Do you Read The Fine Manual, and if not, why not?

[RalphTheCow]

I usually try to, but there are three main reasons why I sometimes don't:

1. I can't find the FM.

2. The FM is so big and poorly written I have little confidence that I will find the answer in it.

3. It's such a small task that a manual shouldn't be needed, so it's more or less a matter of principle.

Now with that nice preface, how do you get the Quick Reply box here? 😀 (edited)

...slinks away to find the manual...

Have those of you in technical fields noticed there seem to be two basic types?:

1. Idealists, like me, that think the manual should be a big part of the design, or the the design should be good enough so no manual is needed?

2. Those who prefer not to use them, for whatever reason.

BTW, I love Fusetalk. I've been absent here for quite awhile, and everytime I return I am impressed anew with the functionality of this website. It's good. Those tabs at the top are great.

Also BTW, Firefox/Spellbound users, are you able to spellcheck a normal, non-quick reply that has its own window? So far I haven't figured out how.

 

[n0cmonkey]

No matter how simple the design, there should be good documentation to back it up.

 

[timswim78]

Originally posted by: RalphTheCow

Now with that nice preface, how do you get the Quick Reply box here? 😀 (edited)

...slinks away to find the manual...

Depends on what browser you are using. It will pop up in IE when you hit the Quick reply button. In Mozilla, the box will appear under the last message in the thread.

 

[RalphTheCow]

Doh! I didn't recognize that U-turn arrow as the icon. <Quick Reply>

 

[Slogun]

What's a Fine Manual?

 

[RalphTheCow]

Originally posted by: Slogun
What's a Fine Manual?

http://c2.com/cgi/wiki?ReadTheFineManual

 

[imported_waldo]

Originally posted by: Slogun
What's a Fine Manual?

:thumbsup:

I only read the manual if I am scared about what I am working with

 

[oboeguy]

I always knew it as "Full Manual". How about "Friendly Manual" as another alternative? 😀

 

[funggorgor]

I only read the manual when I have trouble working with a software
My first preference is watch video tutorial
second preference is a book
Finally its the manual to read

 

[Malak]

Don't need a manual for things that follow standards pretty well. Seriously needed a manual for HL2 and didn't get one 🙁 Don't need a manual for a forum usually though.

 

[daniel1113]

Originally posted by: malak
Don't need a manual for things that follow standards pretty well. Seriously needed a manual for HL2 and didn't get one 🙁 Don't need a manual for a forum usually though.

In all honesty, why? It is like every other FPS game.

 

[Malak]

Originally posted by: daniel1113

Originally posted by: malak
Don't need a manual for things that follow standards pretty well. Seriously needed a manual for HL2 and didn't get one 🙁 Don't need a manual for a forum usually though.

In all honesty, why? It is like every other FPS game.

But it isn't. And there are more reasons;

A: I want to admin a CS:S server, but I have no instructions how.
B: How do you disconnect from a server? How do you QUIT CS:S?!? Hitting esc doesn't bring up the menu like a standard fps does, instead it brings up a server listing.
C: I just bought the game, no where on the box did it say you needed steam, I have no internet connection, the game isn't working.... wtf do I do? Wait, let's consult the orange card! LOL! It doesn't even have a link to valve, let alone steampowered.com Good luck to anyone who doesn't have internet and now can't return the game because it's opened already.
D: Game isn't working right, where do I go? I don't know anything, I use AOL 9.0 because it's super fast and optimized and stuff. Let's consult the orange reference card again! Wait, no, it doesn't even have links. I guess I'm SOL.

Sure, there are the easy things. WASD, left click to shoot, etc. Some of that even wasn't standard(who crouches with ctrl?). But there's a whole mess of stuff I'd like to see. Like info on weapons. Maybe a friggin storyline. I got so lost playing that game I finally gave up, the story was boring because none of it made sense and wasn't entertaining in the least. Shouldn't expect every customer to be a returning one, I didn't like HL1 so I never played through it. If there's an HL3, I won't be getting it. In this case, total lack of documentation killed my interest in a company. Pretty rare, only 2nd game I've ever gotten that didn't have a manual(first was on top 5 all-time worst games too).

 

[pennylane]

Depends. I haven't really bought software at a store in awhile (using a lot of freeware, games I've played have come in hardware bundles and have no manual). I skim readme's. I look at tutorials. I use the help when needed.

 

[RalphTheCow]

Originally posted by: malak
Don't need a manual for things that follow standards pretty well. Seriously needed a manual for HL2 and didn't get one 🙁 Don't need a manual for a forum usually though.

What caught me off-guard is how this forum is displayed differnetly in Firefox (home) than in IE (work). Does anyone know why that is?

My post was also a little rant on icons. I think it was the book "GUI Bloopers" that pointed out how words would usually be much clearer than icons. My personal pet peeve with icons is that you lose the ... (ellipsis) that means a dialog box will pop up, more so in applications than in the web. As in printer icons. Will it print immediately, or will it enter a dialog for settings, etc.?

I just never even thought to mouseover that U-turn arrow for "Quick Reply". I'm not really sure why not, because in retrospect it makes sense as an icon. I think it was mainly that I thought that Quick Reply meant like in Firefox where the box is just there, so I wasn't really looking for an ocon. If I was, then the arrow might have been one of my first choices.

And another thing, how do you get iespell in IE to check this little window? It always just says spelling check completed, when there are errors in here.

Anyone else interested in usability? I love it, maybe because I'm a great worse-case tester.