http://tc.eserver.org/authors/MacDonald,_Matthew_P. A bibliography of works by MacDonald, Matthew P. in the field of technical communication. en-us Copyright (c) 2005-08 by the EServer. All rights reserved. tclib-editorial@eserver.org (TC Library Editorial Board) webmaster@eserver.org (Geoffrey Sauer) http://tc.eserver.org/images/newlogo.gif http://tc.eserver.org/dir/MacDonald,_Matthew_P. http://tc.eserver.org/14710.html http://tc.eserver.org/14710.html MacDonald analyzes the success of irreverent software manuals such as the 'For Dummies' and 'Complete Idiot's' series and suggests ways writers of traditional technical manuals can make their own work more enjoyable to read. http://tc.eserver.org/12948.html http://tc.eserver.org/12948.html My first epiphany about online help struck while I was browsing through the latest release of a popular Windows program. After exploring for a few minutes, I stumbled across an interesting option that hadn't appeared in the previous version (let's call this 'option X'), and my curiosity was piqued. With the confidence of every naive Windows user, I hit the F1 key, certain that enlightenment was only a few words away. My optimism dwindled when I read the corresponding instructions in the online help.