Re: No subject given

[Barry Campbell <barry -at- WEBVERANDA -dot- COM>]

At 12:50 PM 5/22/98 -0500, Michael Burke wrote:

>     I am updating a user manual for a software application that runs on
>     UNIX systems. Until now, 100% of the user interaction with the
>     application came through the UI. I have never made reference to UNIX
>     anywhere in the book.
>
>     Now, there is a utility that has been built into the system that can
>     only be run in UNIX. My dilemma is how to present the information on
>     this utility and how to use it. There is a single, configurable
>     command string that a user would enter, producing a tabular text
>     report on screen.

Michael,

If you are quite certain that most of your GUI users will never
need to run the command-line utility, I would vote for a modified
version of option 1:

Describe the utility for people with a working knowledge of Unix.

Document this assumption before any discussion of the utility.

GUI users who don't know Unix but need to learn the basics of getting
around in the command shell should be referred to one of the excellent
and widely-available third-party publications on the topic, such as
O'Reilly and Associates' "Learning The Unix Operating System, 4th
Edition."  See http://www.oreilly.com/catalog/lunix4/ for more
information on this book.

Hope this helps.

Best regards.



--
Barry Campbell         | Why people tear the seams of anyone's dreams
barry -at- webveranda -dot- com   | is over my head... (Duke Ellington/Bob Russell,
40.77 N, 73.97 W       | "Do Nothin' Till You Hear From Me")