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Technology

CD-ROMs with Books -- Worth Your While? 61

Posted by michael from the save-a-buck-or-two dept.
An anonymous submitter sends: "I'm working on a new book which would have the Open Source/Linux/BSD/etc community as its target audience, and the editors are very interested in having a CD-ROM included with it. I personally feel that a CD only adds a few bucks to the cost for negligible benefit, since the code is probably outdated by the time you get it. What are your thoughts? Do you get something out of having the code on CD, or would you rather have references in the book or online and download the software yourself? (And lest you wonder why I'm posting as AC, this is a serious question, not a PR attempt.)" I have several technical books with CD-ROMs. I've never used any of them. I'd rather the book have an accompanying website to provide code and errata. But maybe other people feel differently.
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CD-ROMs with Books -- Worth Your While? More

CD-ROMs with Books -- Worth Your While?

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  • Coaster.

  • Book on the CD (Score:5, Insightful)

    by Zach Garner ( 74342 ) on Tuesday April 02, 2002 @04:16PM (#3272383)
    I would be willing to pay a good deal more if publishers would include a PDF of the book on the CD. While I know this is not going to happen, its the only reason a CD would have any real use.

    Put the code on the website, most everyone has internet access. If you are concerned about those who do not, have a mail in offer for the CD and charge for the price of shipping & handling.

    • Re:Book on the CD (Score:1, Informative)

      by Anonymous Coward
      I had a book once that contained the American edition of the book in PDF format on the included CD (the paper book was the Canadian edition). The Canadian edition was missing some stuff and that is why the American edition was there. The PDF was kind of nice, I think I used it more than the book itself.
    • Actually I was quite surprised when I got my Differential Equations Textbook [fatbrain.com] came with the entire book as a PDF on the cdrom. Actually there are two editions of the book and it was the one with _more_ chapters on the cdrom. The greatest thing ever.
    • Maybe I shouldn't be reading ancient computer books, but I have read some books that had code on a disk that you had to order from them, but when the book goes out of print and the author leaves his university, or the address otherwise changes, there's kind of nothing you can do to get the code again. At least if there'd been a CD (well, the book was old enough that it would have been a floppy) I would have had a fighting chance.

      Even in a networked world, it's good to have CDs. If I go on a long trip, I always bring debian-powerpc-nonus disc 1 or 1, so I can boot off of it in case something goes wrong and I can't get to a solid network. I have to burn my own image, of course, but if I had an Official Debian GNU/Linux CD that came with a book I'd probably prefer that, just because it would deteriorate slightly more slowly.

      And there's a lot to be said for having a frozen image of how the code looked when the book was released. Updates, and even full code, on the website, yes, but also, if it's like a book that describes a specific version of GCC or something, having exactly the version that the author used has its advantages (and disadvantages).

  • Worthless (Score:3)

    by wickidpisa ( 41827 ) on Tuesday April 02, 2002 @04:16PM (#3272386) Homepage
    I have never used a CD from a book either. The number of people who would buy a technical book and not have internet access to download anything that would have been put on the CD is probably small enough not to be worth distributing one. Other than that what would be the benefit of a CD?

  • Go with the website. (Score:3, Insightful)

    by cornice ( 9801 ) on Tuesday April 02, 2002 @04:16PM (#3272387)
    I remember a time when I anxiously scanned the back of every book for the contents of the included CDROM. This was back when my net connection was 14.4. Today, I think you're right. The contents of CDs are almost always outdated or some shareware version of an application that can be downloaded from the Net. Then again, some people may not give up their old habits. Your book could be left on the shelf because it's lacking that lump on the back page. Do you want utility or sales...

    Maybe the topic can determine the level of the audience. If your book has an animal on the cover, go with the website. If the title includes "in 21 days" then go with the CD.
  • I think most titles would benefit if they were released in stand-alone CD format as well as in hardcover/softcover, because:

    1) Some people dig that kind of thing.

    2) CDs would probably be a lot cheaper to make, although they would still be a rip-off to purchase. We already know that CDs are cheaper than tapes, a secret that the record industry failed to keep.

