 The magazine of the Melbourne PC User Group The Mysteries of Manuals Dave Mitchell |
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0k, we've gone out and bought that $400 or more accounting, word processing, spreadsheet or whatever program that we just had to have and now we have to use it.
First thing is install. Great! There's a file called install on the first disk. Let's see: B:\install
Hey, fantastic! It's installing itself! Change disk ...change disk ...change disk. Finished and there we go. Now let's see what it can do.
Beep! Beep!
Hey what's wrong, why won't it work? Maybe if I try this.
Beep! Beep!
Damn thing! Must be a dud copy! I'm gunna complain, fm not paying grumble, grumble, rhubarb, rhubarb.
Notice anything wrong here? Yep, that's right we didn't read the manuals. Now I know when I was talking about the well-intentioned friend a little while ago I told you to read the "friendly" manual but it would seem that a lot of us still don't.
Actually there are two mysteries involved with manuals. The first is that they tend to be written in hieroglyphics and the second is even when they aren't we still won't read them.
It's very macho to take a new program and make it go without looking at the manuals. Makes us feel as smart as the people who wrote it because we can figure it out without any help. However, I'll give you ten to one odds that that $400 plus program has a damn sight more features that you're never going to know about because you never read manuals.
As to the first problem of hieroglyphics it's Dave's personal theory that the software companies have a room full of drunk monkeys all employed to type the manuals and a highly trained team of drug crazed donkeys to edit them, however you'll notice almost as soon as the latest software hits the stands there are "How To" books out in the bookstore to really explain what we need to know. Now I know it's a pain buying two items to do the job of one but it's the way I go about it. Just think of it this way if the manuals were easy to read then what would our Dial Help people do for aggravation at nights and don't forget they are there either. You have fellow members out there willing to give you the help you need but even they want you to read the manuals first.
Reprinted from the December 1993 issue of PC Update, the magazine of Melbourne PC User Group, Australia
