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RTFM = Read the Funny Manual?
coronaride writes: "This article over on Wired discusses the issue near and dear to every sysadmin and support tech's heart. I, myself, never read any manuals that accompany the products I buy (but when does cheese-whiz really need instructions anyways?) unless something majorly goes wrong! The article talks about how some countries, including Japan, try to spice up their product manuals in order to entice the users to read them. Is this just too much work for our lazy American manufacturers to do?"
Apple have been inserting funny stuff in their manuals for ages. And they are the only manuals I've read and enjoyed :)
You didn't RTFA, did you? The article was all about the various cultural differences. For example, when translating for an Italian market, it was said that you should never just flat-out say what to do. Instead, suggest around it (apparently, Italians are stubborn and don't like being told what to do). Hungarians like instructions on how to fix things, some images and phrases that are benign in one culture are offensive in another, and so on.
Personally, I agree with you that a manual should be clear, concise, and just plain useful. And that's how most good manuals are in the States. That's not necessarily true around the world, and that was the whole point of the article.