Uh oh, so it is all Babel's fault?
No, it isn't nor did I write that, or imply that. Did you actually read what you replied to?
But while holding it back is not all his fault - that he felt burned by the piracy of the first book is clear, and the piracy certainly has part of the blame - he is a grown up and needs to take some of the responsibility for the choice he made himself. The piracy gave him a reason not to *want* to release the second version, it did not force him to hold it back.
To be clear:
He does not owe us anything. But that doesn't mean I need to fawn over his choice or reasoning. Just as he is free to withhold the book, it is also my right to point out why I believe his expectations seems to have been out of whack with reality if he actually expected to make more than a token sum of money - piracy or not.
Nor do I need to avoid mentioning that in my opinion he made a silly and irrational choice in withholding a second version when people have been prepared to put in a lot of work to ensure he'd get paid properly for it, which frankly would put him in a far better position than most tech writers can hope for.
But do you actually write software for Amiga anymore? Is this just about nostalgia to you?
Now and again. But yes, even when I do get time, it is mostly about nostalgia to me. I would very much like more to come of it, e.g. with AROS, as there are many things I miss day to day from AmigaOS. But again you miss the point, which was to praise his books influence as great enough that there are at least some of us willing to pay for it - and over the odds - if here were to allow someone to release it, *even if* we don't actually *need* the content any more.
It is his own work and he can do whatever he wants with it. I would like to buy his book too. But there is no book to buy and I cant demand anyone to publish book because I would like to see that happen.
Which is why I expressed my wish for it rather than demand anything.
