[Winship wrote]
> Norm, I really do not understand your objection to a printed LISTSERV
> listowner's manual. I certainly have not, nor do I think anyone who
> supports me has, advocated the printed form in place of the online form.
> Rather, we want a choice, and we're willing to pay for it, and those who
> prefer the online documentation at no extra monetary cost are welcome to
> go that way (heck, I'ld probably use both).
Well then, we've driven this into the ground. I said, in my first message
on the topic, that a printed version would be fine for those who want it if
the on-line, complete manual remained "free" (that is, included in the
license fee my institution pays). In fact I used the example of O'Reilly's
commercial printing of some of the major Linux manuals, still available by
anonymous ftp including all of O'Reilly's edits, noting that both versions
are popular. Apparently I missed something in your messages, as you did in
mine. To be honest, though, I don't see printed publishing as a success
area for L-Soft. Perhaps, once they've released the manual electronically,
they could arrange with an outside publisher (you could get involved in
this) to print & sell whatever version was current at the moment. Because
of the distributed nature of LISTSERV and its users, though, and because
only electronic documentation has any hope of remaining up to date, the
on-line version must remain primary and freely distributable.
Since we agree on the only point that matters to anyone else, we should
carry this conversation on further, if there's anything left to be said,
off the list ...
Norm
--
SUPERMODEL LINDA EVANGELISTA, ON VERSATILITY: "I can do anything you want
me to do so long as I don't have to speak."
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