Wayne Parham Messages: 18787 Registered: January 2001
Illuminati (33rd Degree)
I read the manuals of every piece of technical equipment I buy, and some of the non-technical stuff too. I know many people don't - there's the joke that guys never read the manuals - but I want to understand the devices I own.
And one of the cruelest acronym snide-remarks a techie can make to another is "RTFM." It's like saying "you're an idiot." If not an idiot, then at least a lazy person.
gofar99 Messages: 1949 Registered: May 2010 Location: Southern Arizona
Illuminati (5th Degree)
Hi Everyone, I read them. It is easier to do than replace parts you broke when you didn't. Many of the things I get are sensitive or delicate and knowing how to use them is really important. Nothing like wreaking a $750 or higher phono cartridge because you didn't know how to get the needle guard off (no I haven't done that, but it could happen).
If it's a system I know nothing about, which can happen, I break out the manual. Some people read it like a book from start to finish, but there's no way I could remember everything in there.
I want to understand what I'm using, for sure, and the best way for me to go about that is to read when I need to.
That's a good tradition to keep going. They don't just write these manuals to reduce liability, there is very useful information in those tomes. It's very dry writing, but informative.