[Tutor] Advice required: Documentation Writing / Sofware Testing

[Javier JJ]

Hi all!

I am a longtime lurker of this list, and sometimes I even have something
to say (besides asking for whatever). But today I'm in "begging" mode,
so if you could possibly help me: I just wanted to know if any of the
wise minds around this forum could point me torwards resources for a new
job I'm getting into.

I've just been offered a very interesting job in a small company. Part
of my duties will be to create / maintain this company's product's docs,
whitepapers, etc. so I'd like to know of any resources / advice on
writing documentation. I'm not so much interested on the "how tos", on
the nuts and bolts of documentation software use (I don't know for sure
how they do it actually on the company), but more on something like
"style guides" and "dos and dont's" of the _writing_ itself. Specially
since English is not my mother tongue (quite obvious one, that!) and
I'll have to document both in English and Spanish.

On second thoughts, I'd also like any advice on a good "system" for
generating docs. I have used (briefly) LaTeX, and DocBook, and the
classical "HTML and play with it"... but is there any "killer app", any
"must have" for this?

And now for the second part of the query :) Another thing I'll probably
have to do sooner or later (probably sooner than later) is to get myself
involved in the testing of the aforementioned products (testing and
documentation are part of QA in this company). Any advice / resources /
tips on the matter?

I know I'm asking for quite a bit, but I have grown used to the quality
of the advice here, so I thought I'd just try to make good use of it ;)

Thanks a lot

  Javier


--
«Work like you don't need the money.
  Dance like nobody's watching.
 Love like you've never been hurt.»