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> Keep in mind that, unless you have a pretty unusual
> job, you do _NOT_ add value by writing documentation,
> by developing online help, or by cleaning up
> programmer-ese into English. I know that I don't.
I cannot agree with this, because it basically says that documentation and
online help doesn't add value. If it doesn't add value, it is of no value.
The key you have to remember here is: who does the valuing? Documentation
*is* valuable, but it's *more* valuable to the USER. Certainly the
corporate riff-raff would see less value in it. That's a given. But
they're not the ones immediately benefitting from it. As long as people buy
the product they don't care if it's boxed, let alone outfitted with
documentation. Heck, to tell the truth, as long as people give them money
they don't care if they output a product at all. But since most people
won't give you their cash without you giving them something back...
Since when does a user buy A instead of B because A has better
documentation? Almost never. But that doesn't change the fact that
documentation, especially good documentation, does add value to the product.
Only it's value to the user, not the programmer, nor the CEO.
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A landmark hotel, one of America's most beautiful cities, and
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IPCC 01, Oct. 24-27 in Santa Fe. http://ieeepcs.org/2001/
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