Gerhard Fiedler wrote:
> But for quite a while now, I've added web searches to my tool box.
> When I can't find something quickly in the "official" documentation,
> I search for it with my favorite search engine. Usually it doesn't
> take long to find the answer (if there is one).

But that's only if you know to ask.  The lack of overview documentation
means you don't know what the range of possibilities are and what you can
therefore ask about.  For example, from a first glance at the documentation
there is no obvious way to get the output of a program into a shell
variable.  You look at the SET command, maybe look for "assign", etc.  When
you don't find it, you conclude it can't be done, since it isn't mentioned
anywhere in any overview.  If however you knew it was possible, then that's
different.  Then you can search deliberately and probably find it.

I wouldn't mind at all reading the 50 page overview and intro to CMD, but
from perusing the help, it appears no such thing exists.  Maybe someone else
has written it, but then you have to wonder how accurate it is.

> none by Microsoft, though, but I don't care so much where I
> get my info from :)

I do care.  Any idiot can put up a web page, and all too often they do.

Think of the PIC equivalent.  The bozo that just spent a week getting a LED
to blink thinks it's a major accomplishment and puts up a web page with all
the details, including the horrible undocumented absolute mode code with
BSF/BCF on the bank bits, etc, etc.  Those that know what they're doing
blink the LED in 15 minutes and get on with things, and are too busy to put
up a web page with the right way to do it.

When you're not familiar with something, it's hard to tell the bozo
information from the good stuff.  As for CMD, I'd really rather read about
it from Microsoft.  Their documentation isn't organized well, but it is
usally correct.


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