CA for Dummies...

[Tom Price Home]

I've been with CA since V6 and admit that patience isn't always my best virtue. So learning the program by trial and error can take a long time. The training CD's are fantastic and the manual helps, but when I see a post like Tommy Blair's and the picture that's included, I realize how many things I haven't even had the time to investigate yet. When you're in the middle of a plan, you're usually looking for a quick answer. It seems by the Q & A method that there are usually two or more ways to do something in Chief. Who would like to produce a CA for almost Dummies book that would show the BEST way to get from point A to point B? Kind of an intermediate to advanced book to tweak the knowledge of us basic, everyday users. You know, something with the "tricks of the trade". (Actually, one could take the entire Q & A forum and produce this book, eliminating all the not-so-good ways of doing things.) How about it ART? I'm sure there's money in it!

[Thompson]

I strongly agree with you on this, they could really help me alot. I'd strongly back you up on that.

[Thompson]

Hey, I just saw you are from NC, So am I, It's in Jacksonville.

[BLayman]

Thompson,

I only list my home (Virginia) location, but I spend about 50% of my time on Topsail Island.

If there is a Chief group in this area I'd like to join.

Bill

[Tommy Blair]

Tom.

Thank you for your kind words. Your idea is great, however, trainers like Louis would say "Come to the classes!!" User groups are helpful too. To be honest with you, I have multi mega hours big-time trying to think how CA thinks. That is the key....how CA thinks.

Tommy

[Tom Price Home]

There's a Chief user's group in NC. Contact Tom Monahan at tomsfirst@earthlink.net

919-661-1398

[Tom Price Home]

OK Tommy, let's have a "How Chief Thinks for Dummies".

[David J. Potter]

Guys,

With all due respect if you don't take the time to, chapter by chapter, read and drill the supplied manual, what makes you think you would read another manual with a different title? Books are ALLOT OF WORK to plan, write, edit and expensive to print on paper and publish (pdf e-books are still allot of work).

If I or someone else figures out how to "teach" any subject anywhere without that student's dedicated assistance, hard work and intension what would the "knowledge" be worth? and would you then have an expert or would you have a zombie-robot?

Nothing worth having is really 'FREE' or 'EASY'. Take a look at what you do know; what you are certain of; in other words your own level of competance...how did it get there? You observed, you intended, you studied, you tried , failed and tried again; in other words you studied and applied yourself, invested yourself in gaining your competence. There is no other workable way.

How Chief thinks is how it is programmed. You learn that by either learning programming or observing in application how it works and studying the posts of others who have done some observing while working with the software.

DJP

[Tom Price Home]

I, for one, AM a manual reader. It's usually the first place I look and I've read it pretty much from cover to cover. It's not so much a complaint as a suggestion. But even with the manual, without Q & A, most of us would be dead in the water or ART's phone would be ringing off the hook constantly. A separate publication describing the "oddities" or what's the BEST way (not one of many ways) to do something, could only be a help. No one said it would be easy.

(I just drew a simple L shaped kitchen with the L being a different ceiling height. When I cross-section it, I see a cabinet backsplash that's 132 feet high! Now, where did THAT come from? Bet it's not covered in the manual!!!!!)