Jim Davila interacts with my entry on the importance of printed manuals, adding a few more reasons why he feels they are indeed valuable:
(g) If you're carrying around a device - say, a digital camera - you can easily enough carry around a printed manual too, but not a manual that only comes in a computer.(h) Even if it's a laptop you're carrying around, the online manual (where the really useful information usually is) can only be accessed if you can find an Internet connection.
(i) If your computer isn't working, it's pretty hard to consult the manual to see if you can sort out the problem when the manual is only accessible on the working machine.
Software companies are being lazy and cheap, not "environmentally responsible."
Actually, regarding point (h), let me make clear that when I talked about "online help" I was referring to "onscreen help". Nevertheless, it is true that some companies are introducing help systems that require you to have a live Internet connection. Therefore, I think Jim's point is still valid. Anybody else got a few more reasons to add to the list?