Relay-Version: version B 2.10 5/3/83; site utzoo.UUCP
Path: utzoo!utgpu!water!watmath!clyde!rutgers!im4u!ut-sally!utah-cs!utah-gr!uplherc!esunix!despain
From: despain@esunix.UUCP
Newsgroups: comp.sys.misc
Subject: Re: Aggravating manuals
Message-ID: <501@esunix.UUCP>
Date: Tue, 29-Sep-87 09:29:44 EDT
Article-I.D.: esunix.501
Posted: Tue Sep 29 09:29:44 1987
Date-Received: Sat, 3-Oct-87 05:35:21 EDT
References: <1651@killer.UUCP>
Organization: Evans & Sutherland, Salt Lake City, Utah
Lines: 31

In article <1651@killer.UUCP>, tad@killer.UUCP (Tad Marko) enlists
our aid in asking Microsoft and Borlund to issue documentation
in ring binder format.

While I agree completely that ring binders are vastly superior to
those el cheapo paperback bindings, I have often wondered if the bindings
(and maybe even the size of the pages) of the Borlund products aren't
another safeguard against software piracy.

Let's face it: the best defense against software piracy is to make it
more expensive in terms of effort and money than just buying the
product outright.  Borlund got on the right track by making its
software comparatively cheap in the first place.  Also, Turbo Pascal
differed enough from the standard that a copy of the manual was
necessary to get the most out of the software itself.  So, if someone
was ripping off a copy of Turbo Pascal, copying the manual was also
necessary.  The manual was big enough to make xeroxing it expensive but
the binding is such that xeroxing is also awkward and probably going to
produce a very inferior copy --- the stuff near the binding is held
far enough away from the glass to make it blurry.

BTW, there are various book stands/holders that help with the
problem (I got a good one from McGraw-Hill bookclubs).

(I have limited this followup to comp.sys.misc since it really doesn't
have much to do with the pc, or C, or Pascal.)
-- 
R.O. Despain
Evans & Sutherland Computer Corporation
UUCP Address:   {ihnp4,ucbvax,decvax,allegra}!decwrl!esunix!despain
Alternates:     {ihnp4,seismo?}!utah-cs!utah-gr!uplherc!esunix!despain