Re: Info Center

Hello David,

You wrote:
>I know that I am in the minority, but I find that the info center is
>much better organized and capable than book manager.

The Java Navigator in Info Centre makes finding the obvious things a
little easier then Book Manager **IF** you know which section they've
hidden them in.  However, try using it without that navigation aid (i.e.,
slow or no Internet connection, PC JVM at the wrong level, etc.) and see
exactly how impossible InfoCentre is to use.

At least Book Manager let you search the entire Softcopy Library and used
relevant search techniques so the first hits were generally the ones I
wanted.

However, I use the OS/2 version of Book Manager Reader because it is much
more usable than the Windows version.  It also makes better use of the
screen area so I see more of the document rather than losing a third of
the screen to that stupid table of contents panel on the right-hand side.

(The only thing the Windows version of Book Manager Reader does better
than the OS/2 version is that it defaults to not setting a book mark on
exit --- woohoo)

>I can cut and paste from it, print, and search with outside tools --
>things that were difficult to do with the old book manager.

This I don't understand.  Why would you need to use "outside tools"?
Book Manager Reader supports cut & paste, print, and search.

>I can also take it anywhere that I have an Internet connection and don't
>have to waste the disk space.

I take my Softcopy CDs where ever I take my laptop.  No wasted disk
space.  The Softcopy Library for 440 was the last of the versions that
had most of my day-to-day books on the CD.  Much of the API documentation
was moved to the Info Centre but that section is actually the best of
Info Centre and quite easy to navigate (Programming->CL and APIs->APIs by
Category->pick your section).

>It is advisable to maintain a high speed >connection, but if I can get
>one in Montana, I bet most areas have quite >a few options.

Also, fast Internet connections are not as easily accessible in the rest
of the world as they are in the US.  Americans tend to forget that and
design for what they know as the norm rather than consider the rest of
the world.  Hence, IBM distibute the InfoCentre CD but that doesn't have
a local search function and it assumes the user is running windoze.  (It
does work under other operating systems since it is browser based but you
have to force it to behave.  Why does InfoCentre have to INSTALL on my
PC?  It's just using a browser which I already have installed.  All it
should need is a main page to get started.  Jeez!)

The thing that gets me is that IBM had a good, workable, deliverable
method in Book Manager Reader.  They also had the Book Server that made
books available via the Web.  But rather than improve a good solution
they toss it out and redo it using Info Centre and we have to suffer 3
years of crap documentation.  Now 4 or so years later InfoCentre is
begining to be usable but just imagine how much better Book Manager could
be if IBM had expended the Info Centre dollars on improving Book Manager.

Regards,
Simon Coulter.

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