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I work tech support at Lotus (yes, as in 1-2-3, Freelance, etcetera) The
company has been making a push towards more online doc and less printed
information. However, when answering the phones, I hear an overwhelming
desire for more & better printed doc.
Among the points in favor of printed doc:
- You can read it at your leisure while not at the computer.
- With online help, you often need to know what to look for in order to
find it. A catch 22.
- With different help/program windows, it can be difficult to read the
doc AND work in the program at the same times.
Online help may be context sensitive (if you're in draw, F1 will give you draw
help, if you're in database, you'll get database help, etcetera) but people
still prefer paper.