Nope. It's a cheap way to deal with the problem, but the more important and/or costly a piece of software is, the more real Help is delivered with the product itself. The Help has real value, and that value is proportional to the value of the work that this software is doing for you. If that work is, say, directing air traffic near an airport, you can be sure they aren't relying on online help.kevin wrote:I voted yes for all the obvious reasons. There should be a manual that comes with an application (paper and/or PDF) and then a link to online help. It should have a search box. That's SOP for just about any professional piece of software these days isn't it?
A video editor like Final Cut Pro or Avid comes with loads of help documents, well organized, because that work is deadline-oriented and mistakes are costly. The better Help wins the customer's loyalty.
A cheap piece of software like the one we discuss on this forum can afford to skimp on the help, because they aren't losing much when they lose a customer. The more your customers pay, the more valuable they are to you, and the more value you must deliver to them. What do they value most? They value the work that got done, not the program. Helping them get the work done is what keeps the customer's money coming your way.