    3) CDs are more portable, and it would be nice if you could save the CD-book to your hard drive.

    4) CDs obviously can present better visual and audio media. A CD-Book would kind of be the DVD for the literature industry. . . More features and knick-knacks, deleted chapters, yadda yadda.

    Of course, this doesn't mean that people won't copy them and threaten to destroy the industry's efforts at the multimedia market.

    Meanwhile, I find that CDs included with books can help only if they can easily illustrate what the book says. A good example is the character creation CD that was sold along with 3rd edition D&D players' guides. Include more useful information and programs on the CD.
    • Actually, some publishers are doing this.

      I'm taking courses at the University of Phoenix, and my wife is on a schedule one class behind me. Usually she uses my textbooks as soon as I'm done with them.

      Recently, however, my dog had a bout of gastrointestinal discomfort and expressed her opinion of the book (and mine, for that matter) all over pages 3-128. The book was a loss, but the whole thing was in PDF format with the included CD, so we tossed the book and let my wife read from the monitor for her course.

      If that's not an appropriate use for technology, I don't know what is.
  • When I was getting started with Linux and I didn't have any high-speed Internet access, the discs in the books I got really got me on the road nicely. However, now that I have been using Linux for a couple years, I usually just tear 'em out and never even look at them.

  • My experience (Score:5, Insightful)

    by Satai ( 111172 ) on Tuesday April 02, 2002 @04:19PM (#3272405)
    Well, ask yourself - are you targetting the savvy, internet experienced people with broadband, or are you targetting an introductory crowd?

    When I was younger, I bought a Java book that came with a CD. In those days I didn't have high-speed internet, and (more importantly) I didn't really have much understanding of how to research things, or find out which packages were best for me.

    I would recommend that if your book takes the attitude that your readers are experienced and savvy, a few words on locations to find the software would be much more valuable than the value-added-CD that comes in the back. But if you're targetting a crowd that perhaps isn't as comfortable navigating, finding out which versions of software to trust and rely on, then I would say definitely include your "Picks" for which software packages are trustworthy, up-to-date, et cetera.

    Chances are, the advanced user wouldn't trust the CD, so code out-datedness wouldn't be as crucial, whereas the beginner would be satisfied not having bleeding-edge code.

    These are just my opinions - I know that I typically no longer use CDs that come with the books I buy, but I also know that if I were a beginner (particularly modem-based) I would probably swear by them.
    • Definatly agree with this guy, one note, if your target audience is classrooms, and you expect this CD to be sold in a college bookstore, where the person might want to return it at the end of the year, having a CD is VERY frustrating, because if the CD is missing or damaged, most college bookstores won't give you any money when you return the book.

  • Mostly, don't bother (Score:2, Interesting)

    by hawkstone ( 233083 )
    Unless there is something you really want to include that is just too big to be downloaded easily by 56kers. Unfortunately, many people still seem to be limited in this regard, and even I don't really want to download hundreds of megs on a cable modem.

    Apart from that, anyone who does open source or other types of coding already has net access, so it is not worth even a few bucks. For just source code and maybe some binaries, just make sure you have a good web or ftp site available.

    I have dozens of CDROMs that came with books that I have never touched. The one exception was one that had a 50MB source tar that I didn't feel like waiting to download from a slow site.

  • Competition (Score:3, Interesting)

    by dimator ( 71399 ) on Tuesday April 02, 2002 @04:21PM (#3272423) Homepage Journal
    If you know of any similar books to yours, you might want to put the cd in there for competition's sake. People might make a choice on which book to buy based on "Includes packed CD-ROM!!" on the cover.

  • With cable/DSL connections, the constant change of open-source software, and that the publishers usually add at least $10 to the price. I see it as a bad bad thing. I do like the idea of a pdf of the book though but if you can't do that give a great index.

  • My 2 cents (Score:2, Interesting)

    by The_Mighty_Squid ( 551687 )
    I would like to say that I use the CDs. I always mean to use them. Never really seam to.

