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Subject:Re: Advocating Documentation and Support From:Christine -dot- Anameier -at- seagate -dot- com To:"TECHWR-L" <techwr-l -at- lists -dot- raycomm -dot- com> Date:Thu, 8 Mar 2001 12:13:27 -0600
Jeff Hanvey quoted a few programmers' and engineers' comments on
documentation...
<< "When you buy a car, does the dealer throw in a week's refresher course
on how to use the car's new features?" >>
No, but the dealer gives you an owner's manual.
<< "When you buy a VCR, does the merchant stop and offer you a free lesson
on how to program it?" >>
No, but the manufacturer includes an owner's manual.
Analytical types like programmers and engineers should know better than to
play this kind of linguistic shell game. To imply that we're coddling users
by providing documentation, they're making specious analogies to *personal
training sessions* as if the resources involved were equivalent.
IPCC 01, the IEEE International Professional Communication Conference,
October 24-27, 2001 at historic La Fonda in Santa Fe, New Mexico, USA.
CALL FOR PAPERS OPEN UNTIL MARCH 15. http://ieeepcs.org/2001/
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