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Subject:reasons for online From:"William J. Hartzer" <William -dot- Hartzer -at- EMC2-TAO -dot- FISC -dot- COM> Date:Mon, 19 Dec 1994 15:38:00 EST
Caryn Rizell writes:
"...Put the cost burden of access to documentation on the customer. Just give
them one manual and let them print out anything else as they needed it from
online..."
Caryn, we are doing exactly that in our organization. Starting in March of
1995, we will only offer our documentation on CD-ROM in the IBM BookManager
format. And as a norm, customers will receive one copy of the documenation
per site. IBM's BookManager program allows for extensive searching, can be
uploaded on a LAN, etc. and generally be made available to any end user of our
software. Any user can print any part of the documentation they wish. We
have chosen to use IBM's BookManager simply because it allows us to create one
electronic "book" which can be read in virtually any environment.
We will offer one CD-ROM with BookManager files of all our documentation once
each quarter. If customers want paper documentation, they must purchase it
from us. The CD-ROM will be free (one CD).
Certainly, if this doesn't put the cost burden on the customer, I don't know
what does.
Bill Hartzer
Technical Writer, Fischer International Systems Corporation
Naples, Florida USA