    However, whenever I hit a snag I reach for that book. As much as I love technology there is nothing easier than looking in the index of a book and finding (hopefully) what you need quickly and easily.

    I've done it 4 times today alone.

  • CD great for dialup readers. (Score:4, Insightful)

    by SuperguyA1 ( 90398 ) on Tuesday April 02, 2002 @04:31PM (#3272501) Homepage
    Assuming the info on the CD is of a substantial size. The benefit to a dialup user can be great. I would much rather dl patches at 56k than an entire large project. Plus It can give a reader/user an idea of modules for certain projects. Plus it's nice to have a reference to start from.

    • I'll second that. If the volume of useful data (ie, I don't already have comparable files) is greater than about 80 megs, the CD is still worthwhile to me. At 56k, a full-sized ISO can take over a day to download! Sure, I can drop in on a friend's workplace, local college lab, inet cafe, lax library, etc., but when I don't even know what I'm getting til I've got it, that becomes an annoyance.

      Speaking as someone who lives where cable/DSL is not very cost-effective (or dependable) even where it is available, the time to download is just too precious. I'll happily pay the extra buck for the book with the CD. Even if I never use it. Especially if I never use it. Who wants to spend the time downloading at 56k, only to decide it wasn't worth it.

      And put me down as a second on including a searchable PDF of the book.

  • If you're only going to need space for code, then use a website instead. It allows for easy/smoother updates.

  • Put the book on the CD (Score:5, Insightful)

    by bihoy ( 100694 ) on Tuesday April 02, 2002 @04:37PM (#3272557)
    I find it immensly useful to have the text of the book on the CD that accompanies it.

    Everything else I prefer to have on a website. Of course if the website ever becomes defunct and I go to look for it I'm not a happy camper.
    • I find it immensly useful to have the text of the book on the CD that accompanies it.

      Well put. Please allow me to amplify your remarks...

      I have purchased several books that provide their complete text in HTML format on CD (Design Patterns, The Perl CD Bookshelf, The UNIX CD Bookshelf, etc.) and I use them quite often. There are two issues that are important enough to me to make me seek out such books:

      1. Searchability. I often find a grep to be of far more use than the book's own index.
      2. Portability. This is crucial. When I travel, I sometimes like to have my technical books with me, but I don't care to physically lug them across the country. Some books I use at both work and home, and this prevents me from having to choose between dragging them around or breaking down and buying multiple copies.

      I'll agree with most of the other posters, though, in stating that I rarely use CDs that contain only supplemental material. But having the full text of a book in electronic format is a huge benefit.

  • I have a ton of text books with CDs in them. None of them are particularly useful from a students point of view. I've seen complete copies of the text put on the CD with the margins set wrong and so the text is unreadable. Sure animations are cute the first time you see them.

    In short I think the CDs are added to justify selling a $70 text book for $128. $58 multiplied by all the text books I had to buy... Well I'd have less college debt right now.

  • Actually, if you believe in free software you should include it. 5 years from now the publisher may go bankrupt, you may be unavailable and the book may be useless without the code, which will be abandonware...

    Secondly, I have a broadband connection, but I find I reach for the CD first because it's right there and it's easier/faster/etc.

    Lastly, I have a book which doesn't include the source code on an media, but does include it online - the problem is that it doesn't include COMMENTS! The code printed in the book does have comments, so I can only assume they are trying to make the online code useful only to those that have the book - the reality being that it's almost less useful.

    It adds a buck. It is useful for 10% of those who buy it, and it is a marketting gimmick. There really isn't a reason to not go with it.

    But PLEASE include the text of the book on CD if you can manage it! PLEASE?!??!

    -Adam

  • Depends what's on the CD (Score:4, Interesting)

    by Linux_ho ( 205887 ) on Tuesday April 02, 2002 @04:40PM (#3272586) Homepage
    If it's just code samples or small applications, I'd definitely rather have a link to an online resource. I've never used most of the CD's I have gotten packaged with books. There are two notable exceptions:

    1) when the subject material requires access to an application larger than 20-30 MB (big enough so that downloading the latest version isn't practical for some people)

    2) a searchable reference. Whether the reference is supplemental to the book or is the exact same material as the book, having it in a searchable electronic format can be very nice.

