+1000 On Mon, May 22, 2023 at 7:59 PM Steve Thompson <ste...@wkyr.net> wrote:
> +1 to what Mike and Charles have said. > > And I too have done much of what Mike said below over the past 40 > years. > > Things wrong in RTM relative to SRBs and FRRs. Fairly recently I > found a bug in ESPIE. I've reported doc that is wrong about > Macros, or the Macro is wrong relative to the doc. Or the sample > can't be copied because the way the PDF is built, the copy for > paste doesn't work right. > > BPXDYN2 -- Showed them where the COBOL samples were going to > confuse newbie COBOL programmers. > > I have had arguments with IBM management on some of these > subjects as a contractor, client and employee. > > BTW -- I did vote for Peter's RFE. What an ordeal to get an > account to be able to vote on an RFE. > > Steve Thompson > > > > On 5/22/2023 6:33 PM, Mike Shaw wrote: > > +1 > > > > I have been working with IBM z/OS documentation for over 40 years and > have > > submitted many reader comment forms in that time. In that time I have > found > > and reported typographical errors, inconsistencies, obsolete information, > > and even flat-out WRONG statements. > > > > Without real-world feedback from z/OS professionals who actually USE the > > documentation, it's accuracy and usability will not improve. > > > > IBM has good technical documentation writers but they are NOT end-users. > > > > Eliminating RCFs disconnects authors of the documentation from consumers > of > > the documentation...NOT a good idea. > > > > Mike Shaw > > MVS/QuickRef Support Group > > Chicago-Soft, Ltd. > > > > On Mon, May 22, 2023, 6:05 PM Charles Mills <charl...@mcn.org> wrote: > > > >> For those who have not been following this discussion, IBM is on track > to > >> remove the RCF process as we have known it for forty or so years. > Customers > >> and ISVs will be limited to a Web pop-up “Was this helpful?” and if you > >> answer No, you will be able to briefly justify that answer. There is > also > >> apparently now no path whatsoever for a customer to open a requirement > >> against IBM documentation. > >> > >> We need a way to provide formatted suggestions for improvements, > >> clarifications or corrections to IBM manuals. > >> > >> If you would like that, then wishing and hoping and grumping will not > make > >> it happen. Here is what might make it happen: > >> > >> - You could start by replying with a simple +1 to this post. The IBM > >> powers that be do not participate in this forum, but there is strong > >> evidence that what happens here sometimes percolates in that direction. > >> - You could vote for Peter Farley’s RFE. Find it here: > >> > https://ibm-z-hardware-and-operating-systems.ideas.ibm.com/ideas/ZOS-I-3691 > >> (apologies for any fold). > >> - If you have an IBM rep at your shop, you could let him or her know. If > >> you simply know an IBMer you could tell him or her nicely. > >> - If you have contacts who are responsible at your shop for other > products > >> such as the languages, Db2, CICS, MQ and so forth, you could try to get > >> them to chime in. Apparently one of the pushbacks from the documentation > >> team is “IBM has 1200 products and our process works fine for all of > them – > >> what’s wrong with you z/OS people?” > >> > >> Thank you. > >> Charles > >> > >> ---------------------------------------------------------------------- > >> For IBM-MAIN subscribe / signoff / archive access instructions, > >> send email to lists...@listserv.ua.edu with the message: INFO IBM-MAIN > >> > > ---------------------------------------------------------------------- > > For IBM-MAIN subscribe / signoff / archive access instructions, > > send email to lists...@listserv.ua.edu with the message: INFO IBM-MAIN > > ---------------------------------------------------------------------- > For IBM-MAIN subscribe / signoff / archive access instructions, > send email to lists...@listserv.ua.edu with the message: INFO IBM-MAIN > -- zMan -- "I've got a mainframe and I'm not afraid to use it" ---------------------------------------------------------------------- For IBM-MAIN subscribe / signoff / archive access instructions, send email to lists...@listserv.ua.edu with the message: INFO IBM-MAIN
