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From:
Sandra FoutsSubject:
RE: using the manualDate:
Wed, Mar 28, 2007 11:35:27 amWell said. What is simple to one person is not to another.
Sandra Fouts
Phone Counselor
Arkansas Attorney General's Office
323 Center Street, Ste 200
Little Rock, AR
501-371-2303
Fax 501-682-8118
-----Original Message-----
From: Darren Harris [mailto:darren_g_harris@btinternet.com]
Sent: Wednesday, March 28, 2007 10:26 AM
To: Sandra Fouts
Cc: gw-info@gwmicro.com
Subject: RE: using the manual
The point that is trying to be made here, is that for 1, a lot of
sighted people just don't read manuals. Lol I don't know many that do.
Not that I think it's right, but also I think people do find manuals
very hmmm shall we say, inpersonal. Personally I don't care about
manuals that much and I'll read them. But everybodies needs/requirements
are different as is their levels of understanding. Something that looks
simple, well written and well explained to 1 person could be a forign
language to someone else.
So far the most difficult bit of the manual for me to understand at the
moment is with regards to using we on a pendrive. I don't follow that at
all. It gives an example but to be honest it doesn't quite do it for me.
I just want to know how it's done, what needs to be done to achieve a
pendrive instalation, and of course how it can be removed at the end of
your session. Whether you have to shut down the machine first and then
remove the pendrive, or just rip the thing out or click on the system
tray and shut it down that way. There's no explination as far as I can
see or that I can understand for deactivation. As of course with all USB
devices if you aren't sure then treate it like a PS2 device and shut the
pc down first. There's no harm in that. But the point is, at least from
what I can see the manual hasn't covered that, or at least the bits that
I've read I can't seem to find that information. Also what it doesn't
say is that when you put the drive into a different machine, for
arguments sake, a friends pc, "after they've given you admin access" to
load on the file that needs to be coppied across, will wineyes straight
away boot up? Again for those who are shall we say new to this, to my
mind it's not well explained.
-----Original Message-----
From: Aaron Smith [mailto:aaron@gwmicro.com]
Sent: 28 March 2007 15:38
To: Sandra Fouts
Cc: Josh de Lioncourt; gw-info@gwmicro.com
Subject: Re: using the manual
I hate to keep fueling this fire, but I have to say the notion that
someone expects you to memorize a manual is a bit silly, no offense.
After all, that's why manuals and documentation exist: for reference. In
fact, the beauty is that you don't have to memorize anything. All you
have to know is how to read.
Yesterday, we received a IDE to USB cable to use for connecting a laptop
hard drive to a desktop computer for transferring files from a deceased
laptop. The first thing I did after tearing the package open was look
for whatever documentation was available. Not so I could read it first,
not so I could memorize it, but just so that I knew where it was in case
I ran into problems.
I'm responsible for creating much of the documentation for our products,
and even I don't have all the information memorized. But I do know that
I work hard at making sure what I write is easily understood. When I
hear that people don't even attempt to read what I've written, I think,
"what's the point of writing all this then?" But I know it's helpful to
those who do take the time to research answers themselves. And thanks to
the people who do read it, and offer feedback, we've been able to make
our documentation even easier to follow and understand.
That brings me to the final point I'd like to make in this whole thread.
If you find documentation confusing, we need to know about it so that we
can make it clear. If you read a section of the manual, and do not
understand it, then I have not done my job correctly. But I need to know
about it so that I can fix the problem.
I get the feeling, however (like Doug mentioned) that many times the
manual is never even opened because it's called "documentation," or
"user's guide," or "manual." Interesting thing about the word manual; it
even implies a do-it-yourself attitude. I bet if we called our
documentation, "FREE GUIDE TO FREE STUFF FOR FREE," everyone would have
read it by now.
Aaron
Sandra Fouts wrote:
To insure that you receive proper support, please include all past
correspondence (where applicable), and any relevant information
pertinent to your situation when submitting a problem report to the GW
Micro Technical Support Team.
Aaron Smith
GW Micro
Phone: 260/489-3671
Fax: 260/489-2608
WWW: http://www.gwmicro.com
FTP: ftp://ftp.gwmicro.com
Technical Support & Web Development
If you reply to this message it will be delivered to the original sender
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--
No virus found in this incoming message.
