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Which is why we have sudden millionaires wandering around through the genius
of pouring hot coffee on their crotches. ;)
:: Ah, but the thing is, the user wouldn't
:: know to look hyperlink up in the glossary
:: unless they already knew the product
:: defined it differently from their own
:: conception of the term. And if the user
:: is going through the docs and not finding
:: the information they need, their first
:: thought will not be "I must be
:: misunderstanding how Adobe conceptualizes
:: hyperlinks"--it will be "This manual is a
:: worthless piece of junk!" (Or something
:: along those lines...)
True, but we won't know for sure unless it's tried. Of course, the
information has to be designed to accommodate this. We can't expect this to
work if we just toss in a glossary. :)
:: The software exists to serve the user, not
:: the other way around. If most users think a
:: hyperlink is something that takes you from
:: one location to another, the software should
:: accommodate that idea--if not in the actual
:: interface design (ideally), then at least in
:: the documentation.
While I agree, I think that in the specific case of Acrobat that would be
very difficult, as the software has a global reach to users of all shapes,
sizes, and perspectives. In this case, you have to cater to all, and by
including several procedures for creating hyperlinks, you're only adding to
the confusion.
:: But then we would have missed out on this
:: fun discussion. ;)
O! the sour side-effects of documentation! ;)
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BILL SWALLOW
Technical Writer
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T E L * 508-879-8400 x316
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