ravi writes: >RTFM = read the fucking manual. < so what do we do when Microsoft and similar companies don't provide a manual? I know, go buy one: there's a series of books titled "the missing manual" for all sorts of programs. That means that the cost of software and hardware isn't as low as it seems, since the cost of buying one (or the time & money cost of printing a manual given in pdf form that's much less convenient than an actual book) must be included. Further, with programs and hardware changing rapidly, the manual is often obsolete, especially if it's produced by another company (as with the "missing manual" series).
In the meantime, my wife's cell phone broke. So she got a new one (smartly avoiding one with a camera and similar junk). But in the Microsoft tradition, the manual is useless, with not only 1/3 of the pages dedicated to safety issues (don't drive while phoning!) but sketchy coverage of how to use the phone. I'd bet that 95 percent of users don't use all of the capabilities of their hardware & software. If so, much of these capabilities are simply marketing matters. Jim Devine
