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Subject:Re: What are the differences? From:LDurway -at- PAV -dot- COM Date:Thu, 26 Aug 1999 16:01:11 -0500
Kevin asks what the diff is between user's guides & references. Here's the
scheme I'm going to use for my next doc set. Maybe you'll find it useful.
user's guide: task-oriented, where "task" is defined in terms that are
immediately meaningful to the user. Not something like Using the Framitz
Dialog Box. Instead it'll be Preprocessing Data, Filtering data, analyzing
a model--things that my readers understand from day one. The procedures
will cut across features as necessary: whatever's necessary to make the
reader successful in a given endeavor. I may not call it "user's guide,"
however, because that title doesn't immediately tell the user what it is. I
may go with something like Project Guide or Project Task Guide. This
definition of User's Guide is not necessarily universal!
reference: feature-oriented; stressing complete coverage of product
features, whether you really understand what they're for or not. If you
want to understand effective use of a given feature in some meaningful
context, see the user's guide instead.
