VW12 Manual

[mac@stairworks]

Forgive me, but I have been a loyal user and supporter of VW for 7 years plus,paying pretty good money for upgrades over the years and I find it rather insulting that I have to pay for a printed version of the VW manual.Having to scroll through hundreds of pages on screen may be convenient for some, but I rely on the manual for quick references that I can bookmark.

Very disappointed

[DDDesign]

Sorry Mac, I disagree.

A printed manual takes up more space, is harder to access, provides fewer search options, is more likely to be out of date, uses up more paper and adds considerbly to costs.

I've had every update since mCad 6, and bemoan the fact that I thow out manuals each time in pristine condition.

Surely there is a way you can "bookmark" favourite pages on your computer, without having to have a 730 page (VW11) book.

[BrendanFella]

Sorry DDD,

But I have to agree with Mac.

The last thing I want is anything else on my screen. Plus the fact when I'm not at the Computer I can still read the manual. To each his own. But for the price they could supply a free manual. As for "out of date"...It's only out of date when the software is upgraded.

[Kevin]

I agree with Mac. I use both print and electronic. I have missed the printed manual and was not aware that it was an option. I assumed that I would receive a paper manual as always when I ordered the upgrade.

I would prefer that this option be made available at the time of upgrade. That way, those such as David, may opt out. I, on the other hand, would elect to have the manual.

[DDDesign]

Originally posted by BrendanFella:

quote:

---

As for "out of date"...It's only out of date when the software is upgraded.

---

The "upgrades" of eg V9.5, 10.5 & 11.5 did not have an up to date manual supplied, even though in some cases there was an introduction of major new features The only way of ensuring you have up to date information is on-line.

quote:

---

But for the price they could supply a free manual.

---

Nothing is ever free. A "free manual" would have its costs invisibly built into the cost structure of the product, and a book like that isn't cheap to produce. "for the price" implies there is some bloat in the price - I think VW is pretty competitive in this respect.

I'm not saying there shouldn't be a printed manual, I just don't want to have to pay for something I don't need.

[BrendanFella]

OK David,

I guess we both have what we want. Those of us who want the manual are paying for it and those of you comfortable with the .pdf version don't have to pay for it. As for "Free" I guess you're correct again. It's just not as noticable when purchased with the software and some of us out here are kinda stupid and new to this and need all the help we can get. (OK, I better just speak for myself here)

As for the price, yes it is a lot cheaper than AutoCad (over $4,000) so I suppose that's why I don't mind an extra charge for a printed manual.

By the way, where did they hide the .pdf version? I couldn't find it and a call to my account rep. didn't help as he couldn't find it either. Am I just too stupid to find it? ...Ok, no need to answer that.

[Christiaan]

It's not as if they're milking it either. I think they're reasonably priced. Many companies extort money out of their user base by selling such things at hugely inflated prices. I think NNA have got it bang on here.

It comes down to this: why should someone be forced to buy a paper manual with their software if they don't want one?

[Christiaan]

quote:

---

Originally posted by BrendanFella:

By the way, where did they hide the .pdf version?

---

Mine's at /Vectorworks/12.0.1/VWHelp/Additional Documentation/VSLanguageGuide_12.pdf