do away with MSN if it weren’t for several developers that do not use SameTime. In any case, IMing is one of the main method of communication at the office, so at any point in time, I might have several chat windows open. I’m either IMing the developers, my tech lead, or other technical writers.
12. Integrated CHM folder—This is where all the CHMS for all the LabVIEW projects are located. I need to cross check all the links, compatibility, functionality, indexing, etc…

And there are many other windows/applications that I’m not going to write about. The point is, if I didn’t have a powerful PC to handle all the applications that are open simultaneously, it would take me twice as much time to work on the tasks one or two windows at a time. I wonder how long the performance on my PC is going to keep up. I am also curious to know how often computers get replaced/upgraded at NI. My last work place still used computers from 5-6 years ago, and I was on my last ounce of patience working with semi-functional PCs.