Now I expect to retire with a roomful of them-though they have changed significantly from years past. One reason is that manufacturers are listening to specifiers' and consultants' content suggestions. Those handy product books never leave my desk. Whoever told manufacturers to issue CDs with files that have to be installed on the user's hard drive never heard of the wastebasket. We will not install them.
Most manufacturers produce product specifications on disc or as downloadable files.
But they seldom meet our content and writing standards, and at best are embarrassingly easy to spot as a manufacturer's specifications in a project manual. So we cut and paste the needed data into an outline template that reminds us to consider important specification details, such as qualifications, warranty issues, and comparable products. Forums Industry forums yield some assistance with thorny problems, as well as a thought-provoking exchange of ideas. The alt.architecture Usenet group. More than enough specifications information is now just a mouse click away.