RE: Info Center -- MIDRANGE-L

FWIW, I agree with you Jeff.

I avoid the InfoCenter like the "plague".  When I absolutely
*have* to go there I choose the V4R5 section (or earlier)
unless its new to the current V5 release.  In addition,
depending on the time of day or internet activity, the
response can be very slow.  This was one of my biggest
complaints when IBM moved the manuals online.  This got
worse when they started using Java...

An option I have used with the newer V5R1 CD's is to spend
time copying/renaming the PDF's for certain manuals to my
hard drive. Unfortunately, this doesn't allow a mass search
of all the manuals, but a side benefit is that you have
a logical name for the PDF file instead of RZAH12BC.PDF
and can pull it up quickly off the hard drive without
wading thru the HTML on the CD.

Although I didn't particularly like the Library Reader
interface, it did provide a method to search every book
on the CD for a specific string.  You were then able to
pick/choose which books suited you for the problem you
were trying to solve -- very handy.

As far as submitting suggestions, I always thought that
was a waste of time.  Fill in the online form, receive
an automated boiler-plate reply from a CGI program and
never hear from them again.

Oh well, end of rant ;-)

Terry

> -----Original Message-----
> From: Jeff Crosby [mailto:jlcrosby@dilgardfoods.com]
> Sent: Monday, May 06, 2002 3:36 PM
> To: midrange-l@midrange.com
> Subject: Re: Info Center
>
>
> Anne Lucas wrote:
>
> > Please provide me, in separate email to alucas@us.ibm.com, specific
> > problems on Info Center.  I have a list, but would like to
> > get the details, please.... have already forwarded your comments
> > to date to the owner of the program....   Thanks!
>
> With all due respect, I think that's impossible.  To me, the
> problem is systemic.
>
> Ever compile an RPG program and misspell a file name?  This causes a
> level "40" error and causes umpteen field names to be undefined and so
> many other errors via the domino effect that it's scary.  To
> try to find any other typos or errors at that point is a complete
> waste of time. Your only productive recourse is to correct the file
> name misspelling and compile again.
>
> That's where I believe the Info Center is.  It is so disorganized,
> unintuitive, and convoluted that it's useless in it's present form.  I
> have to spend all my time and brainpower trying to figure out how the
> %@*# I'm going to find what I need instead of being able to
> focus on my problem.  If and when I ever find _anything_ that applies
> from the Info Center, I have lost all train of thought on what I was
> originally trying to do.
>
> It's scary to me to believe the infocenter people don't
> already know the problems after all these years of us complaining.
> I am really tired of being repeatedly asked to document the problems
> to no avail.
>
> Until recently I thought I was the only one who was still using the
> V3R2 Library Reader for reference.
>
> I know you asked for the email to be to you, but I want to
> know whether others on the list think my response is out of line.
>
> --
> Jeff Crosby
> Dilgard Frozen Foods, Inc.
> P.O. Box 13369
> Ft. Wayne, IN 46868-3369
> 260-422-7531
>