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Subject:Re: Repeating a section in two manuals From:"Bergen, Jane" <janeb -at- ANSWERSOFT -dot- COM> Date:Mon, 3 Aug 1998 13:28:31 -0500
> From: Amy M. Lattof [mailto:amyl -at- ILINC -dot- COM]
(snipped for brevity)
> Now, here's the dilemma. For the new release, I'm going back to =
> producing the reference guide as a hard copy piece as well.=20
>
> 1. Should I repeat the installation information in it's
> entirety in the reference manual?
>
> 2. Where should the information in the small installation
> guide stop? =
> Should I include testing instructions in the small guide too?
Amy, my suggestion would be to keep the installation instructions in a
separate manual. Customers generally like that approach. Also, if your
product is, for example, a client-server application, you may have
instances in which the installation instructions are going to a
different end-user than the rest of the manual. We see that all the
time.
As for your second question, what are they testing? The installation?
configuration? application performance? If it's testing the installation
or configuration setup, then you could probably justify putting the
testing info into the installation guide. Otherwise, I'd put it in a
separate chapter or an appendix to the main doc, depending upon how
often you expect the users to test, how you present the material (just
tables or is it discussion?), and how vital it is for the users to
perform.
By the way, what did you mean "having installation information online"?
I can't imagine putting installation information in an online file to be
installed by the program installation. How could they use it to install
anything?!?! Installation information (system requirements, etc.) and
instructions ought to ALWAYS be on paper and should accompany the
software media, IMNSHO.
Jane
Jane Bergen, Technical Writer
AnswerSoft, Inc.
Richardson, TX (972)997-8355
