kolla wrote:
In other news, reprints of the Complete Works of William Shakespear have been cancelled due to the online existance of the said texts.
Mr. Shakespear has been unavailable for a comment. :roll:
Errr, not quite the same, but you get a silver star for effort.
Anyway, I do respect Ralph's stance on this to a degree. Some dipshyt knew the book was going to press and released a high-quality OCR PDF to the Internet -- a thumb of the nose towards Ralph and everyone else working on the project. But even more, it's a giant kick in the balls to those in the community who, like me, have waited for 15 years to get their hands on this book, in English, first-hand.
Ralph, this isn't about the arsehole who did this. This isn't about your creative work going unappreciated, nor about theft of intellectual property. THIS is much bigger than that. This is about your audience, your fans, your fellow Amigans who know, respect, and love your work. Those who share your enthusiasm and love for the platform and the community. Those who have held on because through thin and thinner because we truly believe in something here -- just like you. WE support you, WE care, and WE are who matter.
The one jack-ass who did this does not count. The many jack-asses who will download and use the copy of the old book do not count. Those who want the new book, a real book, with your real heart in it, THEY count.
Yes, some of us who have wanted this book forever may be tempted, even give in to the temptation, to download this pirated copy. But give any of them the chance and they will happily plonk down the money to buy the real deal.
Honestly, some may give up on the platform without your book. Sound extreme? This book reprint represented the opportunity to get a copy of the book without having to toil and tussle online to get one, or learn German. Admittedly, I have never seen a copy of this book, but what I know about it tells me that for someone wanting to program on the Amiga and know the system more intimately, this is the Holy Grail. And without that key, the Amiga becomes a dying philosophy with only a handful of followers and true believers. This would be like stripping the Bible out of Christianity, or the Torah out of Judaism.
Ralph, please reconsider. The sum of the parts is greater than the sum of the whole, and your book and knowledge represent a large part of our community. Whoever this arsehole is, giving into whatever his intentions may have been is hurting us all. I have emailed you in the past about your Guru Book, and you have been very cordial with me and stated your concerns and reasoning, and I respect that. There is a great demand for you and your work. Right now we have two lists going for people to show their support for you to complete this project. We're not above begging for this. In the words of Violent Femmes, "What do I have to do, to prove my love for you?" (hehehe Sorry, lost it there for a second.)
This is a horrible let-down. Please don't let whoever was involved in the act ruin it for those who give a shyt.
