Dear Readers,
I'd like to bring up a subject that's been on my mind lately and a matter of interest to
me--and probably to many of you--for quite some time now. It's the subject of what
we called the "paperless office" as far back as the Seventies, when I worked in the
same group as Doug Engelbart, inventor of the mouse. I laughed to myself back then
when I'd hear predictions that in ten years or so, manuals would be obsolete. Who
needs information in any form other than electronic? Printed manuals persist, but
they're definitely an endangered species. At Apple and many other companies like it,
the trend is toward "on-line only" dissemination of information: it uses the technology
in zippy ways, it costs less, and it saves trees. Who needs paper, anyway?
I myself don't care if I ever see most memos, notes, reports, and similar daily
jottings in print. I prefer to file the majority of this stuff on-line rather than in my
physical file cabinets, which I mostly use to hold rice cakes and pistachio nuts. When I
need a reminder of some technical information like the meaning of a parameter or the
definition of a word, I like quick on-line access to it as much as the next person. And
Balloon Help is great when I'm wondering what a particular command or button is for.
But when I don't know how to do something at all, or how different pieces fit together,
I prefer to read printed documentation. I'm speaking here of the background material
that's needed to get you launched on a particular product in a way that will make you
really know what it's about. (Whether this information is needed at all could be the
subject of another editorial.) Call it "concepts" versus "reference." For me, there's
nothing like reading about concepts in a real book when and where I want. The image
that comes to mind is "curling up in front of a fire." I'd much sooner do that with a good
novel than a technical manual, but still I like to pick a place and time away from my
computer to take in the concepts. It's quieter and more comfortable, especially on my
eyes, and it's a more pleasing visual and tactile experience. I learn more that way.
Later, I might want to look up some conceptual material on-line, but for first-time
reading and learning, I want hard copy.
At the last company I worked for we surveyed a lot of developers on this, and most of
them seemed to agree. We decided to divide our technical documentation along those
exact lines: concepts versus reference; concepts would always be available as a printed
manual while reference would be on-line only (or primarily, at least).
This all ties in with the fact that Apple Associates and Partners no longer receive a
printed copy of develop as part of their regular mailing; they have to subscribe to
develop to receive it in print. The mailing has been simplified to be just a CD-ROM
disc and a 16-page publication in newspaper format that points to things on the disc.
Those developers who don't want a lot of paper don't have to deal with it; those who do
can order it. So Associates and Partners will cast their vote for paperdevelop by
subscribing to it. (Letters from all of you expressing your opinions--especially when
they agree with mine--are of course more than welcome.)
Speaking of electronic media, those of you who were receiving develop with its
CD-ROM disc bound into it will notice that the disc corresponding to this issue has
been packaged separately in its own case (made of partially recycled fiberboard and
plastic). This should put a stop to the problem of mangled discs. Also, the disc is no
longer the Developer Essentials disc, but the Developer CD Series disc, the same disc
that Apple Associates and Partners receive. We hope this will make life easier for us
and less confusing for you (not to mention that you'll get more goodies on the disc than
before!).
I'll end with a vaguely related trivia question: What word was used instead of "click" to
describe the action of pressing a button on that first mouse? If you've got any good
trivia questions of your own, send them along to us. We need all the help we can get.
Caroline Rose Editor
CAROLINE ROSE has been writing computer documentation ever since "peripheral
storage" meant paper tape. After a seven-year digression into programming, she
returned to writing and joined Apple to document the inner workings of a new
computer named Macintosh. In what proved to be another (five-year) digression, she
left Apple to launch NeXT Computer's documentation effort--a real learning
experience. She's thrilled to be back at Apple among old friends and new. Caroline loves
to read, swim, hike, travel, dance, sing, and spend time with her best friend, Cleo (see
photo). This summer she got her feet wet (literally) on a backpacking trip in Utah,
through a tributary of the Escalante River and some pretty spectacular canyons. Her
new wilderness goals are hiking up Half Dome and rafting the Colorado. *
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