  • Books with CDs (Score:3, Insightful)

    by george399 ( 537785 ) on Tuesday April 02, 2002 @04:52PM (#3272667) Homepage
    I too, have yet to bother using the CDs attached to books, at least aside from the first couple.

    My problems with CDs in books are:

    • they raise the cost of already expensive books
    • they are usually just jammed full of demo-crap (as though giving me "free" demo software was a benefit)
    • they never come with cases, so if you pull it out of the book, you have to find your own way of storing it
    • you're left with a large ring in the back of your book (maybe you could use this to your advantage with the ladies...but...)
    If you're technical enough to be reading a technical book, you should be able to download a few files (usually very small code fragments) from the InformationSuperHighway(tm).
    • My problems with CDs in books are:
      • they prevent the back cover from flexing, which makes leafing through the (usually large) book unwieldy, at least in front-to-back order.
      • * they prevent the back cover from flexing,

        How soon they forget. Just two weeks ago SlashDot ran a story on Flexible CDs [slashdot.org] which you could easily stick in the back of a paperback book since its just a flexible as paperback book cover.

        I think a CD is better choice since if you think about the bandwidth requirements of running a website where EVERYONE will be able to access the software versus the minimal one time cost of a CD, I think the CD will be cheaper and will increase sales as long as you don't increase the cost of the book by more than the actual production cost of the CD (which likely would violate the GPL anyway if you're distributing any GPL s/w on the CD).

  • Depends on the book (Score:4, Interesting)

    by babbage ( 61057 ) <cdeversNO@SPAMcis.usouthal.edu> on Tuesday April 02, 2002 @05:20PM (#3272857) Homepage Journal
    Of the books on my shelf in front of me right now, most did not come with CDs, and of the ones that did I actually have used all of them: The Complete FreeBSD [lemis.com], Unix Power Tools [oreilly.com] and The Perl CD Bookshelf [oreilly.com]. In two cases, I bought the book specifically for the media, and for the Power Tools book it was just loaded with sorta-but-not-critically useful stuff scattered all over the internet in one useful bundle. Of the books not right on my desk shelf, the portion with CDs is somewhat higher, but of those other books I've barely used the CDs that came with them.

    Why? Well, what use is a four year old copy of Python when I can download a current version just as easily? I'd have been happier if that one was a couple bucks cheaper, just as I was happy about the blurbs on the back of Philip & Alex's Guide to Web Publishing [arsdigita.com] and Mac OS9 Missing Manual [oreilly.com] saying that avoiding the cd keeps costs down while allowing you to get more up to date software. As a paying customer, I appreciate that sort of consideration for my needs and my wallet. So to me, it's kind of a tradeoff among several factors. In no particular order:

    • Having the media for a large set of software like FreeBSD is good, because it can avoid a huge download and I can live with a complete but outdated version of things, for a while anyway.
    • Having the media for the CD bookshelf is good because it gives you the text -- in this case, of several books -- in searchable digital format.
    • Providing the media for smaller, rapidly evolving material like a programming language or major application is less appealing when downloading is a viable alternative.
    • Providing a central website is a great way to keep updated while saving some of the publishing costs, but the risk there is that you could lose ready access to the material if the site disappears or moves (like for example the FreeBSD book [wccdrom.com], though of course that's available elsewhere too; that isn't always the case of course).
    • Obviously, the shelf life of a lot of CD-ROMs is limited, and people aren't going to be happy about paying for something out of date. Even if the material happens to be current, if it can be downloaded for free then there's little benefit in having the disc.
    • On the other hand, sites obviously aren't eternal but discs come close enough for most purposes (even if their contents don't hold up as well), and download size is a factor to consider.
    • Copyright is another angle that your publisher will probably want to have some control over, and no one likes having to go through arcane, tedious hoops to download some tools [I'm looking at you, Apple -- your Developer's site [apple.com] is a royal pain in the ass...], and no one wants to be the victim of an abandoned product [annoyances.org]
    • If you're going to include a CD then you might as well fill up all 600mb or so of available space: if there's room for it and you're not afraid of copyright infrigement, include the text of the book, otherwise throw in a Linux distribution, tools like Perl & Apache [for Unix, Windows, and Mac], pad it out with DeCSS code, etc. In short, make it worth the customer's extra cash. (Slight counterargument: you probably don't want to take on support liability for anything you include, so don't forget whatever legalese would be appropriate there.)

