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Re: Re: Documentation - what is the big secret?

• To: mathgroup at smc.vnet.net
• Subject: [mg87578] Re: [mg87526] Re: Documentation - what is the big secret?
• From: Murray Eisenberg <murray at math.umass.edu>
• Date: Sun, 13 Apr 2008 03:34:04 -0400 (EDT)
• Organization: Mathematics & Statistics, Univ. of Mass./Amherst
• References: <fti3v2$oho$1@smc.vnet.net> <ftkbce$b8b$1@smc.vnet.net> <ftncpi$89h$1@smc.vnet.net> <200804121058.GAA00036@smc.vnet.net>
• Reply-to: murray at math.umass.edu

Bravo!!!

Indeed, that Wolfram DID do this with earlier versions is one reason 
they succeeded so well, I believe (but have no data beyond anecdote to 
confirm).

AES wrote:
> 
> ...Anyone with a decade or so of experience in buying and using software 
> knows that major vendors who are busy developing a new consumer software 
> product or a major new release of an existing product often bring in one 
> or more trusted outside authors of known skill at writing user manuals 
> or introductory books, to write exactly such books about their emerging 
> product.
> 
> In general, they give these outside authors full advance access to the 
> emerging product (with suitable nondisclosure agreements), so that the 
> resulting books can emerge simultaneously or very soon after the product 
> itself.
> 
> The results of doing this are almost always good for the vendor 
> (increased publicity and sales, and their staff can focus totally on the 
> product, not the user documentation); good for the authors (who have 
> skills that the vendor's employees may never have); and most of all, 
> good for the ultimate users of the product.
> 
> So, I'd really like to know:  why the h-ll did Wolfram (apparently) not 
> do this with 6.0?!?  (At least, I have yet to see the results of any 
> such effort on amazon.)  A disastrous, or at least highly damaging, 
> failure, at least in my opinion.
> 

-- 
Murray Eisenberg                     murray at math.umass.edu
Mathematics & Statistics Dept.
Lederle Graduate Research Tower      phone 413 549-1020 (H)
University of Massachusetts                413 545-2859 (W)
710 North Pleasant Street            fax   413 545-1801
Amherst, MA 01003-9305

• References:
  • Re: Documentation - what is the big secret?
    • From: AES <siegman@stanford.edu>