When Do You Read the Instructions?

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When Do You Read the Instructions?

Posted by Cliff on Saturday December 18, 2004 @10:51PM from the some-assembly-required dept.

An anonymous reader asks: "I originally submitted this as a poll, but the answers I'm guessing, were way too long. However, I would like to ask the crowd at Slashdot: When do you read the instructions?" "So when do you reach for that instruction booklet? Do you:

...research on the internet, in magazines and also pestering friends who own one, so you're an expert before buying said item?
...carefully read the box and all of the instructions even before unwrapping the protective plastic?
...study the instructions and the quickstart guide?
...refer to the instructions and study the quickstart guide?
...lose the instructions when throwing the packaging away, but study the quickstart guide hoping for the best?
...look at quickstart guide when it's not obvious how to turn it on?
...frantically search the instruction book after letting the 'magic smoke' out of your appliance hoping you'll find somewhere saying it's suppose to do that?
...after it's been smashed to pieces with a hammer?"

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Importance... by megaversal · 2004-12-18 23:01 · Score: 3, Insightful

Depends on how important it is... if it's for my servers that thousands of users at work need to access, you can be sure as hell I read the release notes.

If I'm just playing around... that's it, I play around and look at the manual if there's a problem.

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Sig!
I'm confused by MyGirlFriendsBroken · 2004-12-18 23:33 · Score: 4, Insightful

Are there devices out there which are not operated by a hammer?

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If you read a speed reading book, does it take you less time to read the second half?
Re:Difference between boys and girls by david+duncan+scott · 2004-12-19 02:53 · Score: 3, Insightful

I'm not so sure that they learn faster. They may pick up particular tasks more quickly, but they may also miss (I know I have) whole areas of function simply because they haven't stumbled into them yet.

Reading the manual gives you the CD-ROM drive. Playing with things gives you the cup holder.

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This next song is very sad. Please clap along. -- Robin Zander
on the throne by kcornwell · 2004-12-19 05:03 · Score: 3, Insightful

I read instructions for nearly everything I buy while I'm on the can. The time required is usually enough to scan for anything important or interesting. The technical specs are almost always interesting, and sometimes I miss a feature that is not obvious in the product (think cell phones).