Checked by AVG Free Edition.
Version: 7.5.446 / Virus Database: 268.18.20/736 - Release Date:
27/03/2007 16:38
If you reply to this message it will be delivered to the original
sender only. If your reply would benefit others on the list and
your message is related to GW Micro, then please consider sending
your message to gw-info@gwmicro.com so the entire list will receive it.
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of the message.
.
Sandra Fouts
Phone Counselor
Arkansas Attorney General's Office
323 Center Street, Ste 200
Little Rock, AR
501-371-2303
Fax 501-682-8118
-----Original Message-----
From: Darren Harris [mailto:darren_g_harris@btinternet.com]
Sent: Wednesday, March 28, 2007 10:26 AM
To: Sandra Fouts
Cc: gw-info@gwmicro.com
Subject: RE: using the manual
The point that is trying to be made here, is that for 1, a lot of
sighted people just don't read manuals. Lol I don't know many that do.
Not that I think it's right, but also I think people do find manuals
very hmmm shall we say, inpersonal. Personally I don't care about
manuals that much and I'll read them. But everybodies needs/requirements
are different as is their levels of understanding. Something that looks
simple, well written and well explained to 1 person could be a forign
language to someone else.
So far the most difficult bit of the manual for me to understand at the
moment is with regards to using we on a pendrive. I don't follow that at
all. It gives an example but to be honest it doesn't quite do it for me.
I just want to know how it's done, what needs to be done to achieve a
pendrive instalation, and of course how it can be removed at the end of
your session. Whether you have to shut down the machine first and then
remove the pendrive, or just rip the thing out or click on the system
tray and shut it down that way. There's no explination as far as I can
see or that I can understand for deactivation. As of course with all USB
devices if you aren't sure then treate it like a PS2 device and shut the
pc down first. There's no harm in that. But the point is, at least from
what I can see the manual hasn't covered that, or at least the bits that
I've read I can't seem to find that information. Also what it doesn't
say is that when you put the drive into a different machine, for
arguments sake, a friends pc, "after they've given you admin access" to
load on the file that needs to be coppied across, will wineyes straight
away boot up? Again for those who are shall we say new to this, to my
mind it's not well explained.
-----Original Message-----
From: Aaron Smith [mailto:aaron@gwmicro.com]
Sent: 28 March 2007 15:38
To: Sandra Fouts
Cc: Josh de Lioncourt; gw-info@gwmicro.com
Subject: Re: using the manual
I hate to keep fueling this fire, but I have to say the notion that
someone expects you to memorize a manual is a bit silly, no offense.
After all, that's why manuals and documentation exist: for reference. In
fact, the beauty is that you don't have to memorize anything. All you
have to know is how to read.
Yesterday, we received a IDE to USB cable to use for connecting a laptop
hard drive to a desktop computer for transferring files from a deceased
laptop. The first thing I did after tearing the package open was look
for whatever documentation was available. Not so I could read it first,
not so I could memorize it, but just so that I knew where it was in case
I ran into problems.
I'm responsible for creating much of the documentation for our products,
and even I don't have all the information memorized. But I do know that
I work hard at making sure what I write is easily understood. When I
hear that people don't even attempt to read what I've written, I think,
"what's the point of writing all this then?" But I know it's helpful to
those who do take the time to research answers themselves. And thanks to
the people who do read it, and offer feedback, we've been able to make
our documentation even easier to follow and understand.
That brings me to the final point I'd like to make in this whole thread.
If you find documentation confusing, we need to know about it so that we
can make it clear. If you read a section of the manual, and do not
understand it, then I have not done my job correctly. But I need to know
about it so that I can fix the problem.
I get the feeling, however (like Doug mentioned) that many times the
manual is never even opened because it's called "documentation," or
"user's guide," or "manual." Interesting thing about the word manual; it
even implies a do-it-yourself attitude. I bet if we called our
documentation, "FREE GUIDE TO FREE STUFF FOR FREE," everyone would have
read it by now.
Aaron
Sandra Fouts wrote:
Well Josh. How many sighted people really read every manual, every
detail of it, on everything they buy. And, remember all of it!?
