Analogy

A coworker came to my office seeking assistance. She works down in Human Resources and has been charged with creating a sort of yearbook for this year’s retirees.

“Parra, I need your help. I need to know how to bring in their photos without messing up my text.”

“You’re using Word?” I ask.

“Yes.”

“Use Quark Xpress,” I say with a grin, then quickly add when I see she doesn’t share my humor, “or another layout program, not a word processor.”

We then talked for a few minutes as we both made our way downstairs about the pro’s and con’s of professional grade layout software vs Microsoft products. She had a pretty good grasp of the concept, but little technical training in any case. We were about to conclude and go our seperate ways at the bottom of the stairs.

“So what should I do.”

“Do you know Publisher, know how to use it?”

“Yes.”

“Then use that. I’d be happy to show you how to use Quark, but you’d be spending a lot of time just learning it instead of working on the project, and you’re on a deadline.”

Nodding as if understanding, she says, “I see, its just that much more complicated…”

“Well, no,” I quickly interject, “Its not that its hard — its just different. In fact, if I were to show it to you, you’d see that its easier.”

I now cast about for some way to explain this in language that would make it quickly accessible to her. “What are your hobbies, besides painting?”

She shruged. “I dunno…” She shruged again, then offered with a laugh, “Drinking!”

“Okay, I can work with that!”

Publisher is like the mini-bar in your home. Quark is like that bar in the tv-commercial with every beer and alcohol ever made. It is very easy to make simple drinks in either program. But if you are making a very special exotic drink, one where Cap’t Morgan is needed specifically instead of a different rum, then Quark has you covered.

The differences are though, that if you just want to make a Jack and Coke, in Publisher you simply pull out a can of Coke, open it and pour. Quark uses the little multiplex button-pushing fountain head for the Coke, and I’d have to show you how to use that.

Its not a major difference, but if all you want is a Jack and Coke, go with what you know. Publisher will work.

She thanked me, saying she understood it very clearly.

I, on the other hand, needed a drink! *G*