2003 help system - could be better

[Jay]

Well just installed the new 7.1 compiler. Not bad I must say but I'm
becoming increasingly frustrated with the help system.

Problem: project didn't compile due to DX9 include directories not being
found (guess this is really a bug in the settings conversion from 7.0 albeit
a minor one)

Couldn't find where to set the include and library directories so went to
the help system and typed 'include directories tools options'.

So I get a large document entitled 'Visual C++ Extensibility Reference'
which means nothing to me at all. Looking down the list I have SQL, Business
Analytics folder (!?) and all sorts of other stuff that's completely
irrelevant.

So, I go to google, and type in 'include directories tools options 2003'
Note: not even a mention of microsoft, msvc, .net.
Result: 2nd entry tells me exactly what I need to know (i.e. look in the
projects folder under tools->options).

So why is the help system so much worse than google? Am I missing something?

Jay.

[David Lowndes]

>So, I go to google, and type in 'include directories tools options 2003'

Note: not even a mention of microsoft, msvc, .net.
Result: 2nd entry tells me exactly what I need to know (i.e. look in the
projects folder under tools->options).

So why is the help system so much worse than google? Am I missing something?

Or... Why is Google so much better than the MSDN search now?

I wish I knew. MS seem to keep wanting to re-invent the help
engine/searching/presentation - and IMHO it's been going steadily
downhill for the last few years. :(

Dave
--
MVP VC++ FAQ: http://www.mvps.org/vcfaq

[Girish Bharadwaj]

With Tim Ewald and Chris Sells on the helm, they might be able to help the
matters. It looks like MSDN (online) team is finally going to change the
search methods. Hopefully, for the better..
:)

--
Girish Bharadwaj
"David Lowndes" <da****@mvps.org> wrote in message
news:v3********************************@4ax.com...

So, I go to google, and type in 'include directories tools options 2003'
Note: not even a mention of microsoft, msvc, .net.
Result: 2nd entry tells me exactly what I need to know (i.e. look in the
projects folder under tools->options).

So why is the help system so much worse than google? Am I missing

something?
Or... Why is Google so much better than the MSDN search now?

I wish I knew. MS seem to keep wanting to re-invent the help
engine/searching/presentation - and IMHO it's been going steadily
downhill for the last few years. :(

Dave
--
MVP VC++ FAQ: http://www.mvps.org/vcfaq

[David Lowndes]

>With Tim Ewald and Chris Sells on the helm, they might be able to help the

matters. It looks like MSDN (online) team is finally going to change the
search methods. Hopefully, for the better..
:)

Hi Girish,

I'd like to be enthusiastic - but I'm getting very wary of each new
wonderful cool change that they do - fundamental usability just seems
to get forgotten about and discarded. I'd really like to be wrong!

Dave
--
MVP VC++ FAQ: http://www.mvps.org/vcfaq