#Morphed Letters
[Continued]
But the central problem (to me) with the manuals is not the manuals. I
think you and Jack forget that sometimes people just don't get what they
need from the doc even if the information is in there. You guys are much
too defensive about any criticism or implied criticism about your docs and
you just plain don't like stupid questions. I understand that, believe me
— I'm that way too. But I think that in the software support business,
you've got to be able to deal with stupid questions — it's part of the
job. When I call Aldus to ask SQ's about Pagemaker, I'm not told to RDFM;
they just politely and patiently me how to do what I need to do. It's very
nice. What you guys need is some genteel person to handle the SQ's -someone
who doesn't have those (very justifiable) protective, maternal feelings
about your docs.
I do agree with Mitchell Waite that it is not fair to expect everyone to
understand everything just because a description is provided. There are
some sections which would benefit from more reinforcement and depth. It may
be that you guys know too much to be able to understand how baffling many
of the concepts are for us common folk — especially at first. But to be
honest, with the six pounds (?) of docs you provide, I don't know if its
fair to expect any more. There is certainly room for an aftermarket "tips
and techniques" book.
Alec Jason