Netherworks, I think we pretty much basically agree as e.g. the material room. Having both options is good, as long as one doesn't impair the other. I tend to learn both ways - a programming language I'll read the manual (please paper), from cover to cover first, a graphics app I'm more likely to just explore and read about features as needed. OTOH, I usually ended up setting the alarm rather than learning to program a VCR.

Recently, I tried the figure mixer in DS3 for the 1st time. I dutifully read the manual line by line. It took forever to do whatever unnatural acts it took to mix Vickie, Aiko and Laura on my old rig. I ended up with a cute figure I couldn't export or change the mixing proportions on. Turns out that I missed something in the 'if you want do this, skip to...', IMO partially because a step was vaguely worded. Now if I had had a nice wizard (sorry Peng) that stepped me through the sequence and warned me to do this before doing that, and yes, asked me if I was sure because otherwise I was stepping off the cliff of no return, I would probably haved saved a lot of time and gotten the result I wanted. But sure, have both stick shift and automatic.

BTW, I should have said 'a bit uncharitible' instead of 'breathtakingly arrogant,' sorry :-)

"Democracy is a pathetic belief in the collective wisdom of individual ignorance." - H. L. Mencken