CompuServe Messages

The single best reason to have an on line help system is the ability to search for words. Browsing indexes is a nightmare to say the least. I think the search engine and a hefty data dictionary are the most important aspect of any online help system. Once the desired data is found, the full text could be present for a quick browse but a reference to the written documentation (book title and page number) is important as well. Just take a look at the Microsoft Developers Network CD. That's the best tool I have ever seen. Its main problem though is that it doesn't give a reference to the written documentation. I have a wall to wall section on Microsoft documents. Every time I have to find something it's a nightmare as I don't even know which of the 300 books I should be looking for. Once you find the right book, you have to go through the indexes and they are never laid out in the same way as your questions. Being able to browse several references at once is a dream come true.