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I was trying to write an article about a vendor's product, and it just would not function on my machine, and nothing they had already produced online was helping and they were dragging their feet getting back to me for support about the issues, to the point the article never got finished.
It was an article *they* commissioned me to write. That is super frustrating, and I don't like projects where I'm set up for failure.
I don't write articles for vendors anymore. I prefer to let them produce their own documentation.
1/10 would not recommend. 
Real programmers use butterflies
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I would say that it depends on the vendor.
In my experience, Microsoft has, from its early days, provided documentation that is reasonably clear, and their sample code usually works. This is not to say that their documentation is perfect, but it is usually good enough to get the job done.
I can also give examples of vendors whose idea of "documentation" was a poor joke.
Freedom is the freedom to say that two plus two make four. If that is granted, all else follows.
-- 6079 Smith W.
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It *does* depend on the vendor, but it's hard to really know a vendor until you've been elephanted by one. 
Real programmers use butterflies
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So the software gets changed, and the tutorials remain at the old version, or have a bit tacked on to introduce the "new features".
This is worst when they are "video tutorials" because they take time and money to make and nobody wants to do that again ... another reason to avoid video tutorials ... 
"I have no idea what I did, but I'm taking full credit for it." - ThisOldTony
"Common sense is so rare these days, it should be classified as a super power" - Random T-shirt
AntiTwitter: @DalekDave is now a follower!
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I hate video tutorials for pretty much anything. I much prefer something that I can read at my own pace; I find video tutorials are usually either:
- Too glossed over
- Too slow
- Too hard to seek what you are looking for within them
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You forgot the big reason for avoiding them: generally they are produced by someone who has no idea how to make a video, and often no idea about the subject matter either.
This is the standard for YouTube coding tutorials, I find.
"I have no idea what I did, but I'm taking full credit for it." - ThisOldTony
"Common sense is so rare these days, it should be classified as a super power" - Random T-shirt
AntiTwitter: @DalekDave is now a follower!
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the plain examples working mostly fine, but when I tailor it for my projects the pain starts 
Press F1 for help or google it.
Greetings from Germany
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My experience has fallen into two part on the failure side of things. First, the tutorials are often too simple to actually accomplish things. Second, they often apply to a specific case that isn't what will do what is needed. In addition, some venders have a mixed bag - lots of things needing tutorials and some features are covered well while others aren't.
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I've used W3Schools tutorials for a quick bootstrap into a few languages and their reference guides can be handy (just not very comprehensive is, for both, an understatement) - but I'm really grateful to them because a straight-foreward start is a really nice thing.
Per the Subject Line:
Clearly, no one in corporate world loves me enough for that. Or, perhaps they've all heard those stories and rumors I started about myself. As per my CP 'bio': "I have done things".
| Ravings en masse^ |
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| "The difference between genius and stupidity is that genius has its limits." - Albert Einstein | | "If you are searching for perfection in others, then you seek disappointment. If you seek perfection in yourself, then you will find failure." - Balboos HaGadol Mar 2010 |
modified 15-Mar-21 8:21am.
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Generally work without issues
Mostly work with occasional issues
IMHO - these are the same.
"Generally" does not mean specifically without issues. It is implied that their are some issues.
Anyhow, I voted for Mostly work with occasional issues.
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That's mostly "Hello World" for library X though.
I should hope that if I copy some beginner's code from their web site that it works.
Stuff like Angular, Vue, GitHub, a lot of Microsoft documentation...
A couple of months ago I had an issue with a TomTom example.
I copied the JavaScript code into my file, replaced the key with my own and... The page stayed blank.
After about an hour of searching I found out they forgot a semi-colon or something like that 
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My profession is automation. In my "world" it dpends strongly on the vendor. Some of them are able to write good documentation and have good to use products - and some other not 
In case not ... the documentation maybe awfull as well as their products not work as described ...
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This. In automation you have beasts like Pilz or B&R that usually produce great documentation, then others which describe what their product should do if it ever worked as designed.
GCS d--(d+) s-/++ a C++++ U+++ P- L+@ E-- W++ N+ o+ K- w+++ O? M-- V? PS+ PE- Y+ PGP t+ 5? X R+++ tv-- b+(+++) DI+++ D++ G e++ h--- r+++ y+++* Weapons extension: ma- k++ F+2 X
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