There has been a substantial evolutionary change in documentation and support in technology, one that has put manuals in a much different relationship to the user than they had a decade ago.
Some tech products come with no manual (e.g. iPhones). There are big hairy software extravaganzas that come with no manual (e.g. Photoshop). These products are not necessarily rejected by users. A manual is one way to get info to the user, but there are other ways: menu captions, tool tips, on-line help, context-sensitive help files, and (most importantly) a design that is laid out so that the user can sometimes guess what to do. Many products get support through user forums and/or books written by independent third parties ("VBA Programming for the Total Nitwit"). The K3 enjoys excellent support from both of these sources. When a manufacturer gets a lot of complaints that people can't understand how to work his product, he can't hide behind the assertion that his clientele are all dolts; they probably own other tech products that they can work just fine. If a program or gadget is hard to understand, it will sell poorly and acquire a bad reputation; and the converse is true too. The burden is not on the reader or user. It's on the maker of the product. Tony KT0NY ______________________________________________________________ Elecraft mailing list Home: http://mailman.qth.net/mailman/listinfo/elecraft Help: http://mailman.qth.net/mmfaq.htm Post: mailto:Elecraft@mailman.qth.net This list hosted by: http://www.qsl.net Please help support this email list: http://www.qsl.net/donate.html