I use Ubuntu daily now and when I get a problem I just hit Google with the relevant terms and up pops a page (or thousand pages) with the solution. That's probably why the documentation effort has got messed up. I'd guess that most of us haven't heard of it and because they haven't had a problem finding information they didn't realize it existed.

The assertion that "you need professional documentation" can only come from someone who's never been at the sharp end. Producing user documentation is a long winded process --- expensive, too -- and it rarely produces anything of value because its always out of date (or just plain inaccurate), it never provides the detail needed for people who know what they're doing and its too detailed for those who don't. It can be done but needs inspired writers,