Path: utzoo!attcan!uunet!jarthur!usc!samsung!rex!ames!uhccux!todd
From: todd@uhccux.uhcc.Hawaii.Edu (Todd Ogasawara)
Newsgroups: comp.windows.ms
Subject: Re: (none)
Message-ID: <8733@uhccux.uhcc.Hawaii.Edu>
Date: 26 Jul 90 17:53:54 GMT
References: <9848.3498.forumexp@mts.rpi.edu>
Reply-To: todd@uhccux.UUCP (Todd Ogasawara)
Organization: University of Hawaii
Lines: 45

In article <9848.3498.forumexp@mts.rpi.edu> Barry Bailey writes:
>   I recently purchased Word for Windows and am interested in obtaining
>   the Technical Reference Manual ($20). Has anyone seen it in any
>   bookstores? Could someone from Microsoft indicate whether they
>   distribute the manual to retail outlets, or exclusively sell it
>   directly to customers?

There should be a tech manual purchase card included with your Windows Word
package. I ordered mine through that route. Couple of items to mention
about the Windows Word tech ref manual.

1. Don't buy it through the "send in the card route." Mine came as a bunch
of three hole punched poorly xerored (hard to read) on shoddy quality
paper. To Microsoft: I think this was a ripoff considering I paid good
money expecting at least a paperbound book that doesn't have pages ripping
out of my binder. I called Microsoft to complain, but no action was taken.
I feel ripped off.

2. I feel even more ripped off because it turned out that the tech ref book
is mostly available as one of the sample files included with Windows Word
(I think it is called TECHREF.DOC or TECH.DOC). My first generation
Postscript laser output looks a heck of a lot better than what Microsoft
provided me from their Xerox machine.

3. I felt even *more* ripped off when I wandered into a local bookstore a
week after receiving my Windows Word tech ref manual and spotted a
softbound version of it. Even with the local 4% sales tax, it would have
been cheaper for me to buy it from the bookstore (had I known it would be
available through retail routes) than to order it from Microsoft and pay
postage.

All I can say is: "Boo, Microsoft!"

...todd

P.S. Don't forget that Microsoft also unbundled the Runtime Library
Reference manual from the Microsoft C 6.0 package! I am really convinced I
did the right thing now by not upgrading from Microsoft C 5.1 to 6.0 now.
Turbo C++ was cheaper to buy new that it was to upgrade to Msoft C 6.0.
And, Borland *does* provide a run-time reference manual!
-- 
Todd Ogasawara, U. of Hawaii
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