Re: IBM Documentation (was CA Express and Life Certainties)

[Jeff Crosby <jlcrosby@xxxxxxx>]

DAsmussen@aol.com wrote:

> 1. IBM will always produce a harder to use emulation product than third
> parties writing to its own platforms.
> 2. IBM will always use 2-5+ manuals to describe what other vendors usually
> distill into one, providing no links between them.
> 3. On the odd chance you have a choice of only two IBM manuals for a specific
> subject, you will always choose the "User's Guide" when you need the
> "Reference" and vice versa.
> 4.  Unless your problem is either very simple or very old, you will always
> have to come to midrange-l in order to find the answer you seek.

I cannot answer your subsequent question, but I can identify with and
empathize (is that a word?) with what you said.  Big time.  The
frustration in your post comes through loud & clear.  I can't tell you
how many times I've wanted to look up an answer to something, let's say
Client Access connectivity, and wondered, should I look in the Client
Access bookshelf?  Communications bookshelf?  Then, after not finding
it, I end up searching _all_ books and getting umpteen hits, and nothing
really addresses what I want.  So I go to the redbooks and repeat. 
Still no luck.  So I ask the question here and somebody posts an answer
citing a particular manual and says "Next time RTFM!" <g>

Sometimes I think the IBM manual writers spend too much time trying to
teach or lead you to determining how to do something, instead of just
saying "Here's how you do X".

-- 
-Jeff
The opinions expressed are my own and not necessarily 
the opinion of my company.  Unless I say so.
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