Newsgroups: comp.lang.smalltalk
Path: cantaloupe.srv.cs.cmu.edu!europa.chnt.gtegsc.com!gatech!news.sprintlink.net!noc.netcom.net!netcom.com!altinbay
From: altinbay@netcom.com (John Altinbay)
Subject: Re: My opinion of ST/V is going down fast...
Message-ID: <altinbayDAzrrL.B4w@netcom.com>
Organization: Netcom Online Communications Services (408-241-9760 login: guest)
References: <3snu22$1pf@stratus.CAM.ORG> <altinbayDAu45M.KxA@netcom.com> <3svt29$15i@stratus.CAM.ORG>
Date: Fri, 30 Jun 1995 15:16:33 GMT
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Sender: altinbay@netcom21.netcom.com

In article <3svt29$15i@stratus.CAM.ORG> vbykov@CAM.ORG (Vassili Bykov) writes:
>>That may well be, but that's no excuse for the vendor to supply little
>>and/or incorrect information about the use of their product.  This
>>is not the only place where this particular product's documentation 
>>simply falls apart.
>
>Right, but still any documentation will remain correct and extensive only
>to a certain limit.  The person(s) writing it cannot have the knowledge
>and even space to describe *all* existing bugs and pitfalls to avoid. 
>Correct me if I'm wrong, but I think we will all have to solve many
>problems for ourselves rather than troubleshoot them with a manual in
>hand, no matter how good it is. 
>
>>If you can't figure it out reasonably well from the book, you will
>>likely not get the experience, as you will get so frustrated that
>>you will abandon it.
>
>Probably it's more about personal qualities.
>

I have written documentation.  I have spent many years in customer support,
and know about documentation.  I am married to a Tech. Writer.  I understand
about not being able to get everything into documentation.

But in too many places, there are too many avoidable things going on
that subvert proper documentation.  And there's degrees of quality in
documentation.  If a company changes the way something is done and
does not document it, it is inexcusible.  Thousands of user-programmers
shouldn't be expected to expend precious time trying to figure out why
something that worked in the previous release is failing.  This is
simply bad.

Where there are several competing products, if I'm finding that one is
wasting my time with bad documentation, I would not feel positive
about going on with that particular one.  It is bad business.

I don't really understand what you mean by your last sentence, but
it does sound insulting to me.  I may be able to find my way around
these problems, but why should I have to, when it's avoidable?
I resent the macho mentality of "well, if *you* don't care to work
at this, you're a wimp" that the statement implies to me.  If that's
not what you meant, I apologize.

-- 
John Altinbay   -   altinbay@netcom.com   anon-1014@twwells.com
===============================================================
There's a spirit that guides me, a light that shines for me
My life is worth the living, I don't need to see the end.
