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From: hogge@uiucdcsp.CS.UIUC.EDU
Newsgroups: net.ai
Subject: Re: Xerox Dandelion vs. Symbolics?
Message-ID: <3500018@uiucdcsp>
Date: Fri, 12-Sep-86 03:31:00 EDT
Article-I.D.: uiucdcsp.3500018
Posted: Fri Sep 12 03:31:00 1986
Date-Received: Sat, 13-Sep-86 21:34:49 EDT
References: <7608@tekecs.UUCP>
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Nf-ID: #R:tekecs.UUCP:7608:uiucdcsp:3500018:000:1704
Nf-From: uiucdcsp.CS.UIUC.EDU!hogge    Sep 12 02:31:00 1986


>> Four days *might* be enough time to get familiarize yourself with the help
>> mechanisms, if that's specifically what you were concentrating on doing.
>
>Four days to learn the help mechanisms?   Come on, an  acceptable user
>interface should give you control  of help within  minutes _not days_.
>Seriously  folks, it took  me  less than 10   seconds to  learn  about
>ZMACS's apropos on the old CADRs and before the end of the day, I knew
>about a lot more.  Have you ever used the "help" key?
>software isn't much  different from the CADR's.  I'll  grant that  the
>lispm's presentation of information isn't that obvious or elegant  but
>it isn't stone age and doesn't require 4 days to get a handle on.

There's more subtle help available on the machine than just the help key,
and my experience is that it takes a long time for one to learn the
mechanisms that are there.  The HELP key *is* the main source of help, but not
the only source.  Examples include: 1. use of Zmacs meta-point to find
examples of how to do things (such as hack windows) from the system source,
2. use of c-/ in the Zmacs minibuffer for listing command completions (and
what a drag if you don't know about this command)  3. the importance of 
reading who-line documentation  4. use of the Apropos function to hunt down
useful functions, as well as WHO-CALLS  5. use of the various Lisp Machine
manufacturer's custom help mechanisms, such as the Symbolics flavor examiner
and documentation examiner, or TI's Lisp-completion input editor commands and
Suggestions Menus.

The Lisp Machine is a big system, and there's lots of good help available.  
But it isn't trivial learning how to get it nor when to seek it.

--John