The Help Files Evolution: From Pop-Ups and Frames to Markdown Bliss

I've been building online help since the early days — back when HTML ruled and editors were mainly plain text. Things have changed a lot, but some fundamentals are still going strong.
In this piece, I look back at how Help has evolved, from RoboHelp and tri-pane structures to the cleaner world of Markdown and static site generators. It's part nostalgia, part practicality — and all about making documentation better.

The Docs-as-Code Way: A Philosophy That Builds Better Docs

For years, documentation happened only after development was finished. The method involved gathering information — sometimes straight from developers, but mostly within our own bubble, working among technical writers. Then one day, I realized something: I was using Git, writing in Markdown, pushing commits, editing in VS Code. Wait a minute — I was doing docs-as-code.

Migrating with Confidence: From Hugo to Docusaurus V2

This summer, I dove back into a client's documentation with a dual mission: explain their new API and migrate the entire site to Docusaurus V2.
From search engines to stylish admonitions and ReDoc integration, this version doesn't just look good — it works brilliantly. Here's what we gained, and what to watch out for.