AllAboutCircuits.com versus www.ibiblio.org

Thread Starter

tonykuphaldt

Joined Jan 10, 2004
14
Hello again,

Recently I've been getting a LOT of emails thanking me for the AllAboutCircuits.com website. While I think this website is really cool (especially the forums) and I really like the exposure it's giving to the books, some distinction needs to be made between my work and yours, so I don't continue to receive credit for that which I have not done.

Also, quite a few people have been emailing me about where they can download PDF versions of the books. Could the administrator(s) of this site please do one of two things:

(1) Provide downloadable copies of the PDF, and perhaps PostScript, versions of the books at the AllAboutCircuits.com website.

. . . or . . .

(2) Provide a clearly visible link to the master website (www.ibiblio.org) where people can download them there.

I have no vested interest in directing traffic to the Ibiblio website, so I have no preference regarding which option you choose. Whichever option is best for you is fine by me.

Keep up the good work! :D

- Tony
 

jrap

Joined Dec 31, 1969
0
Hi Tony,

Thanks for the comments.

I agree, some distinction should be made, and it's my fault for not doing so. I will get right on that.

I will look into hosting PDF files locally. Although it will certainly increase the site's monthly bandwidth, I think it's worth it.

Also, would you prefer I take your email down from the front page, leaving only your name? I would be delighted to add an 'About the Author' page if you are interested.

Feel free to private message me if you prefer these details be discussed privately.

Thanks again,
Rob
 

Thread Starter

tonykuphaldt

Joined Jan 10, 2004
14
Hello Rob,

I think I wold prefer if my email address were taken off the front page. Along with the increased reader emails I've been getting, I've also been getting overwhelmed with spam (about 40 a day!).

An "about the author" page would be cool. There you could also list all the contributors to the books, giving them their due credit. Contributor names may be obtained from the "Contributors" appendix of each volume at the ibiblio site.

I think it's really great how you've taken the books and given them a "facelift" through the AllAboutCircuits website. Projects such as yours showcase the power of open source for the written word.

On another note: I read a post about the availability of printed books. I wanted to let you know that it's perfectly okay to print these books and sell them to interested customers. I do this at the college where I work. Each year I give an updated manuscript to the campus bookstore, and they have cheap editions printed at a local printshop. Then, the books are sold just a little bit above cost to give the bookstore some revenue. In the interest of avoiding any conflicts of interest (profiting from books sold to my students), I don't collect a penny from the sales.

Selling open-source material is perfectly legal (think of Linux distributions sold by RedHat, SuSE, etc.), although it usually isn't very lucrative, since the free availability of the "source code" inherently limits prices. As far as I'm concerned, anyone who invests the money to print and bind books deserves compensation. It's just something I've decided not to pursue personally, mostly due to time constraints and the complexities of handling transactions. Heck, I don't even have enough spare time to finish several of the chapters!!

Please email me privately if you would like to discuss matters of book sales further. For all other matters, I actually prefer open posts, because it allows others to see open-source collaboration at work, and that's a very good thing.

- Tony
 
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