Since this type of product is primarily used by FS developers (whether freeware
or payware), AFAIK, most of whom who work on projects in their limited 'spare time', they are more likely to need / want to take a copy of 'certain' files from FS and an installation of
ex: ADE with them when traveling on a portable computer.
I personally would greatly appreciate having an option to download all necessary documentation for ADE in a portable form as a discrete file (or file 'set') ...that I can use
offline,
I am often traveling in locations not accessible to (free) WiFi, and would not want to be forced to utilize limited (and otherwise costly) mobile phone bandwidth to tether a internet data connection to a portable computer in order to repeatedly access an "online-only" documentation system ...when in locations that even have a mobile phone tower, and one that also
will:
* Allow full service (including 'data') roaming by my mobile phone without re-starting the device on the local tower
* Allow use of local towers during certain hours of the day by roaming customers of a 'competing' mobile phone provider
Regardless of how / when / where a FS developer one might be compelled to access the internet, I believe it would be beneficial to accessibility, usefulness, and ultimately the 'popularity' with end users of a product such as ADE, to have the option to download- or otherwise create-
and link to via the Help pull-down menu etc. ...a 'offline' version of the documentation, as well as an option to browse the most current a "up-to-date" version "on-line".
Forum participants have made valid points that tracking all necessary info regarding 3rd party FS development utilities even within a well-organized and dedicated forum system such as utilized by ADE at FSDeveloper can be challenging enough, and having to then go out of that '1-stop-shop' environment to multiple other location(s) on the internet to stay current and get additional info on new features / procedures for a FS development utility ...may add to the "complexity" and detract from "ease-of-use" for a products intended end users.
The same situation is true of other FS utilities such as Arno's ModelConverterX and other excellent utilities; one may be fortunate to at least have access to some documentation (however limited in detail) for "release" (or "production") versions that does not reflect new features / procedures of newer "development" (or Beta / "Release Candidate") versions.
Although certainly Arno makes a diligent effort to document his "work-in-progress" for ModelConverterX and other utilities via his
http://www.scenerydesign.org/ Blog, the FS Developer forums, and various YouTube channel videos (which seem to come and go over time), one must "search" those locations via
ex: Google to find fragments of information which might serve as "documentation" for new features / procedures of newer "development" (or Beta / "Release Candidate") versions.
No doubt it is also at least as challenging (...if not
more-so ! ) for the programmers that develop FS utilities to provide up-to-date documentation for their programs, as it is for end-users to find / access such documentation (please note that these comments are
not intended to criticize the generous efforts of developers of 3rd party FS development utilities).
I would merely wish to point out here, the 'mutual' benefit to both developers of FS utilities and their end-users ...to have current documentation available for "release" (or "production") program versions in
both online and offline formats.
Given the challenges programmers
also face with developing FS utilities in
their limited 'spare time', even though it is more of a 'standard' in the "in the real world" of commercial software industry to have documentation for all current features in a form which
accompanies each "release" (or "production") program version in a
offline format, some also offer such documentation online as an option.
Alternatively, in 'rare' cases with commercial software "in the real world", documentation is instead accessed
exclusively online, and only brief Read-Me's and Installation guides are included; but in my experience thus far, this is primarily done with "
Beta / Release Candidate" software, rather than with "release"- or "production"- program versions.
When is not feasible (or desirable) for developers of FS utilities to provide offline documentation, IMHO, it would otherwise be mutually beneficial that such on-line documentation be made accessible via a web page format and server environment that is compatible with multiple versions of popular web browsers that may be used to save complete web pages to the end users local storage device.
IMHO, it would also be preferable that such on-line documentation be made accessible via a server environment that is compatible with sophisticated utilities that capture multiple levels of online web-linked documentation onto end users' own local storage device with locally-linked URLs for subsequent ongoing "portable" use.
And of course, we must acknowledge that even with documentation that was provided with the RTM / downloaded patches or updates to MSFS and its SDK, most FS developers are still compelled to search for additional information critical to anything more than basic usability, throughout multiple FS web sites.
Some of those web sites do not allow search engine robots to index
and 'direct-link' to web pages on their web sites, and instead insist on creating unique session ID strings in web page URLs (...often longer than this post !
) to keep statistics on web site visitors AFAIK for purposes presumably legal and useful to themselves, but IIUC, not necessarily useful to
end users trying to use a search engine providing links while trying to:
* learn about their products
* make a decision for- or against purchase / licensure
* make full use of the the latest release of their product after purchase / licensure.
Again, these comments are not intended to criticize, but instead, to post some observations of the mutual concerns affecting FS utility developers and their end users, and to offer suggestions which might prove mutually beneficial to all parties, with a well-intended reminder that all such endeavors as involve MSFS take place in the context of a highly-specialized "
niche-within-a-niche" inside the much larger "real" world of commercial software.
I hope this may help make FS utility software, and FS add-ons "
...As Real As It Gets" in the future
GaryGB
.
.
) but what about all those others? That is what I am trying to convince you of!
