[Moondog55]

Life is tough on a fixed income, if @sam6550a had not sent me a fine bottle of bourbon recently, I was considering drinking water.

So if the bottle says 100 proof, the other 50% is.....

 

[MrPretty]

Let's discuss manuals:

1. I know if we get rid of them, someone's gonna complain about us being cheap/assholes/etc. Understood.
2. However, if we get rid of them, we're right there with $3500 products (Cintiq) with no manuals and with massively complex apps and other stupid stuff with no manuals.
3. Most manuals are about 10% useful information and 90% scolding (looking at tools especially).
4. Manuals are almost always somewhat wrong.

So: manuals? Pro? Con? Indifferent?

Edit: I linked Tyler to this, so he'll definitely read your opinions.

Edit2: also, for the high school debate team champions, don't try to shift this to plastic bags and other crap in the box. We get it. We've been trying to eliminate plastic bags. Nothing is good enough so far. You get to choose between weirdo semi-plastic molded stuff to hold the non-bagged product in place, and bags. Some things (Tyrs) require foam, period. Magnis and Midgards and stuff like that have been moved to, or are being moved to, all-recycled cardboard. We beat FedEx to this, FWIW.

My vote is for no manual, I always download the PDF, and its a lot quicker for me to pull it up on my PC than find it physically.

 

[sam6550a]

Pretty good! I very nice finish.

Very good. I hate making selections when I have never tasted the product, but I took a chance and I am glad that I did. Enjoy!!!

 

[Moondog55]

Or maybe that static-cling sticker on the component that states "If you burn yourself on these tubes, you're too stupid to own a tube amp." Probably minimize claims as most people won't intentionally admit they're stupid.

Or start a tube store....TubesRHot

 

[Roy G. Biv]

Let's discuss manuals:

1. I know if we get rid of them, someone's gonna complain about us being cheap/assholes/etc. Understood.
2. However, if we get rid of them, we're right there with $3500 products (Cintiq) with no manuals and with massively complex apps and other stupid stuff with no manuals.
3. Most manuals are about 10% useful information and 90% scolding (looking at tools especially).
4. Manuals are almost always somewhat wrong.

So: manuals? Pro? Con? Indifferent?

Edit: I linked Tyler to this, so he'll definitely read your opinions.

Edit2: also, for the high school debate team champions, don't try to shift this to plastic bags and other crap in the box. We get it. We've been trying to eliminate plastic bags. Nothing is good enough so far. You get to choose between weirdo semi-plastic molded stuff to hold the non-bagged product in place, and bags. Some things (Tyrs) require foam, period. Magnis and Midgards and stuff like that have been moved to, or are being moved to, all-recycled cardboard. We beat FedEx to this, FWIW.

We bought a new car in December. It did not come with a manual other than a brief "selected topics" booklet. One can look at an e-manual online or in the car itself. However, there is literally no way to read it cover-to-cover if one is so inclined. Pick a topic, it gives you a link. Want to see the next topic? Back to the index because there is no way to go directly to the next page. Absolutely frustrating.

Also, I'd pay to be able to DL a manual that had all the lawyer warnings removed. "Don't drink the battery acid" or "don't lie under the car with the engine running" kind of nonsense.

Rant over.

 

[adias]

I strongly vote for paper manuals. I see the benefits of e-based docs. Heck, I started using the Net in the ‘70s when it was called Arpanet but a physical technical product should have a comprehensive paper manual. Apple doesn’t have them and it’s simply wrong.

 

[adias]

We bought a new car in December. It did not come with a manual other than a brief "selected topics" booklet. One can look at an e-manual online or in the car itself. However, there is literally no way to read it cover-to-cover if one is so inclined. Pick a topic, it gives you a link. Want to see the next topic? Back to the index because there is no way to go directly to the next page. Absolutely frustrating.

Also, I'd pay to be able to DL a manual that had all the lawyer warnings removed. "Don't drink the battery acid" or "don't lie under the car with the engine running" kind of nonsense.

Rant over.

Boeings still have cockpit paper manuals, I bet.

 

[JooLoo]

will gungnir 2 be at canjam nyc @Jason Stoddard

 

[Currawong]

LOL, of course:

Yeah we'll launch Aegir 2 tomorrow (plenty in stock)...

...but...

...manuals being late may mean a 1-2 day shipping delay.

This is why Tyler keeps telling me to lose the manuals, stick a QR code in there, download the stupid thing yourself.

Another wacky idea to consider: Make a paper manual an optional extra when ordering. Since the product it boxed, if ordered, put it in a shipping pouch on the outside.

Permission to link staff to, and laugh at the ridiculousness of this idea granted.

 

[sam6550a]

Just an FYI everyone, the manual would still be there, it would just be available digitally via something like a QR code. Same Jason snark and all.

Thank you for the insight and opinions, they are very helpful.

Paper manuals surpass digital manuals as viewed on smartphones and small tablets. You need real manuals available to explain what you just spent $2K on.

 

[bcowen]

We bought a new car in December. It did not come with a manual other than a brief "selected topics" booklet. One can look at an e-manual online or in the car itself. However, there is literally no way to read it cover-to-cover if one is so inclined. Pick a topic, it gives you a link. Want to see the next topic? Back to the index because there is no way to go directly to the next page. Absolutely frustrating.

Also, I'd pay to be able to DL a manual that had all the lawyer warnings removed. "Don't drink the battery acid" or "don't lie under the car with the engine running" kind of nonsense.

Rant over.

A gigantic +1 to that. Most manuals these days would be reduced by 75% in size.

 

[sam6550a]

So if the bottle says 100 proof, the other 50% is.....

Reserved for Finnegan.

 

[bcowen]

So if the bottle says 100 proof, the other 50% is.....

.... not alcohol.

 

[Roy G. Biv]

Boeings still have cockpit paper manuals, I bet.

We moved all of our documents to the iPad a few years ago. We only carry one paper manual in the cockpit now. It's the "something bad just happened manual" and most of us prefer the paper version to the electronic version when things get busy.

To answer Jason's question, I'm fine with either a paper version shipped with the kit or a printable electronic version. I'd prefer the printable version to be something meant to printed on standard 8.5 x 11 paper.

 

[sam6550a]

We bought a new car in December. It did not come with a manual other than a brief "selected topics" booklet. One can look at an e-manual online or in the car itself. However, there is literally no way to read it cover-to-cover if one is so inclined. Pick a topic, it gives you a link. Want to see the next topic? Back to the index because there is no way to go directly to the next page. Absolutely frustrating.

Also, I'd pay to be able to DL a manual that had all the lawyer warnings removed. "Don't drink the battery acid" or "don't lie under the car with the engine running" kind of nonsense.

Rant over.

I purchased a heat gun to shrink heat shrink tubing on wires. It came with a sticker [amongst others], that proclaimed "Do not use as a hair dryer". We are doomed as a civilization. I welcome all forms of Artificial Intelligence, since it is obvious to me that native intelligence has departed this planet.