Documentation is considered an afterthought in many firms.
Years ago, I adopted the approach of writing the *manual* for
any product that I designed *before* designing the product (!).

The man who created "Mathematica" did exactly that. It is a terrific idea,
because it puts the focus on how the user interacts with the product, before
any code is written.


I just updated the firmware for my Sony BD player. The Website
did not explain how to access the new features. I had to call and
have the question escalated to level 2 before getting an answer.

I'm surprised they even *supported* the firmware upgrade!
I think they count on consumers replacing kit every couple of
years so why bother adding any cost if a new model will be out...

Some products have become so complex that manufacturers have no choice to
put the firmware in flash memory, so it can fixed if bugs or omissions are
found.

If Sony, et al, didn't provide updates, at least some customers would
complain. In this case, the BDP-S560 included freeze-frame and slow-motion
features missing from my BDP-S550. So it probably wasn't too hard to update
the earlier product.

My plasma TV and my digital SLRs (including the lenses!) use flash firmware.
I'm hoping the TV will be upgradeable to 3D (but who knows?). In the case of
the cameras, the manufacturers are correcting bugs and adding features. If
they didn't do this, there'd be a lot of kvetching from customers -- and
possibly class-action lawsuits.