Re: Post-holiday reality: They don't need our stinkin' manuals??

["Jane S." <judydh -at- total -dot- net>]

I confess that with small gadgets and personal software, I plow right in.
Then I read the manual. That usually takes place within 24 hours. I think
I've rented about ten different cars this year, maybe more, but I've only
consulted the guide on three.

With work software, or conceptual software where I am really unfamiliar with
the nontechnical workflow, I like to have a good paper manual with lots of
intro text that shows highlevel procedures. First the why, then the how.
Online help has very rarely cut it for me in this context. Tutorials and
CBTs are better.

I got a copy of Quicken for Christmas. I already have Microsoft Money. I
wanted Quicken for Canadian finances, Money for US. I was furious at Money
for two things: you can't increase the font size of the screen, which would
have been nice for my dad to compare his version with mine (and his finances
with mine ;-)  but also because they do not export stock investment
information, which meant I had to put it into Quicken by hand. Then Quicken
made me mad because it insists on having an account from which it pull the
funds for an investment, so I was having a negative balance on an
investment, and I don't really feel like going back to perfect every
transaction I ever made but it's forcing me to! I liked Quicken in that it
had automated vocal help, though I did rush through and "interrupt" it. I
don't like the format of Quicken online help, but given that the menus seem
really strange after having gotten used to so many Microsoft programs, the
help has come in handy.

jane s




^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^
Develop HTML-based Help with Macromedia Dreamweaver! (STC Discount.)
**NEW DATE/LOCATION!** January 16-17, 2001, New York, NY.
http://www.weisner.com/training/dreamweaver_help.htm or 800-646-9989.

          Sponsored by an
 anonymous satisfied subscriber since 1994.

---
You are currently subscribed to techwr-l as: archive -at- raycomm -dot- com
To unsubscribe send a blank email to leave-techwr-l-obscured -at- lists -dot- raycomm -dot- com
Send administrative questions to ejray -at- raycomm -dot- com -dot-  Visit 
http://www.raycomm.com/techwhirl/ for more resources and info.