    Deciding what way to go is a matter of looking at factors like these & others, and evaluating what you're trying to provide for your customer and what their expectations are likely to be over time. If the digital material is just a supplement to the book, and can be easily downloaded, then most customers will probably appreciate it if you save them a few bucks & don't include the CD. On the other hand, if the book is really a supplement to the discs, and the digital material is difficult or impossible to download (for bandwidth, copyright, or other reasons) then including the CD media is a good idea. Find out where things seem to balance and make your decision from there.

  • The CD's are useful if they contain the code examples from the book, but personally I would rather see a website...

  • Nutbunnies go on the attack (Score:3, Insightful)

    by Graymalkin ( 13732 ) on Tuesday April 02, 2002 @05:58PM (#3273101)
    When it comes to a choice between a CD or online media for source code I would personally rather have the CD. I don't want a CD with free demos of shit and I definitely don't need yet another copy of Borland for Windows. However for a book with code samples or free resources like icons or license free graphics, I want a CD. Far too many times have I tried to follow an old hyperlink to something and had it not be there. Unless you get some sort of web analog of a cemetary's real estate contract I don't want shit on the web. If I'm trying to look something up quickly I don't want to run into a bunch of dead links which will inevitably happen. I like the info there in front of my in easily searchable and preferably indexed HTML. Provide an HTML bookmarks file that I can import into IE or Netscape too. If you're going to provide a shitload of references don't put the onus on me to organize the damn things. Out of date software I can deal with as long as you provide information on where I can get an updated version. What concerns me are code samples and digital copies of the text in the book.
  • Binaries usually are out of date, especially when you consider that most publishers rarely seem to update the CDs, even for newer editions of the book.

    Now, if the CDs had CVS tarballs instead, then it shouldn't be so much trouble to update everything. Just plop the contents down somewhere, and pull source on top. Don't forget to use -z6 though, else it still might take a good long time before you have something buildable.

    And yeah, sample code from the book, that's worthwhile, always! Saves the trouble of typing it in by hand, fixing errors (there's always at least one when copying from a book by hand), etc. ad nauseum.

  • It's up to you... (Score:3, Insightful)

    by joto ( 134244 ) on Tuesday April 02, 2002 @06:12PM (#3273194)
    There are four possible reasons to include a CD:
    1. Your publishers want it. That's probably because they can sell the book for a higher price. You should ask them what your piece of the cake will be, and determine if it's worth it.
    2. The download would be excessively large for the expected bandwith of your readers. I.e. if you are writing a book for a relatively broad audience, who typically use modems, anything more than a few megabytes is too much. For most geeks, who already have broadband connection, a few hundred megabytes is usually tolerable, but some would probably like a CD as well.
    3. You are writing something that would be useful as a reference book, and want to have the whole text available in easily searchable multiple formats on the cd-rom. And because you still want to earn some money, you are not going to put this up at your website (although a bunch of HTML files making it hard to print out, is probably great both for marketing and as copy-protection).
    4. (Highly unlikely:) You, or your publishing agency has made a special deal with some software vendor to include a demo version of some product, which they for some reason don't want to distribute on the Internet.

      Another alternative is to offer to send a CD for a few bucks more, and let the rest of the readers use your website. That's probably the best for the readers.

