Ascend Archive
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Re: (ASCEND) Re: Database of docs?

>PDFs are tremendous tools if the 'publisher' keeps the docs up to date. But
>who wants to go to the basic PDF document, find that the latest edition
>covers 4.6, then try to find what is truly current? PDF's great strength is
>in allowing users (us) to have the latest documentation in a fully collated
>and seamless text. And, of course, the benefits to suppliers (them) who
>maintain 1-800 tech desks need not be elaborated on.

Quite. I'd rather look in a single, up-to-date PDF than a single,
up-to-date RUBB. Especially if the PDF was well-done. For example, it
didn't contain two complete copies of the docs, one after the other, as
many of Ascend's current PDFs do...

But tech notes, etc., aren't going to make it into any manual, so public
access to that is also vital, in the form of a real, easy-to-search
database.

>I think it would be interesting to know how many calls to Ascend are
>prefaced with the words, "I looked in the docs, but..."

I think it'd be frightening.

The (okay, a) trouble with the docs as the are now is that they're
organized around you looking up what a particular command does. Often, you
have _no idea_ what the command is or does -- especially the way they're
named. :-( What you're often trying to do is _accomplish a task_. The docs
are completely set up with the assumption that you know 1) exactly what the
command is called and, 2) that you know exactly what you're doing.

That'd be nice, but the fact is that 1) ISPs buy this stuff and, 2)
everyone's an ISP these days, regardless of whether they can even program a
VCR (a task some people think is a tough as it gets -- little do they know
what ISPs do on a daily basis).

Ascend is put in the de facto position of training ISPs, just as we're put
in the de facto position of training users to read their mail, surf the
net, etc.

Given that this is the case, and that, while I'm a bright buy I don't know
everything there is to know about either IP or Maxen, I believe that the
docs should be structured in more of a task-oriented way, with the
command-reference still present but beefed up to include explanations of
what, why and where you'd want to be mucking with the command in question
in the first place.

The TNT manual is a step in this direction and it's a vast improvement over
the 4000 manual, which really coined the term RUBB.

I can't imagine that this wouldn't save Ascend a huge amount of money on
support and it's why I hope that when (if) people from Ascend's (excellent)
Support and (improving) Documentation departments get together and take
this to their bosses and get some money and get on it.

In the meantime, we'll just keep asking each other and Support everything
we ought to be able to easily find in the manuals.

Right?

Peter Lalor
Infoasis
plalor@infoasis.com
http://www.infoasis.com/
415-459-7991 x102
415-459-7992 fax


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