Poll: OK, who does? (RTFM)

[Augustus]

I tend to do so - with things getting ever more complicated these days - and often something is hidden in such all too often so as to trip us up, but do you?

If it is something that:

a) I might break
b) Might break me

then I'll often read the manual to ensure a and/or b don't happen.

If not, I only read the manual if I can't work it out myself.

 

[Mock Turtle]

I have no clue who Simon Cowell is, but I did read the article - and it didn't say exactly what he did on the bike that reading the manual would have prevented.

I think the manual probably said to park one's ego and put brain in gear (He's a music mogul).

 

[Revoltingest]

The first thing I always do to a new manual
is cut out all the ferrin language sections.
Then it becomes a manageable size.
The planet speaks English!
No need for Spanish & French.

 

[Secret Chief]

EULA, evo lancers, Oculus Quest... I'm in the wrong thread....

 

[Quintessence]

When products actually came with manuals that were substantive, I'd read them. These days, they think customers don't want them, so... they don't even bother printing them. I cannot read something I was not given, unfortunately.

 

[Mock Turtle]

When products actually came with manuals that were substantive, I'd read them. These days, they think customers don't want them, so... they don't even bother printing them. I cannot read something I was not given, unfortunately.

Something is usually available via the internet though, and often for free - as it should be.

 

[icehorse]

Most manuals are poorly written. Amongst tech writers the saying goes: "If you want them to RTFM, make a better FM"

 

[A Vestigial Mote]

Any time I am using a new power tool that has the potential to take off a digit or more, I read through the manual to make sure that the only warnings I see are the obvious, common-sense ones I would expect. A few times, I have been surprised, and all around it helps regardless - sometimes explaining what this or that curious doodad on the implement is there for, when otherwise I would have had no idea and may have missed out on some measure of convenience or extended capability.

A lot of things these days have little more than a power button to be pushed, though - so I had to answer the poll with "it depends."

 

[BSM1]

What's a manual?

 

[sun rise]

When I got my 2014 Toyota Prius, I read the entire ~ 1000 page set of manuals. I could not believe the complexity when I saw the size of the manuals, so I had to know what was in them.

In other cases, such as software, meh. Sometimes I'll glance at it and sometimes wait until I get the head banging on the wall stage. It all depends on the software and my extreme self-confidence when it comes to software.

 

[Nakosis]

Simon Cowell didn't read manual before breaking back in horrific bike accident

I tend to do so - with things getting ever more complicated these days - and often something is hidden in such all too often so as to trip us up, but do you?

I usually read the manual after the fact. I need to touch it, try to figure it out on my own, formulate questions first. I usually need some physical knowledge/reality about whatever I'm dealing with before reading I can make any sense of the manual.

 

[Onoma]

Riding a bike at 60 ?

Only thing I will ride at that age is a Big Wheel or a recliner

 

[Mock Turtle]

What's a manual?

Most popular type of car in UK, rather than automatic?

 

[Mock Turtle]

The thing is, so many devices these days are menu-driven, and it is not always obvious where one should go to change an option. My latest little phone has an item named STK in the Tools menu, not mentioned at all in the manual, and doesn't seem to do anything when I select it. Perhaps it only comes alive when another option is selected but it should at least be mentioned in the manual.

 

[Secret Chief]

The thing is, so many devices these days are menu-driven, and it is not always obvious where one should go to change an option. My latest little phone has an item named STK in the Tools menu, not mentioned at all in the manual, and doesn't seem to do anything when I select it. Perhaps it only comes alive when another option is selected but it should at least be mentioned in the manual.

Dear god whatever you do, DO NOT select STK.

 

[Mock Turtle]

Dear god whatever you do, DO NOT select STK.

Too late - it did this



and then this



Oh dear

 

[Stevicus]

Most popular type of car in UK, rather than automatic?

That's what I was going to say, although in America, we often call it a "stick shift."