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> Yet Apple’s documentation for users and those supporting users has all but dried up You and me we both RTFM, but the population at large? Not so much. When c

> Yet Apple’s documentation for users and those supporting users has all but dried up You and me we both RTFM, but the population at large? Not so much. When computers were in their early days more of the people that used them were willing and even interested to learn a lot about what was going on. Now the computer is a tool used by most people to do specific tasks. Just like I don't care to learn how to fix my car they don't want to learn how to troubleshoot software nor hardware problems with their computers. So it might not make economical sense for Apple to spend any significant amount of money on employing technical writers.

pfranz 9y ago
I think a more common example would be Googling a daemon that's hogging memory or CPU. Ideally, the top result would be Apple docs with a clear, concise description. In practice, it's usually an Apple discussion thread (which I do give some credit for them hosting/maintaining) or Stack Exchange. Although, I don't think I've ever seen an official response in their forums. It's usually a meandering set of posts (and "me toos!") before I can get any description of what it is or how to address it. Sure, the average person doesn't have Activity Monitor (or top) open, but they could be walked through that process when their fans blare and battery life nosedives.
hollander 9y ago
Not only that, but when I have a problem with my Mac, I go to Stackexchange and ask my question there. Many times I get a useful answer. Apple could set up a team to help people over there, and officially support it, like Ubuntu does. Documenting is one thing, helping people with their questions is the easy way out.
ZenoArrow 9y ago
I'd say it ties up with Apple's focus on being a consumer electronics manufacturer. Apple and Sony have more in common than Apple and Dell.

pfranz 9y ago

I think a more common example would be Googling a daemon that's hogging memory or CPU. Ideally, the top result would be Apple docs with a clear, concise description. In practice, it's usually an Apple discussion thread (which I do give some credit for them hosting/maintaining) or Stack Exchange. Although, I don't think I've ever seen an official response in their forums. It's usually a meandering set of posts (and "me toos!") before I can get any description of what it is or how to address it. Sure, the average person doesn't have Activity Monitor (or top) open, but they could be walked through that process when their fans blare and battery life nosedives.

hollander 9y ago

Not only that, but when I have a problem with my Mac, I go to Stackexchange and ask my question there. Many times I get a useful answer. Apple could set up a team to help people over there, and officially support it, like Ubuntu does. Documenting is one thing, helping people with their questions is the easy way out.

ZenoArrow 9y ago

I'd say it ties up with Apple's focus on being a consumer electronics manufacturer. Apple and Sony have more in common than Apple and Dell.