As I pleaded for in the head of this thread:
If there is a button in the software, there is an explanation and an
example of use in the documentation. No assumptions, no exceptions.
Jef
Andi Loor wrote:
> David,
> please note that the DS helpfiles do actually carry a lot of info. I
> think you can find some areas of DS better covered in the helpfiles.
> Andi
>
>
> david friedman wrote:
>
>> yeah... one of the items that i begged, borrowed, & stole was a copy
>> of the fisherman tutorial which as you know was last issued with
>> version 5. i made my way through it using version 7. it was/is an
>> EXCELLENT tutorial and should be updated and provided with all new
>> systems.
>>
>> as you alluded to, the getting started guide is good as a prep manual
>> to the 101 class. but that means that new users are PRACTICALLY
>> REQUIRED to take the classes in order to learn ANYTHING about how to
>> use a ds because of the lack of a decent tutorial AND the lack of
>> clearly written documentation.
>>
>> that shouldn't be.
>>
>>
>> david friedman
>>
>>
>>
>> On Tuesday, October 11, 2005, at 12:50 PM, Benoit Melancon wrote:
>>
>>> Hello David,
>>>
>>> Being an ACI for a living, I quite agree with you that the featured
>>> documentation when you first get your DS can be quite dry to read...
>>> Your story about spending a month on your own seems to me something
>>> that most users have to go through somehow (isn't it the case with
>>> most software packages available today?), and where I work we
>>> usually tell the people who enroll for the 101 class to at least go
>>> through the "Getting Started" manual which is good groundwork for DS
>>> usage. When they come to the class after that, their questions are
>>> always more numerous and well-targeted.
>>>
>>> I believe as you do that classes are a good way to add to basic
>>> knowledge of the box. The major thing that changed over the years in
>>> DS education is the dissapearance of what used to be called the
>>> "fisherman's project', a 200-page or so tutorial that users could go
>>> through on their own. I seem to remember that one of the reasons was
>>> that some editors missed some key elements when doing the tutorial
>>> by themselves, and having a class environment was therefore
>>> considered a better alternative.
>>>
>>> I'm usually better at learning on my own, so I can't really comment
>>> that much on such decision, but I agree it would be nice to have a
>>> choice.
>>>
>>> Benoit
>>>
>>>
>>> david friedman wrote:
>>>
>>>> agreed. i took all 3 classes too. fortunately or unfortunately all
>>>> of my 'classes' ended up being 1 on 1 training.
>>>> but before that i spent a MONTH with the manuals and the system
>>>> trying to figger out how to work the damn thing.
>>>> d/l'ed everything i could from the web site (even stuff from
>>>> earlier versions),
>>>> read... played... tinkered... cursed a lot (come to think of it, i
>>>> STILL do that sometimes) just trying to understand how it works.
>>>> i shouldn't HAVE to take classes in order to learn how to use ANY
>>>> software! classes should provide supplemental information (maybe
>>>> except 101 classes)
>>>> i SHOULD have been able to get a fair understanding from the
>>>> supplied documentation. that's what the docs are SUPPOSED to be for.
>>>> with ds they aren't.
>>>> david friedman
>>>
>>>
>>> --
>>>
>>>
>>> Benoit Melancon
>>> Avid DS ACI/ACSR
>>>
>>> www.nadcentre.com
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