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Subject:Re: paper vs online From:BERGEN -at- UNTVAX -dot- BITNET Date:Sun, 14 Mar 1993 09:46:53 -0500
>>Maybe I'm hopelessly steeped in the past, but I need real books to peruse.
>>As a technical writer and one who actually has to use the stuff, I think
>>we need online quick reference material, but we also need well written,
>>well organized, use as a door stop documentation.
>I'll buy that. When I am using documentation I usually end up with
>several different pencils, pens, rulers, and whatnot sticking
>out of the books so I can keep track of the info I need. It just doesn't
>work with online docs.
>AArrgggghhhhhh!
>Eric
One thing I've not seen addressed in discussions about online documentation
is that when the help window is open, a user cannot actually step through
the documentation. Instead, a user must close the window and hope that
he or she can remember the instructions. The only other alternatives
are to PRINT the online help onto a hard copy, or to WRITE the
instructions down somewhere. Both of those alternatives seem silly in
light of the whole concept of online documentation. Apparently, some
online instruction has an interactive mini-tutorial, but I haven't
seen it in any of the major software packages I've used.
Is this a programming problem? Or is it a problem simply because
no one else sees it as a problem?
