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Subject:Re: Recognition at last! From:Michael John Little <hypercom -at- C031 -dot- AONE -dot- NET -dot- AU> Date:Sat, 9 Nov 1996 07:03:07 +1100
Eric, you are absolutely right....just wait to see the user manual for MS
FrontPage....22 pages, but the book from MS Press cost about $65AUS. I know
Bill gates has got his priorities right!
Cheers!
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> From: Eric J. Ray <ejray -at- RAYCOMM -dot- COM>
> To: TECHWR-L -at- LISTSERV -dot- OKSTATE -dot- EDU
> Subject: Re: Recognition at last!
> Date: Wednesday, 6 November 1996 2:05
> Er. Well. Great in principle. Yes, but...
> The Microsoft Getting Results manual is distributed as the user?s
> manual, but takes a rather unconventional and sparse
> approach to documenting the software.
> If I bought Office and actually expected usable hardcopy
> documentation, I'd be steamed. From my perspective,
> the Getting Results book is an expanded outline of
> functional user tasks (so far, so good), with minimal
> and vague actual content (not so good). Heck, anyone with
> experience using word processors and a decent
> requirements document could write the Getting
> Results book for Word without seeing the software.
> >From page 103 -- where I opened the book. "What to
> do first" for creating a newsletter. In brief,
> it tells to use Search and Replace to change
> formatting, or to attach a template for extensive
> changes. (No explanation of templates or styles.)
> General info about converting files and how to
> count words.
> The margin notes tell users to use online
> help to look up: file formats, templates,
> styles, finding formatting.
> Additionally, for help on dialog box options,
> users are encouraged to click the ? button.
> Come on! I think that's too sketchy
> for beginners and unusable (too remedial) for
> more advanced users.
> Studies of user input and usability for the Word for
> Windows 95 documentation should prove enlightening. If
> usability studies and user opinion validate this approach,
> technical communicators everywhere should be able to
> dramatically cut their own development costs, shift the
> burden of obtaining documentation to the customer, and
> ensure a continuing revenue stream for the company by
> producing their own third-party documentation.
