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Subject:Re: User vs. Reference (fwd) From:Sherri Hall <shall -at- HILCO -dot- COM> Date:Wed, 1 Feb 1995 16:48:53 CST
> Tammy Sudol writes:
> I'd like to hear the list members' opinions on what the differences
> are between user and reference manuals.
And Sue Gallagher responds:
> I've always thought of user manuals as being task oriented
> and reference manuals as being program oriented -- so the
> user manual would describe procedures (steps), the reference
> manual would describe each menu item, dialog box control,
> programming statement, etc.
Taking this one step further, then, user manuals are more
geared toward novice users (who don't know the software well enough to
look up information that way) and reference manuals are more geared toward
advanced users (who know the organization of the software). Of course,
there are no clear-cut rules, just general guidelines.
--
Sherri Hall * May the road rise to meet you. May the wind be always
shall -at- hilco -dot- com * at your back. May the sun shine warm upon your face ....
