An Actinic Book

[george]

I agree that the finances would probably make it not such a good idea, but the question is.... would a book on Actinic be a worthwhile addition?


*ticks box*

[pinbrook]

IMO not enough users use the resources that are available to them now. Not to there full extent anyway:

1. In built help
2. User Guides
3. Advanced User Guides
4. Community
5. Knowledge Base

Adding another one to the list is only going to cost Actinic time and money that I don't think will be recouped.

This is very true. the only improvement would be to put these all in one place. Even this could be acheived by utilising the header in the community to provide links to starter guide, AUG etc. and also doing the same within the help menu of the software. 2 ways to find the same info. Job done.

It would be nice to have a developer area where people add plug ins etc - this in my view is the only missing link.

[george]

People who need help = want book


People who dont need help = dont want book

[leehack]

Agreed, but.......

want book = will pay £10-15
£10-15 = not viable

[george]

I think this is the only wishlist thread I've seen where folks are voting against an idea!

[grantglendinnin]

People who need help = want book


People who dont need help = dont want book

What about those that want everything for nothing? Oh, yeah, that's this forum

[george]

*gives up*

[TraceyHand]

G, you gave up YEARS ago!

[leehack]

Ah yes, it's a wishlist thread, stupid new posts link, each to their own i guess. For what it's worth, i'd like to vote for this wish, even though it will never happen.

**big up on the yes votes, roll up roll up.

[pinbrook]

I think this is the only wishlist thread I've seen where folks are voting against an idea!

only voting against it as it would take resources from somewhere else where it would be more beneficial

[meden]

Please add my vote for a book (while I think it would be difficult to maintain, anything that improves the 'learnability' of Actinic would be welcome )

[Sean Williams]

I can't see a book being economically or practically viable.
What about a complete online index to the KB and to the (useful!) contents of the Forum. There's so much useful info in the Forum, but not always easily found with a search and even then it often needs some sifting.

Big task though!

[leehack]

I think an online lookup is more viable and indeed more useful. I don't think many people actually read a book cover to cover, they might flick through from time to time, but mostly i say documentation is dug out when a problem is suffered or they cannot do something. So some kind of lookup in set areas a 'how do i' type thing would work well imo.

I did this some time ago - http://community.actinic.com/showthread.php?t=25664 - it's very raw, but with over 10,000 views one presumes it had some worth, even in this very raw state. The difficulty is bridging between people's lack of knowledge & how they look for/explain what they need to do and a very poor search facility, the info is certainly not lacking, it's the route to get to it that is.

4 years ago i'd never heard of actinic, i've never had to buy a book to learn it, a willingness to read and learn is all that is required and no book can really create that desire, it can just nudge slightly in the right direction at best. As Sean says, the forum holds all you will ever need, at least that's where i learnt from. I've used the AUG probably 10-15 times, the KB 5 times maximum. Forum is where it's at and always will be, because it's so current and up to date.

[JFro]

Well I'm still for a book
By using these forums I only get an understanding of the parts of Actinic that I come across, and not an overall understanding of the software. The only way I would be able get this understanding is by constantly asking questions here or using the knowedge base over several years. But I want to know how to use Actinic asap. Summer is our quiet time, and I certainly won't have time through to winter. Time to remind myself of a page in a book over coffee maybe, but not time to explain myself clearly on a post and wait for a response, then explain myself more.

I guess Actinic has to think of their customer base. This forum is great and does contain everything anyone needs to know, provided a) you know its here b) have the short time available write and to wait and check back for an answer c) are brave enough to think that you are not asking a stupid question (everyone here is very patient)!

But what about the other users, and compaines that don't want their staff to be browsing forums all day? Do the people who use this forum give a fair representation of what the majority of Actinic users would/are like?

This is the sort of thing I was meaning by a plastic bound book.
http://www.delran.com/how-to/PlasticBind/
Easy and cheap to print, and to ammend. Easy to send out with the products. Low set-up cost and not much to lose if a trial were to prove unsucessful...although if offered alongside buying a product I would be suprised if there isn't a reasonable uptake.

[pinbrook]

The only way I would be able get this understanding is by constantly asking questions here or using the knowedge base over several years.

Indeed actinic can take several years to master. You dont mention the actinic inbuilt help files, these should not be ignored

But I want to know how to use Actinic asap.

in which case you are better to concentrate on the stuff you need to know and ignore the rest until you have the requirement

I suspect the issue being discussed here is more to do with how people like to learn. I've bought big "how to" computer books in the past and tbh after the first couple of chapters given up as they tend to be far to dry.