Most sighted people I know would not except the answer that "it's in
the book!" Yes, we need to do something for ourselves. But!,
most!, people I know need help. There's nothing wrong with giving
that to
them!
Sandra Fouts
Phone Counselor
Arkansas Attorney General's Office
323 Center Street, Ste 200
Little Rock, AR
501-371-2303
Fax 501-682-8118
-----Original Message-----
From: Josh de Lioncourt [mailto:eternia@draconisentertainment.com]
Sent: Wednesday, March 28, 2007 8:50 AM
To: gw-info@gwmicro.com
Subject: Re: using the manual
Hello all,
Unfortunately, though, you're giving the majority a benefit of the
doubt that only a handful actually deserve. I've worked professionally
as a vendor for access technology, a trainer for said technology, a
Jaws script writer for Marriott International, and now a software
developer, among other things. A huge number of people simply don't
even try with manuals or documentation. They won't search it, they
won't read it, often they won't even open the file.
Of course, you have those people who have genuinely tried, and for
those we should be patient and helpful, and I'm all for that. It is
for those people that this list is meant in part.
I also have to say that human interaction isn't a viable argument in
this discussion, as a couple of people have posed. Reading
instructions in an email copy and pasted from the manual is no
different than reading it in the manual yourself. Email isn't, really,
human interaction. Phone conversations and face-to-face discussions
are, and email, alas, doesn't fit the bill.
-----Original Message-----From: Mike Pietruk [mailto:pietruk@panix.com]
Sent: Tuesday, March 27, 2007 10:23 PMTo: Lisa Carmelle
Cc: gw-info@gwmicro.comSubject: Re: using the manual
Lisa said it so well. She expresses my sentiments almost to a tee.
There is a reason someone may pose their question on the list; andone
of these is the manual struck out for them.
And it doesn't matter that the manual actually has the answer as theydidn't find it there.
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message.
If you reply to this message it will be delivered to the original
sender only. If your reply would benefit others on the list and your
message is related to GW Micro, then please consider sending your
message to gw-info@gwmicro.com so the entire list will receive it.
All GW-Info messages are archived at http://www.gwmicro.com/gwinfo,
and can be searched through and sorted using the search form at the
bottom of the page.
If you wish to unsubscribe from this list, send a message to
listserv@gwmicro.com and include leave gw-info in the body of the
message.
If you reply to this message it will be delivered to the original
sender only. If your reply would benefit others on the list and your
message is related to GW Micro, then please consider sending your
message to gw-info@gwmicro.com so the entire list will receive it.
All GW-Info messages are archived at http://www.gwmicro.com/gwinfo,
and can be searched through and sorted using the search form at the
bottom of the page.
If you wish to unsubscribe from this list, send a message to
listserv@gwmicro.com and include leave gw-info in the body of the
message.
--
To insure that you receive proper support, please include all past
correspondence (where applicable), and any relevant information
pertinent to your situation when submitting a problem report to the GW
Micro Technical Support Team.
Aaron Smith
GW Micro
Phone: 260/489-3671
Fax: 260/489-2608
WWW: http://www.gwmicro.com
FTP: ftp://ftp.gwmicro.com
Technical Support & Web Development
If you reply to this message it will be delivered to the original sender
only. If your reply would benefit others on the list and your message
is related to GW Micro, then please consider sending your message to
gw-info@gwmicro.com so the entire list will receive it.
All GW-Info messages are archived at http://www.gwmicro.com/gwinfo, and
can be searched through and sorted using the search form at the bottom
of the page.
If you wish to unsubscribe from this list, send a message to
listserv@gwmicro.com and include leave gw-info in the body
of the message.
--
No virus found in this incoming message.
Checked by AVG Free Edition.
Version: 7.5.446 / Virus Database: 268.18.20/736 - Release Date:
27/03/2007 16:38
If you reply to this message it will be delivered to the original
sender only. If your reply would benefit others on the list and
your message is related to GW Micro, then please consider sending
your message to gw-info@gwmicro.com so the entire list will receive it.
All GW-Info messages are archived at http://www.gwmicro.com/gwinfo, and can be searched through and sorted using the search
form at the bottom of the page.
If you wish to unsubscribe from this list, send a message to
listserv@gwmicro.com and include leave gw-info in the body
of the message.
.
