Re: Help or User Manual First?

["R. John Keene" <rjkeene -at- ISTAR -dot- CA>]

In a message dated 97-05-05 00:19:24 EDT, Alexander writes:

>The user might need some paper to install the program and to do his first
> peeks into it. You might be able to write that well ahead. Put most of the
>rest
> into the online documentation. Hardly anyone reads paper anymore...
                                 ^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^
I don't know about this premise. I finally broke down this year
and decided to buy Windows 95, and install it on a new hard disk.

Of course, the manual they (the software maker who shall remain
nameless) does not provide much of a user's manual. And of course,
I had problems installing a CD-ROM driver, modem was not being
recognized (it's a Plug and 'Pay' type), the mouse driver had a
yellow exclamation mark on it in the Devices screen, etc.

I still haven't got it running properly and am sending this e-mail
from my Window 3.11 hard disk (thank goodness I kept it intack)
and my Trumpet Winsock. The online help and troubleshooter was
a dead end; it couldn't help me it said. So I spent $60 to buy the
biggest book I have ever bought in life; namely, the "Windows 95
Resource Kit" manual, which takes up alot of desk space. Most of my
clients (me included) want hard copy, and if you have time, do the
online help "thing."

That's my experience,

RJK

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