Hi Talisman,

If the manual is full of technique examples that's about the best one should expect. Often software publishers will also maintain a "tutorial" site for their users such as DAZ has done with their recent acquisition of the former Poser Arcana site. Those are the ones who go the extra mile for their customers, not to mention that it is good business and marketing.

I'm not trying to start an argument but when was the last time the salesperson sent you to driving school when you bought the car? The microwave you purchased may have included a small recipe pamphlet but it's a safe bet the manufacturer doesn't have a cordon bleu chef working on the service telephones. If the software manual explains the procedural workings of a program's features then it has done its job.

Who better to explain how the product works than the people who wrote, sold and profited from it?

Experts, meaning knowledgable users or developers, are not necessarily good teachers. That's yet another skill. And while CL has hopefully profited from P5 sales the program price is hardly enough to also include personalized, one on one instruction. That's the way it is in any "manufacturing" industry. If you look at some of the software courses that are offered, it is not at all unusual for the course to cost more than the actual software it is teaching. There is no such things as a "freeway"- it all costs.

Now a previous poster to this thread might dismiss me as "sucking up" to CL. But I'm not. In the past I have defended CL and DAZ whenever I felt that they were being treated unfairly- just as I have done for individuals also. My other recent postings re P5 are proof enough that I am not one of CL's idle worshipers. But in this instance I really think your expectation is unreasonable. After all, it's called "Technical Support", not "Educational Support".

A manual should be expected to explain how the various features work. It is up to the user to make practical use of these features once their operation is understood. When the manual includes tutorial information as well it's a bonus, not an obligation. Of course, if you followed manual instructions precisely and it failed to give you the proper result that would be another story and should be addressed by customer support.

• Jack Valero