Well,
I think both the official manual and the community manuals serve their purposes. From the official manual you can learn what each button and station does and the very basics of using the sonar and tma. Since you usually learn only one platform at a time you don't have to read all 500+ pages at one setting but instead focus on those parts that you need atm.
Once you know what every knob and button does (from your choosen platform) you can advance to the relevant community manuals to learn when and why to use those knobs and buttons. Obviously you can always revisit the original manual when you are unsure what a button does or for example how to fire a torpedo.
Using this approach works well IMHO, besides it lessens the workload for those who contribute to the community by providing said manuals and tutorials. Instead of explaining at length the buttonology of every station they can jump right into everything the original manual left out (tactics for starters) and reference any knobology questions to the original manual.
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