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Subject:Re: writing online documentation From:Chuck Banks <chuck -at- ASL -dot- DL -dot- NEC -dot- COM> Date:Fri, 20 Aug 1993 06:50:36 CDT
Gary Beason writes:
>And I've noticed that few online documentation systems have a trouble
>shooting guide. Thinking about it, I figured, well, would a trouble
>shooting guide cast the software in a negative light? Would
>documentation that was even partly organized by possible problems make
>the software look unattractive and difficult? ...
Gary,
None of the software I've used or documented over the years
has included a troubleshooting guide with their documentation.
Software documentation usually includes the following:
o Message Interpretation and Corrective Actions section or
appendix
o Answers to Common Questions or Problems section or appendix
These sections usually contain all the problem solving
information likely to be found in software documentation. They
usually include cross references to other parts of the documentation
for detailed explanations or corrective procedures.
Troubleshooting manuals are usually only included in hardware
documentation sets.
Chuck Bank
--
__ ________ ______
|\\ | || // Chuck Banks
| \\ | ||_______ || Senior Technical Writer
| \\ | || || NEC America, Inc.
| \\| \\______ \\______ E-Mail: chuck -at- asl -dot- dl -dot- nec -dot- com
America, Incorporated CompuServe: 72520,411
