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- From: mforget@elfhaven.ersys.edmonton.ab.ca (Michel Forget)
- Subject: Re: Compendium, and other...
- Date: Mon, 25 Jul 1994 11:30:30 -0600
- Precedence: bulk
-
- Hello Scott,
-
- Sorry for taking so long to respond to your message.
-
- >As for the index, I spent several days working on it but I'll be the
- >first to admit it's not perfect. It is, however, one of the features
- >that people _usually_ cite as a good feature.
-
- It would be a good feature, if it were complete. For a book with such
- a vast array of information, having an index with so few entries is
- criminal.
-
- >As for the $10 for the disk... The disk isn't quite ready yet
- >(because of circumstances I'll mention below) and when it's ready I
- >might just upload it for free (though I'm not promising). The $10
- >covers the basic trouble of copying, labeling, marketing, and
- >supporting the disk. Many other books come with their disks and are
- >either more expensive to start or are made by huge companies.
-
- On the contrary, The Atari Compendium is the most expensive book that
- I have ever purchased. $70 Canadian is not a trivial ammount of
- money. I would have gladly payed $71 Canadian if the disk came
- with the book, though. If you do upload the disk, I would be
- very pleased.
-
- The main concern I have, though, is with errors in the text. Specific
- examples (just in case you do not yet know about them):
-
- Page v: Appendix I apparently begins on H.1 (?!)
- Page 4.64: The word "multiple" is used in the second last paragraph
- when it should actually be multiply.
- Page 6.96: graf_movebox() is now called graf_mbox() by Atari (and
- everyone else, apparently, though I did not know this until
- it was pointed out to me).
- Page 7.65: WORD maxwchar is listed twice. It should be maxwchar, maxhchar.
-
- These are textual errors, but it makes me question what -other- errors
- there might be. Is the code listed reliable? Are the suggested
- parameters and other pieces of information correct? In this one area
- I feel that I have a 100% legitimate complaint. For $70, I should be
- able to reasonably expect the book to have been proofed. The size of
- your publishing house (small or large) cannot be an excuse for this,
- especially in the "revision". Nobody is perfect, and typing mistakes
- can be made, but not in a professionally produced text.
-
- The binding is a nightmare, too... :) I suppose this is a good feature
- for most people, but the way that the binding folds out backward makes
- it hard to hold the book in my hand. Or is the cover and the binding
- supposed to remain firmly together, like a paperback or a hardcover
- book?
-
- The only other concern that I have is your upgrade policy. I purchased
- the new edition, so this is not my own problem yet, but everyone else
- I have spoken to who has purchased The Atari Compendium is furious,
- because the upgrade price is actually the same price (or more expensive)
- then the price they could purchase it for. The feeling seems to be that
- the upgrade should have been offered as a text file or addendum-booklet
- to registered owners.
-
- Despite my complaints, I do like the book. It may not sound that way,
- but I do.... :) Good luck at your new job at Atari, and I hope to hear
- from you soon.
-
-
- --
- Michel Forget \\ mforget@elfhaven.ersys.edmonton.ab.ca //
- Electric Storm Software \\ ess@tibalt.supernet.ab.ca //
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