Is there any open source user-guide type creation software available?

Question

Is there any open source user-guide type creation software available? Or is it best to use wiki type systems? We want to be able to create user guides on the fly through a web front end and accessible on the net. Or is this best achieved using Wikis? Thanks

Answer 1

I use MediaWiki for a user-guide and help page at my company, and it works really well!

Create custom namespaces for different parts, and if you want to have access controls you can create different groups.

The extensions are great, because you can always find one to do anything you want (ie. print to PDF for an offline copy)

Answer 2

We have used Wikispaces.com to create manuals and guides for several projects. Especially if you are a non-profit with a K-12 educational mission, then current setup for a Wikispace includes Private Projects so you can evolve documentation and make it public when it's appropriate to do so.

Answer 3

I'd strongly recommend using Wikis. As long as your chosen one's markup covers your needs, it's ideal for user guides.

This post is not 100% on topic - it's about creating user manual for the workplace (as opposed to the software) - but many ideas are still worth reading.

This is a good guide for using Wiki in knowledge sharing.

http://www.futurechanges.org/patterns/