RE: doc'ing the docs (was RE: Hackos' minimalism seminar -- some insights)

Subject: RE: doc'ing the docs (was RE: Hackos' minimalism seminar -- some insights)
From: "Sean Brierley" <sbri -at- haestad -dot- com>
To: "TECHWR-L" <techwr-l -at- lists -dot- raycomm -dot- com>
Date: Mon, 2 Dec 2002 13:50:54 -0500


I dunno Jan. I can see your point.

Maybe I'm in CYA mode? Certainly, to spend four pages in an 800-page
document about how to use the CHM interface and the Find button in a
PDF, and what enclosing a search in quotes does, cannot hurt.

In any event, when next the issue gets raised at a company meeting, to
the owner, I can quietly state the appropriate page number or topic
name. <vbg>

Cheers,

Sean


-----Original Message-----
From: Jan Henning [mailto:henning -at- r-l -dot- de]



> Thus, sometimes doc'ing the doc is a good idea. Don't assume that your
> audience, even people used to working with software, are really savvy
> enough or have the patience to look at the interface and figure it
out.

I wonder about that. I certainly do not doubt your account or that it
is typical. But are people who do not have the patience to closely look
at the interface going to read documentation about documentation?

My personal experience indicates otherwise. But maybe that is atypical?


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