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Hi, my answer is not scientific, but I have worked with sys admin in
many work environments. We tend to think of sys admin as very
knowledgeable people. A lot of them are. A lot are not, they just do the
basic tasks they are asked to perform and some need to have it laid out
for them.
I find that most will read the product overviews to know what it's all
about and get started. Then, at best, they will surf the rest of the
information to know what exists. They will, however, look for specific
information to fix problems when they occur or to make use of a
fonctinality they need.
Depending on the use they make of your application and how critical it
is to their business, they will really want to know everything about it
to make use of all that they can, or they will just want it to work.
Is it insulting to go back to basics? Well, it depends on your own
audience and on how much of the basics you want to explain. However, I
would say if you need to explain the basics, put the information
together in a "review the basics" section so that users how decide not
to read the section can move to the next section without missing
critical product information. Don't forget that there are newbies
everywhere even in the sys admin business. Here is a question that might
help: Is your basic information specific to your system? If it is, you
must include it.
Hope this helps...
France Baril
Documentation architect/Architecte documentaire
I X I A S O F T
+1 514 279-4942
france -dot- baril -at- ixiasoft -dot- com
[ www.ixiasoft.com ]
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