Re: TECHWR-L Digest - 2 Oct 1994 to 3 Oct 1994

Subject: Re: TECHWR-L Digest - 2 Oct 1994 to 3 Oct 1994
From: Steve Fouts <sfouts -at- ELLISON -dot- SC -dot- TI -dot- COM>
Date: Tue, 4 Oct 1994 08:46:35 CDT

From: Richard Mateosian <srm -at- C2 -dot- ORG>
Subject: Sam Clemens is dead

|} While Sam Clemens was able to laugh at those who wrote his premature
|} obituary, he is nonetheless dead. A while back I announced the death of the
|} paper software manual...

Rhetorically speaking, Richard, I believe that your arguments are more closely
related to the argument that God is dead, than the argument that Sam Clemens is
dead. One could, if pressed, produce a corpse in the Sam Clemens case.

Simple truth is that the technology required for online documentation to truly
replace paper isn't here yet. Paper still does a good number of things better
than online does, perhaps better in these areas than online ever will.

I'll offer another thought to you. Mull it over for a while, then get back to
me.
A few years ago, a new type of multi-speed bicycle hit the market. It was an
off road vehicle called a mountain bike. As the sales of this new type of bike
sky rocketed, some industry wags announced the immenent death of the road bike.

After a few years it became obvious that the two were, in fact, different
vehicles
with different purposes. Sales of mountain bikes flattened, sales of road bikes
continued. Some mountain bike purists insist that newer is better. You can
sometimes see them at road bike rallies trying to keep up...

Most reasonable people recognize that it is possible to know the limitations and
strengths of each, and to ride the most appropriate bike for the path chosen.
Some people are buying in to ``hybrids.'' Not as fast as a road bike, not as
durable as a mountain bike, but able to switch quickly as needs dictate.

The parallels are truly stunning, are they not?
_______________ _____
/ ___ __/__\ \ / / _\ Steve Fouts
/___ \| | ___\ | / __\ sfouts -at- ellison -dot- sc -dot- ti -dot- com
/ / \ | \ / \
/_______/__|_______\_/________\ "She understood, as he did, that all writing
was infernally boring and futile, but that it had to be done out of respect
for tradition" --Stanislaw Lem


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