Newsgroups: comp.sys.mac.system
Path: utzoo!utgpu!news-server.csri.toronto.edu!rpi!zaphod.mps.ohio-state.edu!wuarchive!swbatl!george
From: george@swbatl.sbc.com (George Nincehelser 5-6544)
Subject: Re: System 7.0 and Free Manuals
Message-ID: <1991Apr28.165207.18209@swbatl.sbc.com>
Organization: Southwestern Bell Advanced Technology Laboratory
References: <1991Apr27.030039.20417@magnus.acs.ohio-state.edu> <1991Apr27.043528.27235@cbnewsk.att.com> <1991Apr28.092559.4307@vax5.cit.cornell.edu>
Distribution: comp
Date: Sun, 28 Apr 91 16:52:07 GMT

In article <1991Apr28.092559.4307@vax5.cit.cornell.edu> umh@vax5.cit.cornell.edu writes:

Ned Horvath's (ehorvath@attmail.com) comments removed for brevity that got
the following response from Maynard Handley (umh@vax5.cit.cornell.edu).

>This is a totally unwarranted flame.

No it isn't.  Ned brings up some valid points.

>1) What is this mythical bandwidth being burned up by 9.5 Meg? The phone lifes
>for the internet exist and are dedicated full time- they are going to have to
>be replaced faster if they get used more. If someone is worried about people
>with *real* work being slowed down by lots of Mac Dosumentation transfering,
>put a timer in the ftp server at apple.com that only allows downloads between
>8pm and 7am.

Obviously you don't understand some of the structure of the internet.  Some
links *WILL NOT* be replaced or upgraded just because they are used more.
They will only be upgraded if there is a valid business reason.  Bogging down
network with stupid stuff and then trying to justify an upgrade is just going
to make some people in charge angry.  "Need more bandwidth?  Then get rid of
that news thing!!  Then come to me asking for more money!"  We don't want
that, do we?
 
Being a person who does *real* work, (why the **, don't you believe in real
work?) the timer on an ftp server is only a partial solution.  Some of us
work at night.
 
Assuming 9.5 Meg is accurate.  Do you really think it is fair and honest to
be tying up that much of a resource on a educational or business machine unless
you can justify it?  Or do you subscribe to the theory of "If you use up all
the disk space, they'll have to buy more."?  Or how about the length of time
you might be spending on a dial-up downloading 9.5 Meg to your system.  Someone
might really need that link.  Oh!  Wait a minute!  If we tie up the phone lines,
they'll have to buy more!!!  Yeah.  Right.  "They" must have some pretty deep
pockets.

>2) Why do you assume this guy is immediately going to print out all these docs
>that he has explicitly stated he will read just once. Maybe he, like me, has
>most of his documentation on line in his Mac, not printed, because that way
>it's faster to find something.

It seems to be a habit for people to print manuals that have been stored
on a computer system, but let's assume he won't.  Now, I'm going to assume 
that this guy is going to be thoughtful and only use his own personal
resources.  O.K.  About 10 Meg on a 100 Meg drive costing $400 (forgive the
estimates)....comes out to $40 to store those manuals in this scenario...
your milage may vary....seems a bit expensive too me.
 
Let's then think about how often these docs will be accessed....once...maybe
twice...remember, these were written for somebody's mother.  These aren't
unix man pages.  Now think about how these manuals were indexed an arranged
for the printed word....more often than not, such manuals aren't easy to
navigate on a computer.  It's not hypertext, remember.

>3) Apple tries to give the impression that system software is not there to make
>money for them. They imply that the cost of system 7 is for distribution
>printing and such. In that case, this guy's request is perfectly reasonable- it 
>costs apple nothing and makes the lives of some of us easier.

It does cost Apple something.  It does cost most of us something.  It just    
isn't direct to us, but it is there.

It won't make life easier for the majority...these manuals don't contain    
the answers to life.

In short, putting up System 7 manuals (as they now exist) is a waste of
resources.  Distributing the printed manuals makes the most sense for everybody.

Go buy the manuals....then go plant a tree (to cover some of the enviromental
cost, of course).  Then everyone will be happy.

-- 
   /   George David Nincehelser        \  george@swbatl.sbc.com     \
  / /   Southwestern Bell Telephone     \  Phone: (314) 235-6544     \
 / / /   Advanced Technology Laboratory  \  Fax:  (314) 235-5797      \
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