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In most cases I would agree that future functionality should be left out.
I could see room for exceptions where you KNOW that a feature will be
changed or deprecated in the next release and there are steps that the user
can take now to make the transition easier when the next release is
available. It doesn't sound like that is the case in your situation though.
Andrea
akelso -at- jetform -dot- com
-----Original Message-----
From: Field, Kristin [mailto:KField -at- LSAC -dot- org]
Sent: Thursday, July 05, 2001 9:31 AM
To: TECHWR-L
Subject: future functionality
I am currently updating a user's manual from a year and a half ago written
by a different author. There are several references in the manual of future
funcionality for the particular application I am updating the manual for.
For example, "The XXX allows you to do YYY. In a future release, you will
be able to do ZZZ." Personally, I think this is a bad practice and don't
feel that any future plans for the application should be in a user's
(basically a "How to") manual. I mean, this manual is a year and a half
old, as I mentioned, and the future functionality is still future
functionality.
Wouldn't that be best left to the marketing literature?
Kristin D. Field
Technical Communicator/Proofreader
Law School Admission Council
215.968.1141
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