What part writer? What part programmer? A survey of practices and knowledge used in programmer writing

There are few resources geared to technical writers working on documentation for software developers. This paper presents the results of online surveys and telephone interviews that cover the experience, technical knowledge, and practices of technical writers in this area, with a large percentage of respondents who are Microsoft employees. Respondents value strong writing skills and the ability to learn quickly and continuously, with the amount and type of knowledge needed being specific to the subject area and audience for their work.