Re: RTFM (was: CPYF behavior)

Don,

In a message dated 1/14/00 10:24:26 PM Eastern Standard Time, 
dr2@cssas400.com writes:

<<snip>>
> IF we still had the hard copy resources of old, I think you'ld see alot
>  more exploring into the manuals....and you'd have alot of folks that would
>  just fumble into it cuz they turned the wrong page....not so with
>  softcopy.  It's  ALOT easier to just reach over and grab the book than
>  to play "who's got the CD this week?".....but in many shops they may not
>  know where the CD is IFF indeed they know that it exists....and Lord help
>  you if you've got a real doink for a business partner (ACTUAL CASES HERE!)
>  that tells you that there was not only no upgrade in the softcopy for the
>  release, but there haven't been any significant changes since
>  several ago....yes, I've had to kick some butt here...:)
<<snip>>

My Don ate my homework!  Actually, just stole my answer.  Back when Simon 
first said "So long, and thanks for all the fish", most AS/400 shops had hard 
copy manuals even if they were outdated.  Today, we're relegated to 
"windowesque" searches wherein you have to know what you're looking for 
before you find it.  To use Al's "S-word", it SUCKS.  No index search -- 
hell, it's hard to even find the manual you're looking for even when you know 
it!  Just "keyword" search now, which returns 30+ hits whether or not they're 
appropriate to your question.  CL, DDS, RPG, multi-language, and display file 
programming manuals don't even appear in the same bookshelf anymore!

No, people shouldn't come here asking someone to write their first subfile 
program for them.  Nor should "newbies" be afraid to ask a simple question.  
Perhaps more direction to the archives should be provided for first-time 
users?

Regards!

Dean Asmussen
Enterprise Systems Consulting, Inc.
Fuquay-Varina, NC  USA
E-mail:  DAsmussen@aol.com

"Experience is a wonderful thing.  It enables you to recognize a mistake when 
you make it again." -- Anonymous
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