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Re: Documenting installers?

Subject: Re: Documenting installers?
From: Dick Margulis <margulisd -at- comcast -dot- net>
To: "TECHWR-L" <techwr-l -at- lists -dot- raycomm -dot- com>
Date: Thu, 20 May 2004 11:04:13 -0400




John Posada wrote:

Lately, I've been documenting applications that require a complex
installation procedure, even though the installation is done through an
Installation Wizard. My feeling is that someone who is installing an
application is the least experienced user I can have. He knows NOTHING
about the application, and he needs the most handholding.

[remainder snipped to avoid saBOTage]

John's example from the world of mainframes may seem remote to many list members, but I know I've installed Windows desktop applications where, someplace along about the sixth or seventh frame of the wizard, two installations into a sequence of four required reboots, after my registry already had committed changes and I had overwritten existing system DLLs, there was a series of options and questions using jargon I didn't have a clue about, and the only solution was to abort the installation in order to read the sketchy and ambiguous programmer-written documentation that had so thoughtfully been included on the CD. More than once this has resulted in massive system damage.

Okay, the last time this happened was a few versions of Windows back, and most installations run cleaner now. But I can only add to the chorus requesting a PRINTED, EXPLICIT, COMPLETE guide to all the options that will be encountered during an installation, with screen shots and explanations of every piece of obscure programmer-speak.


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