Path: utzoo!utgpu!watserv1!watmath!att!pacbell!pacbell.com!decwrl!uunet!virtech!cpcahil
From: cpcahil@virtech.uucp (Conor P. Cahill)
Newsgroups: comp.misc
Subject: Re: Monthly posting on USENET manual set
Keywords: manuals, usenet
Message-ID: <1990Sep10.133040.8942@virtech.uucp>
Date: 10 Sep 90 13:30:40 GMT
References: <1990Sep06.215045.25117@virtech.uucp> <4547@nisca.ircc.ohio-state.edu>
Reply-To: cpcahil@virtech.UUCP (Conor P. Cahill)
Organization: Virtual Technologies Inc., Sterling VA
Lines: 45

In article <4547@nisca.ircc.ohio-state.edu> jliu@hpuxa.ircc.ohio-state.edu (Joe Liu) writes:
>In article <1990Sep06.215045.25117@virtech.uucp> cpcahil@virtech.uucp (Conor P. Cahill) writes:
>......
>>Please note that this pricing is only "cost-recovery" pricing.  We are not
>>making any profit on the deal.
>
>  Suggestion #1, Won't it be more convient for everyone who wants the docs
>to be able to fetch them from some ftp site if you put them there ? That 
>way, you don't waste all your time and effort to print, bind and mail them
>while the users don't have to wait. They can print out the portions they 
>need when they need them.

If they have the software then they already have the manuals (in soft-copy).
I took on this project when I saw a need for a printed manual set & after
lots of discussion on the net back in january.  Up to now, all of the feedback
has been postitive.

>  Suggestion #2, you are not making any profit, while by addvertising on 
>10 or so groups world wide, you are costing someone some real money, and 
>your customers are sending out some real $50 for each order. This then 
>is not the thing worthy to do, is it ?  To make the world turn, bussiness 
>or individuals have to make profits, one way or another.  And I sincerely 
>hope you do.  Otherwise, I suggest you go back to suggestion  #1n

No. We don't make any profit (especially not when you consider the time that
I put into these things).  This isn't our line of business (our business
is UNIX related consulting) so it isn't a big deal if we don't make a profit.

As far as the cost to the net, I would think that the cost of a single
posting (cross posting does not send multiple articles) once a month is 
almost un-calculable and the fact that we continue to get orders following
a posting shows that there is still a need.

The fact that we have sold most of our first printing and are in the progress
of starting the work on a second edition shows that the manuals have been
well received.

All of the people that have purchased the manuals have been very pleased 
with them.  We have not received any complaints about the manual set (other
than some typos, and that kind of stuff).

-- 
Conor P. Cahill            (703)430-9247        Virtual Technologies, Inc.,
uunet!virtech!cpcahil                           46030 Manekin Plaza, Suite 160
                                                Sterling, VA 22170