Relay-Version: version B 2.10 5/3/83; site utzoo.UUCP Posting-Version: version B 2.10.1 6/24/83; site bu-cs.UUCP Path: utzoo!linus!decvax!genrad!panda!talcott!harvard!bu-cs!root From: root@bu-cs.UUCP (Barry Shein) Newsgroups: net.emacs Subject: Re: How many copies would YOU buy? Message-ID: <488@bu-cs.UUCP> Date: Sat, 13-Jul-85 17:12:38 EDT Article-I.D.: bu-cs.488 Posted: Sat Jul 13 17:12:38 1985 Date-Received: Mon, 15-Jul-85 02:19:23 EDT References: <4672@mit-eddie.UUCP> Organization: Boston Univ Comp. Sci. Lines: 31 Well, I sent a message to this effect to RMS directly but now that someone has suggested upping the price of the Emacs manual to raise $$ for GNU I'll publicize: First, your heart is in the right place, this is not a flame, just an opinion. I find a big nuisance to students here are all the manuals and their costs. I have worked very hard to try to keep this down for my students (I generally teach the intro C/UNIX course in CS here, so I see it, easy to run over $100 for basic manuals for just this course and *then* come the texts (K&R, K&P, about $50 or so.) Granted these things are useful for years, let's have a little sympathy (I know *I* had to raise my own $$ for books as a student, it was tough sometimes.) I don't think one student here has ever bought the CCA emacs manual, it's just too much with the UNIX manuals etc. They manage without it, and probably not as well (on-line docs, public copy in the room, tribal info), which I feel bad about cuz I am a manual hound. Ok, so two good conflicting ideas: The only possible resolution I could think of would be a "deluxe" and "student" edition, either with different amounts of info or just different binding (eg. one could just be a plastic wrapped pack of three-hole and the other would be professionally bound.) But that's a real administrative hassle to get started and I bet most people would just buy the cheaper one. Or maybe there are just better ways to raise $$ that affect the 'right' people most. Or maybe this isn't an issue: rms? -Barry Shein, Boston University