This is actually very valuable feedback - thanks! I forwarded it on to
the Doc Buddy team. (I did happen to also see your snark apology, so I
paraphrased your comments. ;-) )
Here's what I sent. If there's anything any of you want added to it, let
me know...
A customer recently posted some comments on IBM Doc Buddy on the
IBM-MAIN listserv. I've paraphrased them here and added some suggestions
for actions:
It's not at all obvious that users need to download message sets before
they'll get a result from a search. (Per the customer: "there's no
mention of this, no startup tips, tricks or just general heads-up is put
in front of you.. Nothing. You install the app, and you're on your own."
Action: Add something that directs users to download the message sets
that they need before trying to search. Perhaps, instead of opening the
app to the search page, it opens to a page that lists the downloaded
message sets, at least when first opened? Or, perhaps better and
simpler... many apps have "welcome to the app" pages that first display,
and users can select to turn them off. Such a page could prove very
useful here to mention that users need to first download message sets.
It's difficult to know which component to download for certain messages.
There's no way to tell which component contains which messages.
Action: Make it more obvious which messages are included in which
components so that users know which components to download. Perhaps have
two views of the message sets: Component name and message ID prefixes.
Or maybe have a "more information" option for each component name in the
list (both the "Components" and "Management" lists) that lists all
include message ID prefixes.
It's hard to tell if a message set has finished downloading because
there's no status display.
Action: Add in some sort of status meter that identifies how much of a
component has downloaded, or at least that it's still downloading and
when it's finished. (Oh, I now see exactly this in the "More" section
after a search - please apply it everywhere!)
Per the customer: "The individual messages sets are hidden in dropdowns
that [go] back into hiding on you rather quickly..." I'm not sure what
he means here. There's apparently a drop-down that doesn't display long
enough.
Per the customer: "The components list keeps jumping around on you
because dropdowns that you've opened up spontaneously close causing the
page to jump up, jump down, jump whatever." I haven't personally noticed
this, but apparently it's a problem on some installations. This is
probably related to the previous item.
Action: Ensure that, when a user expands a component, it stays expanded
until closed by the user.
The keyboard disappears whenever text is cleared from the search field.
This looks like a quirk or a bug to me. The keyboard should remain open
and the cursor remain in the search box even if all text is cleared.
Action: Keep the keyboard open and the cursor placed in the search box
even if all text is cleared.
On 12/02/16 4:42 PM, David Cole wrote:
There is a phone app called IBM Doc buddy. Try it, you might like it.
Tried it. Don't much like it at all!
Ok, I've just now downloaded and installed Doc Buddy (Android version).
And the best I can say about it is, whoever designed the UI really
didn't put much effort into it. I mean seriously, doesn't IBM put these
things out for real world testing first? Then do they even listen to the
feedback???
#1) So I installed the app, and of course the very first thing I did was
type in some message ids. Nothing too esoteric. just basic ancient stuff
like, I don't know, do you think it'd be able to find IEF450I??? Nope...
ASMA033I? Nope... Anything? Nope nope nopity nope!
#2) It turns out you then have to download... I don't know what IBM
calls them... I'll just call them "message sets". These are organized by
component. But there's no mention of this, no startup tips, tricks or
just general heads-up is put in front of you.. Nothing. You install the
app, and you're on your own. [Pro-tip: Go to the "Component" page.]
#3) So once you've figured you need to download the message definitions,
the next thing you need to know is to which component a particular
message belongs. Quick... does anybody know what IEF540I belongs to?
'Cause apparently I don't. I've downloaded a bunch, and while other
messages are now findable, the IEF messages aren't. (At least not yet.)
#4) Maybe that message set hasn't downloaded yet. It's hard to tell
because there is no status display. The individual messages sets are
hidden in dropdowns that have the very annoying habit of going back into
hiding on you rather quickly...
#5) And that's another thing. The components list keeps jumping around
on you because dropdowns that you've opened up spontaneously close
causing the page to jump up, jump down, jump whatever. Come on guys!
Can't you stabilize a display long enough for somebody to touch a
button????
#6) Oh and the msgid entry field... So you've got your keyboard open and
you're typing away, and you decide to clear the entire field. But when
you do so, Boom! the keyboard disappears on you. Why????
#7) Googling a msgid turns out to be just plain easier.
I have not tried very many IBM apps, but so far every one I've tried
feels like it's been written by amateurs!
My kid grandson can do better than this!
Ok, I've got the IEFxxx messages now. They were where they belonged, it
just took a long time for the z/OS MVS messages set to download. Good
thing I've got a nice fat pipe.
But I still don't have the ASMAxxx messages yet. They're apparently not
in the z/OS MVS component, and I don't see an HLASM component available.
Really?
Dave Cole
ColeSoft Marketing
414 Third Street, NE
Charlottesville, VA 22902
EADDRESS: dbc...@colesoft.com
Home page: www.colesoft.com
LinkedIn: www.xdc.com
Facebook: www.facebook.com/colesoftware
YouTube: www.youtube.com/user/colesoftware
At 12/2/2016 02:29 PM, Jim Mulder wrote:
> >have they replaced it with anything?
>
> There is a phone app called IBM Doc buddy. Try it, you might like it.
>
The LOOKAT web site says:
<quote>
LookAt is no longer supported. This site is offered for use
"as is" until z/OS V1R13 goes out of service later this year.
New: IBM Doc Buddy is a Smartphone app that is available for
iPhone in iTunes and for Android in Google Play
With IBM Doc Buddy, you download only the message information that
you need. IBM Doc Buddy makes it easy to lookup message information
wherever you are without the need for an Internet connection.
<endquote>
1. I don't have an iPhone or Android.
2. If I need to look up a message, it is because I am
seeing that message via an Internet connection. I never
need to look up message information when I don't have
an Internet connection. And since then I am already
sitting in front of a workstation with a real keyboard
and mouse and dual 27 inch monitors, that is what I want
to use to look up message information, not a Smartphone
with a small screen and a small simulated keyboard.
Jim Mulder z/OS Diagnosis, Design, Development, Test IBM Corp.
Poughkeepsie NY
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