erik malund wrote:
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I have not read your manuals but just one comment:

The fact that the manuals are "bad" is common throughout, not just Raisonance.

With every tool I have used for the '51 I have had to ask the support dept several times before I got going.

Erik

I agree. I suspect that most companies manuals are poor becasue most companies write the manuals after the software is finished. Plus, if the program has a written design specification it is a rarity. So there isn't a solid document to draw on as to design issues and capabilities. Usually you only have the programmer(s) memory to draw on. From this, someone often the programmer, writes a manual. As writing manuals isn't what the programmer wants to do or feels like he should be doing, or has the talent or training to do the job isn't done well. The companies are small so there isn't a tech writing department to draw on and writing a set of manuals under contract is expensive, at least writing good ones is. So it has a low priority.

At the other end of the spectrum when the money is spent to get "good" manuals the cost is of course reflected in the price of the tools. In the 8051 market tool cost is a major issue for many customers. Many get "free" tools and put together a project just to build tools. Again minmal manuals but they now know what the software should do.

Oh well this is a pet peive of mine so I'll get off my soap box now.

Bryan Whitton