2007. 07. 19, csütörtök keltezéssel 13.28-kor David Powers ezt írta: > Dotan Cohen wrote: > > David, I am the OP, and I have not posted the URL to the pirate site. > > Nor did I see it posted anywhere. Check the email, maybe someone else > > sent it to you directly. > > Dotan, I'm fully aware that you didn't post the URL, and I apologize if > my post gave the impression that you were the culprit. The URL was > posted by another person approximately six hours after your original > post. It might have been removed from the web interface, but it's > definitely still there in my newsreader. > > It has been quite fascinating to read this thread, even though it has > nothing to do with PHP. As an author, I have frequently thought about > the contradiction between the fact that PHP is free and open source, but > I claim copyright and payment for the books I write about it. But it's > no secret that many people involved in developing open source software > make a living selling their knowledge in one way or another, either as > consultants or developers. Although I don't have the skills to > contribute to the core development of PHP, I hope that my books help > others use PHP in a productive and secure manner. > > With regard to the argument about free flow of information, all the > information in my books is freely available on the internet. However, > the value to most readers is that I have pulled together that > information, tested it, and presented it in a form that, hopefully, > makes it easier for beginners and intermediate developers to understand. > Since it takes six months to a year to produce a book, I don't think > it's unreasonable to expect readers to pay for it. Unfortunately, > computer books are expensive. Few people realize that only a tiny > proportion of the price goes to the author. That's why unauthorized > distribution cuts so deeply into an author's income.
I didn't want to get involved in this thread, though it was interesting to read... However, an idea just came into my mind: what if you, as the author, could offer a download for a price which would be the same as what you get after a sold paper copy? According to what you just said, it would be much cheaper for the download than for a paper copy, which might cause more or less of the downloaders of the pirated file to download it legally and pay this smaller price to you. I admit that it won't stop pirating, but it might be good for those who are willing to pay to you, but either can't afford the paper copy or are not willing to pay to the publishing company - and it might increase your revenues a bit too. greets Zoltán Németh > > David Powers > -- PHP General Mailing List (http://www.php.net/) To unsubscribe, visit: http://www.php.net/unsub.php
