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Subject:TWers and the Lost Document Blues From:Dennis Hays <dhays -at- NOVALIS -dot- COM> Date:Thu, 19 Jun 1997 12:57:03 -0400
The June 16, 1997 (Volume 19, Issue 24) InfoWorld has an interesting
column. Ed Foster's Grip Line on page 106 (maybe on
<http://www.infoworld.com> as well), titled *When buying technical wares,
some want vendors to throw the book at them*, talks about the diminishing
technical manual. In some instances, he says, a CD my only be accompanied
by a brief paper insert, or nothing at all.
Documentation is being viewed as a cost center (except with the current
trend of MS Press, Novell Press, Borland Press, Official Netscape Books,
Adobe Prss/Macmillan Publishing, et al) and manufacturers are reducing
accompanied material to support the product. Foster's last paragraph asks
the question: "How do you think products should be documented, what are you
willing to pay for, and what do you expect for free?"
His eMail address is mailto:gripe -at- infoworld -dot- com
Dennis
Dennis Hays
Novalis Corporation
Telephone: 518/862-3465
eMail: dhays -at- novalis -dot- com
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