  • foreign market (Score:3, Insightful)

    by mckwant ( 65143 ) on Tuesday April 02, 2002 @06:13PM (#3273197)
    I'm USian, but it strikes me that our friends overseas might appreciate the CD so they don't have to download stuff over their dialups, which I understand to be orders of magnitude more expensive than those in the US.

    just a thought.
  • All CDs in technical books ever did were make it easier for my school to refuse to buy them back.
  • The only time I find a CD really useful is when it is included with some type of certification book and includes practice exams. Other than that, I generally never open them. Some people, however, will go to great lengths to get the CD. At Borders the other day, I picked up an IT book that I intended to buy and when flipping through, noticed that someone had torn open the CD envelope and stolen the CDs! Since I didn't need the CDs anyway, I asked the clerk for a discount and got 25% off. I was pleased. Whoever stole them is really hard up, though.
  • Normally I don't bother with any CDs. When I know what I want from it, I can as well get it off the web. When I don't know, it is too much hazzle to stick it into a drive and hope there is a good index. So, if you want people to use the CD, put a good index of it into the book.

    And vice versa - there is room for a complete index on the CD: Every word of the book: Chapter, verse, and page number. In some neat searchable format and in plain greppable ascii text! Other than that, I second the adivce given so far: Don't bother for advanced readers, for beginners it might help. Add whole text of the book on the CD, again in searchable format and/or plain text.

  • I always junk the CD as soon as I get the book just so I can flex it properly to find info. It always annoys me because it means I can't return the book if it turns out to be useless. I try to determine that in the store before I plunk down the 60-75 bucks, but sometimes I'm wrong.

    I favor books that don't have the CD for this reason, as a bonus it tends to save a few $$ too. I rarely return a book (maybe 1 in a 100) so it's more a matter of feeling denied my wallet vote than an actual monetary loss.
  • Personally, I don't like cds to come in my books. I prefer an accompanying web site. I do see positives and negatives for this though.

    On the positive side, with a web site you could easily keep the code up to date and make corrections to bugs and errors, it might reduce the cost of the book and even speed up production if you don't have to develop a cd, and the book is easier to return. Its also nice because if the cd has been taken before you get the book (like if its from the library) then the source is still available.

    On the other hand, how long will you keep the web site up to date? Will the money for the man hours, hosting costs, etc. that will go into the project fade after the book has been out for a year or so? How about in 5 years? If so, then the book without the source code available could be pretty much useless. In that case, a cd at least could still be useful where the web site might be gone.
  • 1. 10 meg of useful stuff, 600 meg of crap. (Gotta fill up that CD!!)

    2. Blank CD = 30 cents
    Book with CD = $20 (or more) extra

  • RWs because well they may contain somthing outdated but can also be updated or use for something else and still used as an optional coaster if need be.

    This will also allow them to put any notes or applications writtin around the book to be stored near by and with relavence....

    Maybe put a copy of the book on the cd. sometimes when i most need the book it is at home while im at a friends house or work. and its not uncommon for me to take CDs with me in my bag o-goodies.
  • Before I had an internet connection, I bought a book on Linux that came with a distro of RedHat. In fact, this was the selling point of the book, to me, at least. It was cheaper than a full version and the book explained everything in terms of that specific distro. Plus, downloading an ISO is impossible on a 56k connection. I'd take all the comments about "everyone has DSL now" with a grain of salt and remember who you are asking. As for the extra programs and scripts that the author put on the cd, however, I never even looked at them.
  • I *do* prefer CDs with my books. My time is precious. And most websites are either dated (just like CDs) or re-organized (unlike CDs).

    I admit, you usually have to go the site for corrections & updates.

    HOWEVER. Many times, publishers & authors do not validate their links. Or they'll put Popups and garbage on their site that I (a paying customer) don't want to deal with. Another is trying to download the files or source code. It's got some dynamic & obscur link through Akamai.com or what not that uses http "index.html"s to protect the files. I'm personally tired of 404 error cause the resource has been moved.

    If you make something available for your customers to download, that is part of a book - say source code - make sure you don't move it around. Make an FTP server with an Index by ISBN numbers or Authors then Titles.

