Hello Sean
On 12-Apr-00, you wrote:
While not exactly on topic for this list, it does have some relavance I
think. I just got done talking with a friend about the lack of
documentation in this industry. I mentioned the arguments I thought for
it:
the ``our competition will steal our ideas''
or ``our hardware/software is
so bad we don't want anyone to know about it.''
My friend had another reason: companies are afraid to release
documentation because most of it is inaccurate, incomplete, confusing, or
just doesn't exist within the company. Or their products use third party
vendor parts that themselves, are not documented or require thick layers
of
NDAs to even see (``I work here and I was told to get
a copy of our
business
procedures.'' ``Are you a manager?''
``No. I'm an engineer.'' ``Then
I'm
sorry, but you are not allowed to see our business
procedures.'' ``But I
work here!'' ``I'm sorry, but they're proprietary, and with proper
management approval, you can't have them.'' ``But I was told I have to
follow them!'' ``Yes, you do.'' ``But what are they?''
``I'm sorry, but
that's proprietary information.'')
My friend even went on to relate a story that happened within his
company:
FRIEND: Yes, I'd like to use our XYZ chip.
COW-ORKER: I'm sorry, but the engineer responsible for the XYZ chip
died last year and no one knows how it works or even how to
make it anymore.
FRIEND: There was no documentation?
COW-ORKER: Hahahahahahaha! You haven't worked here that long, have
you?
-spc (We're doomed! We're doomed I say!)
Doesn't this remind us of a comic strip named Dilbert?? Happens everywhere
these days . . . .
Gary Hildebrand
amigaphile