Manuals and me

Perhaps this post ought to be called “Information sources and me,” but I chose the title
 with Vilém Málek’s excellent article in mind, Manuals, or How I learned to stop worrying and love the internet.

I remember my first computer very well. Thanks to my parents’ goodwill, I became the owner
 of an eight-bit Didaktik M. It came with a manual, or whatever you’d call it. A few months later I got a book on BASIC programming, still in its characteristically stiff covers. I’ve had plenty of experience with all those manuals, reference guides, books and HOWTO booklets.

As the internet took off as a way to find information, it became my own main source of information, technical and otherwise. In my view the biggest change came less from documentation and information being available in electronic form 
than from full-text search engines.

Search engines, specifically Google, which NkD and I affectionately call our phone-a-friend,
 became essential to my work. Every manual, guide or downloaded document eventually slips from memory and lies forgotten on disk. A search engine, in contrast, can find what you need right away.

Even in the age of modern technology there’s a place for books, with a caveat. I’d choose one in two cases. If I’m a beginner and need a way into the subject, a book for beginners is just the thing. Or if I need to go deep into a problem, a specialist book is a great help.

Last but not least, I’ve deliberately saved trade publications for the end. They serve a different purpose and matter to me as a way to broaden my horizons. They also let me test my own opinions against others and clarify how I think about a subject.