Re: CD-ROM Manuals

Let me just clarify my recent statements about online doc. I said it was a "long range" plan, so those of you who sent me mail about this round of releases need not worry. However, I do believe that in the next few years there will be a reduced need for software companies to distribute printed documentation.

Try these scenarios:

You get the doc, and you want a printed copy.

    Now: do nothing, because the company already supplies printed doc.  Future: print it yourself. (Reduced cost.)

You only really need a few pages printed.

    Now: too bad. You're stuck with a 700 page book.  Future: print only the pages you need. (Increased convenience.)

You want to make some extra copies.

    Now: bend the book at the spine, and get a nice copy machine tan. Or, you

          can always just buy more copies from the company.  Future: print what you need.

I use my online doc almost exclusively, and I believe that as more people get used to it, that will become the norm.

--Russ Seligman
  Documentation Project Leader
  Oracle Graphics

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Russ Seligman                 "If there's nothing wrong with me, then there
Oracle Corporation             must be something wrong with the universe."
rseligma_at_oracle.com              --Beverly Crusher, ST:TNG