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Subject:RE: Re(4): craft vs. science vs. art From:Phil Levy <PLevy -at- epion -dot- com> To:"TECHWR-L" <techwr-l -at- lists -dot- raycomm -dot- com> Date:Mon, 24 Jun 2002 15:00:46 -0400
OK! I know that text is important! Especially when used to introduce tables,
diagrams, figures, and other examples....... ";2)
-----Original Message-----
From: Jan Henning [mailto:henning -at- r-l -dot- de]
Sent: Monday, June 24, 2002 2:53 PM
To: TECHWR-L; Phil Levy
Subject: Re(4): craft vs. science vs. art
>Take an extreme situation: wouldn't someone who does not speak the language
>get more from the examples (especially if these are diagrams or pictures)
>than they would from the text?
As I said, this feels very much like arguing which bike wheel is more
important. There may be extreme cases where the examples alone could
provide some value (just like a acrobat could make something of a one-
wheeled bike).
But I would like to point out:
- Many tasks cannot be meaningful explained in graphics.
- An index is useless without something to point to.
- Documentation is not normally written for people who do not speak the
language (at least somewhat).
So, fascinating though your argument is, I still do not think that the
body text could be dispensed with in the overwhelming majority of manuals.
Regards
Jan Henning
--------------------------------------------------------------------
Jan Henning
ROSEMANN & LAURIDSEN GMBH
Am Schlossberg 14, D-82547 Eurasburg, Germany
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