Re: Re: more gripe about the new documentation center (DC) in Mathematica
- To: mathgroup at smc.vnet.net
- Subject: [mg77916] Re: [mg77862] Re: more gripe about the new documentation center (DC) in Mathematica
- From: DrMajorBob <drmajorbob at bigfoot.com>
- Date: Tue, 19 Jun 2007 06:59:12 -0400 (EDT)
- References: <f530gp$16k$1@smc.vnet.net> <2100665.1182169006756.JavaMail.root@m35>
- Reply-to: drmajorbob at bigfoot.com
I'm confident Wolfram can improve the new Help system without taking us back to the old. It's a big operation; just give 'em a little time. Bobby On Mon, 18 Jun 2007 06:06:05 -0500, David Bailey <dave at Remove_Thisdbailey.co.uk> wrote: > Nasser Abbasi wrote: >> 1) so I start DC, and click on the "index of functions" link, near the >> bottom, and after a little while, I get a new screen showing all the >> functions listed alphabetically. Great, I said, now I can see all the >> functions out there in one place. >> >> I searched for the function PrincipalComponents but it is NOT listed. >> >> But if one does search for PrincipalComponents from that DC tiny search >> window (after erasing what was there every time), this function comes >> up. >> >> So why was it not lised in the index of functions output? >> >> Does this mean that the "index of functions" only lists those functions >> that >> does not exist inside packages which requires loading first? This makes >> this listing less effective then. >> >> 2) When I ask DC to search for something, there is no indication it is >> busy >> searching. On a slow PC, one thinks it is frozen, or may be the command >> did >> not 'go through', and tries the same search command again. There >> should be >> something spinning or some indication that the command was actually >> accepted >> and being processed. This is a UI design 101 thing. >> >> Sometimes DC takes more than 5 seconds to return a result on my old PC. >> >> 3)For whatever it is worth, I still think the 5.2 help system is MUCH >> better >> for learning and finding what is in the new system. >> >> I do not really need the DC as it is, I can just as well use Google >> directly, which I find myself doing more, since the same information in >> DC >> is already on WRI web pages and Google finds it just as fast. The >> earlier >> help system provided a structure to the documentation which added an >> exrtra >> dimension which DC does not provide. >> >> The people have spoken: We want the the old help system back. (WRI could >> always keep the new DC for those users who prefer Google style >> documentation). >> >> Thank you for listening. >> >> Nasser >> >> > Yes, I too hope they will upgrade the next version of Mathematica by > putting back the old help system - for most of the reasons you have > mentioned! > > Wouldn't it be great to have 6.0 functionality with a 5.2-style help > system! > > David Bailey > http://www.dbaileyconsultancy.co.uk > > -- DrMajorBob at bigfoot.com