On 03/26/15 01:40, worik wrote: ... > Today I spent $US5 on an ebook containing tutorials for software I am > considering using. By exercising my mouse I could have got it for free. > > I did not. > > So I am bringing this up again. I do not want CDROMs. I have been to > the trouble of paying for one and insisting they do not post it, but it > was a lot of bother. > > I would pay for a collection of release notes for each new release. > > I support this project and I would like to support Theo directly - as CD > sales do. > > So once again (at the risk of infuriating idle clowns) I respectfully > suggest that the project consider such a release beside and as well as > CDROMs. ...
There's a major problem in the world...most people don't understand very basic economics of running a business. You are looking at it as $5 for something that costs nothing to distribute -- so infinite profit margin ($5/$0), how can you go wrong? Well... composing such a document takes time. Let's use the FAQ as an example. Well, it's rather short for a book, and realistically, if you were to be expected to pay MONEY for it, it would have to be pretty substantially reworked for better quality, better organization. But let's pretend that people would spend $5 for a neatened up version of the FAQ in ebook format. So, I quit my day job, and spend a month or so rewriting things. No major new content, just reorganizing and reworking what is there. Understand that I love the OpenBSD project, a LOT of my income goes into OpenBSD related expenses, and I'm glad and honored to do that, but I really can't just quit getting income for a month without a huge hit to the bank account. So I'm going to need some pay. It doesn't need to meet my current job's income, but it would be nice if it were close AND covers lots of taxes and costs that my employer pays. Not only that...when I'm done, I'll need to go get another job, as I suspect my employer will fill my current position, so I'll have to find a job elsewhere. So, better add another month of pay to my costs. Now, divide that cost by $5...can we sell that many copies of something that can be got for free? I doubt it. And that's just to BREAK EVEN, as if NOTHING ever happened. To actually make it worth while, we would have to sell many times that number of copies. Oh, but wait! not done yet. Now, we need a way to process $5 payments fast and efficient enough so that the majority of the $5 actually goes to the project, not to the time spent processing things. And when something goes wrong, customers will expect that someone answer the phone or at least e-mail in a timely manner. And every release, we need to do it all over again. Realistically, the money that we get for this e-document is really just an act of charity anyway. Why not just give the project the money, and not make us jump through hoops that cost lots of money and provide no benefit to anyone? Besides, the artwork and stickers in the CD sets are great. Really. I've been buying CDs since 2.6, and I look forward to getting every single one. And this is from someone who works with the project and pays the same price everyone else does (and historically, usually got it AFTER many of you guys are bragging about getting yours). Nick.
