P
Pfwilf
I don't think I'm the only one who would prefer no information to useless
information.
Example: In Outlook 2003 (my version is in Swedish) under Tools > Options >
General > Smart Tags for Personal Information there is a checkbox "Activate
Smart Tags for Personal Information". I hit F1 to find out what this
particular item does. The context sensitive help opens to a text covering
this particular dialog, with subdivisions for each tab. The "General" tab is
called "Miscellaneous" in the text (but this could be an error in
translation, "Allmänt" vs. "Övrigt") and the name of the section is also not
called the same as in the UI.. However, seeing as the text is so short, I
relatively quickly find the appropriate passage anyway, namely the text that
serves to clarify the purpose of the checkbox called "Activate smart tags for
personal information". A rough translation of the explanation given: "Sets
the smart tag Personal name to active." Period.
To me, this is not only useless, it's annoying to the point where I waste
valuable time commenting on this laziness. Unfortunately, this type of
nonsense explanations are not uncommon in the help docs. If a user comes
across a button named "Gaforkle this", just knowing the language on the
button and understanding the most basic metaphors of computer user interfaces
will suffice for that user to understand: "Press this button when you want to
subject the current object to a gaforkling operation". If a user is not
capable of figuring out what a button does if it has the text "Save document"
on it, that user will not in the least be helped by a text stating "When
pressing this button, the document will be saved".
In other words, this type of "help" is just window dressing (no pun
intended), in order for someone to be able to say: "All parts of the UI are
now completely documented, I wash my hands." And Microsoft actually pays to
get this translated?
----------------
This post is a suggestion for Microsoft, and Microsoft responds to the
suggestions with the most votes. To vote for this suggestion, click the "I
Agree" button in the message pane. If you do not see the button, follow this
link to open the suggestion in the Microsoft Web-based Newsreader and then
click "I Agree" in the message pane.
http://www.microsoft.com/office/com...-52bcb8beca53&dg=microsoft.public.office.misc
information.
Example: In Outlook 2003 (my version is in Swedish) under Tools > Options >
General > Smart Tags for Personal Information there is a checkbox "Activate
Smart Tags for Personal Information". I hit F1 to find out what this
particular item does. The context sensitive help opens to a text covering
this particular dialog, with subdivisions for each tab. The "General" tab is
called "Miscellaneous" in the text (but this could be an error in
translation, "Allmänt" vs. "Övrigt") and the name of the section is also not
called the same as in the UI.. However, seeing as the text is so short, I
relatively quickly find the appropriate passage anyway, namely the text that
serves to clarify the purpose of the checkbox called "Activate smart tags for
personal information". A rough translation of the explanation given: "Sets
the smart tag Personal name to active." Period.
To me, this is not only useless, it's annoying to the point where I waste
valuable time commenting on this laziness. Unfortunately, this type of
nonsense explanations are not uncommon in the help docs. If a user comes
across a button named "Gaforkle this", just knowing the language on the
button and understanding the most basic metaphors of computer user interfaces
will suffice for that user to understand: "Press this button when you want to
subject the current object to a gaforkling operation". If a user is not
capable of figuring out what a button does if it has the text "Save document"
on it, that user will not in the least be helped by a text stating "When
pressing this button, the document will be saved".
In other words, this type of "help" is just window dressing (no pun
intended), in order for someone to be able to say: "All parts of the UI are
now completely documented, I wash my hands." And Microsoft actually pays to
get this translated?
----------------
This post is a suggestion for Microsoft, and Microsoft responds to the
suggestions with the most votes. To vote for this suggestion, click the "I
Agree" button in the message pane. If you do not see the button, follow this
link to open the suggestion in the Microsoft Web-based Newsreader and then
click "I Agree" in the message pane.
http://www.microsoft.com/office/com...-52bcb8beca53&dg=microsoft.public.office.misc