RANT: Embedded Devlopers And Stinky Documentation

Interesting indeed, let us know what happened.

My experience with Atmel is not good on this point. Years ago, I found an error in a datasheet. Very minor error: reverse bit function description. Took lots of mails and them sending me sample-code (which did not use the bit, probably because it did not work as the datasheet said) before they agreed the datasheet was wrong. They then said the change would be in the next revision. That revision came after a long time and did not include the change. When I asked them about it, they could not explain why it wasn't included and said it will be in the next release. Still awaiting that release ...

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Stef    (remove caps, dashes and .invalid from e-mail address to reply by mail)

Reactor error - core dumped!
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Stef
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So, this was a "private" forum. I.e., presumably, customers weren't exposed to it, no danger of corporate secrets leaking *out*, etc.

One has to wonder if shutting it down wasn't more of a reaction to "how *dare* you guys do something without our explicit approval? (i.e., behind our back)"

Dunno "The Office".

I suspect in any organization where the lawyers have a loud voice, this would be "strongly discouraged" (they don't *really* want to have to WORK for their pay when they can, instead, collect it while doing reasonably safe things -- like telling you NOT to take any chances...).

I wonder how companies that (ahem) "support" public forums address the liability issue? I.e., what's the difference between folks posting questions on a "user forum" (sponsored by the company) vs. "marking up a wiki"?

Reply to
Don Y
[...]

same procedure at Freescale.

First it takes a lot of effort to convince them, then it doesn't help anything.

I gave up.

Oliver

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Oliver Betz, Munich
despammed.com is broken, use Reply-To:
Reply to
Oliver Betz

In my experience, it can take a LONG time for the information to go up and down the chain.

A few years back a collegue and me noted a discrepancy in a vode processing, we reported the problem for 18 months later the rep to tell us the problem.

If you get close enough contact with manufacturers engineering or top level support sometimes it works. On one I sae a revision of datasheet within two months with TWELVE extra pages and improved diagrams.

Mainly depends how close to the source you are when reporting problems.

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Paul Carpenter          | paul@pcserviceselectronics.co.uk
    PC Services
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Reply to
Paul

Depends on which law. Ok, there are some that I do curse ... :-)

I blew old Latin in school. Big time. I didn't want to learn a dead language and they did not allow us to learn real Italian or Spanish instead. Now I really regret that because where I live I could really use Spanish.

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Regards, Joerg

http://www.analogconsultants.com/
Reply to
Joerg

My favorite was an LCD controller doc that showed the sequential steps required for each operation across the page. The Janglish wasn't too horrid, but unfortunately the sequences were carefully translated to English but shown right-to-left on the page as appropriate for Japanese...

Wasted more than a day figuring that one out !

YMWV, Best Regards, Dave

PS: "Standard" in which country ???

Reply to
Dave Nadler

My favorite one was where they "documented" the reset function in one short sentence, basically saying that the unit has a reset and where there control line for that is. So we issued a reset to test this out ... *PHOOMP* ... after the windows were opened and the smoke cleared out we found that their idea of a reset consisted of a relay that shorts the

5V rail. We had a 5V/100A switch-mode supply ...
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Regards, Joerg

http://www.analogconsultants.com/
Reply to
Joerg

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