Re: Attn: Gordon: Your "Electronics for Dummies"

Too_Many_Tools wrote:

"Conceptually, the sort of books you write are not well suited for
paper
publication. They are best suited for an interactive web site that can
be
searched and read as needed. Also, web sites are easy to update with
improvements and commentary."

I would disagree on this.

Ever try to find a web page a few years after you first saw it...and
now you really NEED that technical information?

Yes, that is a HUGE problem.


Dead links are the scourge of the Internet. If those who profit from
the money I spend on technical publications expect me to use the
Internet for significant long term technical references, they will need
to step up to the plate and provide long term web support for that
information. Publishers, like manufacturers, are providing less and
less support as time goes on.

That is exactly one of the problems that does need to be addressed.

Another sensitive subject that a significant number of Internet users
are on dialup....and will always be on dialup. This precludes dealing
with large amounts of data...pdf files, video, large downloads. This
problem of lack of bandwidth is not going to go away. I also note that
in field situations where I have no Internet connnection I can still
use a reference book at full bandwidth.

See, I think that is wishful thinking. I bet you make more use of the web
than you are willing to admit. Yes, books are good for a static "snapshot"
in time, but not very good for current reference. By the time a technical
book is published and distributed, it is almost by definition obsolete.


Anyone who thinks web based references are the only references in the
future are deluding themselves.

Well, I think economics demand that reference books die. They are obsolete
before they get to the shelves, they cost a lot to print, move, and take up
a lot of shelf space at the book store that otherwise could be filled with
candy, games, mugs, or coffee.

While I agree there is, in fact, a need for reference "books," the billion
dollar question is how do you may a viable business at it. People say they
like books, but all the publishers know, they just don't like to buy them.

Like movies, for the time being, there will be blockbusters, but slowly the
big screen movie business is dying because of cable, satellite, and big
screen TVs and sound systems. Information and HOWTO books are being killed
by a glut of information on the web.

In formation on the web is also easier to use. First, its already in your
home, no need to go to the book store and find it, second, you can "find"
what you are looking for with Google, third it is mostly free, lastly, you
can print it, take notes on it, and put it in a notebook.


.

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