Documentation 1. Reference manual
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Biblioscape | Bookends (Mac) | Library Master | Procite | EndNote | Reference Manager | Papyrus |
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Bscp: 2 Tour available at the Internet developer's web site, and within the online help, 3: actually, the help is the Manual, not really updated to the current version.
Despite the fact that even a traditional, "real", bound printed volume has been published on Biblioscape (quite a unique event in this small software world!), documentation deserves serious improvement: the package is vaste, complex, and articulated that it would require a better documentation, its lacking makes the user underexploit it or strive with trial and error |
BK: Comprehensive manual, in PDF format; 2 Tutorial, in PDF format; 3. No online help at all | LM:
1: Users' Guide in English, spiral bound, TOC, index; not an alphabetic nor systematic reference manual. Separate supplement for v. 4.1. Complete, precise, clear, reliable (does not solve difficult tasks as far as Formats are concerned) 2: Getting started guide, printed, index 3: contextual but not always present; MS-Windows like, might contain less info than the printed Guide 4: not enough explicit |
Pr:
1: Users' Guide in English, bound, TOC, index; not an alphabetic nor systematic reference manual. Complete, precise, clear, reliable (does not solve difficult tasks) 2: chap. 3 "Guided tour" + on-line help. (Shorter manual only for read-only Data distributor version) 3: yes but not really contextual; MS-Windows like, contains less info than the printed Guide 4: not enough |
En:
1: Users' Guide in English, only as Adobe PDF file (not entirely read this time; not an alphabetic nor systematic reference manual. Complete, precise, clear; it used to be poorly updated as far as v. 8 is concerned, see the online help to get more secure, though not definite, information 2: "Getting started" on CD as PDF + Guide Tour printed (some 90 pages) 3: unsufficiently contextual, Windows-like 4: not enough |
RM:
1: Users' Guide in English, bound, TOC, index; not an alphabetic nor systematic reference manual. Could be more precise and complete: does not solve difficult tasks, hides some important details, does not include Import File Editor IFE (see Help or ad hoc PDF file on CD) 2: "Guided Tour" on CD and in the online help file 3: yes contextual and complete -with few exceptions 4: not enough |
Papyrus:
1 Users' Guide in English, bound, TOC, index + Reference manual -and Concepts and Shortcuts (3 in 1 v.) Complete, precise, clear, reliable, not boring, not verbose, it solves difficult tasks: a real learning tool. Overall: excellent documentation, (though a neat, linear and complete description of formal instructions --search, style design, manuscript formatting switches-- is lacking) 2: Tutorial: windows' guided tours ("balloon" help on the single items of an operating window) + contextual on-line help 3: yes 4: yes |