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Subject:Re: Learning from others' manuals From:"Huber, Mike" <mrhuber -at- SOFTWARE -dot- ROCKWELL -dot- COM> Date:Wed, 21 Oct 1998 12:34:50 -0400
> Eileen George
...
> "REAL tech writers don't read the manual."
> She made the comment while I was looking up info in
> the s/w manual for something I was working on.
...
> However, am I the only one who "reads the manual" not only to
> learn as much as I can about the software I'm using, but also to analyze
> the document's structure?
I read manuals to keep up with the state of the art far more often than I do
to get information on the product.
At one point, I had the idea that, as one who writes manuals, I should read
them. But then I realized that reading the manual before all else failed
would make it harder to empathize with the vast majority of my audience. I
need to experience manuals the way my audience does: as a final resource to
be used in desperation while on hold waiting for tech support.
I wrote an article about reading manuals a few years back. I'll have to
re-post it on my web site.
---
Office:
mike -dot- huber -at- software -dot- rockwell -dot- com
Home:
nax -at- execpc -dot- com