    There's nothing more frustration than having to manually type in a ton of code cause some webmaster wanted to "re-architech HER/HIS" website so it's trendy. We are geeks and we are not *fashionable*.

    it's worth the extra $1 or .50 cents to have it in your hands. That's cheaper than photo copying 25 pages of text or downloading a distro or having the material on your computer to search.

    So ask yourself How much is your time worth to find it? when you looked where it was supposed to have been. I'm sure it 's more than the $1 to have the CD on hand. If you want to use it as coaster, that's your choice -- not mine.

  • No... (Score:2)

    by Polo ( 30659 )
    I think the CD is a way for the editors to marginally increase the cost of a book, but substantially increase the profit.

    It seems like books with a CD attached seem to cost about $20 more than books without.

    Maybe they should offer an extended warranty too.
  • I hate getting a book home, and seeing that the "last 50 chapters by 50 different authors" are on the CD and CD only, and the book doesn't talk about anything it should.
  • In the UK (and presumably the rest of the EU), if a book includes a CD, it becomes liable for VAT (our sales tax) at 17.5%. Hence, I generally steer clear of books with CDs. Now if the content can be downloaded from the web, that;'s far more useful. If you're not planning on selling the bookin Europe then I guess this isn't a problem.
  • Books on CD are more useful for some types of content than others. For general discussion and tutorial works there's not really much point in my view; paper is much easier on the eye and easier to deal with, and the point of websites for code snippets is already made. Where having an accompanying CD ROM is best is with the books that you would never read from cover to cover - raw reference works.

    Take the simple example of a HTML/JavaScript reference I have; the book is basically a list of the various HTML tags and JavaScript commands grouped by type with a description and usage guide. It also comes with the entire book on CD in a searchable format, so if you want to do some obscure thing with the TABLE tag say, you can search on TABLE and get a complete template to cut and paste as required, complete with documentation of each sub-TAG.

    I don't know where the book is, but the CD is in my laptop carrycase's CD box next to the O'Reilly Perl Bookshelf CD...

  • From 'Ask Tim' [oreilly.com], March 2002 (in response to a question about putting the actual book on CD).

    Now, to your first question. Wouldn't it be nice if there were a searchable text version of each book available on CD-ROM in the back of the book? Yes, it would be nice. Unfortunately, it's not economically all that viable. The cost of printing and binding in a CD-ROM increases the manufacturing cost of a book by about 50%, believe it or not. And remember that the publisher receives less than 50% of the cover price of the book, with the rest going to retailers and other middlemen. As a result, most books containing CDs end up being priced at $5-$10 more than books without CDs. (Simply to recover manufacturing costs, a book with a CD needs to be priced about $3 higher; usually, the publisher tries to make a little profit as well, especially if the CD assembles some real added-value information.) But how many of those CDs would go unused? For every reader who would love the CD in the back of the book, you're taxing others who might not. This is why David Pogue's Missing Manual series waggishly includes a picture of a CD on the inside back cover of each book, with the title "The Missing CD" and a reminder that you just saved $5, and can go to www.missingmanuals.com for the utilities and other goodies that might otherwise be on a CD in the back of the book.
  • I bought my trusty N** R***** Debian GNU/Linux a while back, which included 2.1 on CD. Last week, I popped that in a new box, installed, then ran apt-get dist-upgrade and I'm good to go.

    this box is at work, so it didn't really matter, but at home where I'm stuck with 56k, this would have been the only option.

    If you are thinking about including enough files that are big enough, definately put the CD in. I don't buy books just because they have CD's, but sometimes it's nice. Depends on the topic, obviously anything including a distro NEEDS it, anything with examples or small stuff it's just much easier to put the website.

    As far as the pdf discussion, maybe more people need to look at the GNU Free Documentation license: http://laespiral.org/fdl.html I think anyone publishing ANYTHING related to Linux or GNU Tools should use that, include the cd with the manual or put the link on how to get it. 90% of the time it's easier to just pop open the book, but what if I'm not in the same location as the book? Plus, my Unix CD Bookshelf that I keep at home takes up less space than the book set.

    Include it if you need it, but open your documentation to distribute.

    my 2 cents

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