Path: utzoo!attcan!uunet!cs.utexas.edu!tut.cis.ohio-state.edu!ucbvax!pro-pac.cts.com!tsouth From: tsouth@pro-pac.cts.com (System Administrator) Newsgroups: comp.sys.apple Subject: Re: Toolbox Reference Errata Message-ID: <8905251257.AA02432@crash.cts.com> Date: 25 May 89 08:45:29 GMT Sender: daemon@ucbvax.BERKELEY.EDU Reply-To: pnet01!pro-nsfmat!pro-pac!tsouth@nosc.mil Organization: The Internet Lines: 92 Re: >From: Matt Deatherage >Organization: Apple Computer Inc, Cupertino, CA >Subject: Toolbox Reference Errata >In article <11617@bloom-beacon.MIT.EDU> dcw@athena.mit.edu (David C. Whitney) writes: >> >>How about two $30 books titled "Apple //GS Toolbox Reference", vols 1 >>& 2? The first release was buggy, and they fixed some and reprinted. >>If you happened to buy a copy of the first release, well tough. Shell >>another $30 to get the new copy (or $60 to get them both). Now, they >>send bug fixes to APDA, and you can get cheap unbound xeroxes for $15 >>or something. >> >>This should not have happened. Something like a programmer's ref >>(which was in beta test through APDA for some time) should go to >>quality press *without bugs.* It annoys me when I have to shell out >>money for bug fixes. I don't mind a hoot to pay for real upgrades, but >>publisher's mistakes should be taken up by the publisher - not the >>poor dope who bought it too early. >> >>Dave Whitney A junior in Computer Science at MIT >All right, Dave, we could try it this way - every time we add a new tool, or >find a bug in an existing tool, or change the way the tools work to add new >or enhanced functionality - we just won't tell anyone. That way your Toolbox >Reference set will never become obsolete. A bit of spitefulness, there, Matt. Don't you think? >The Toolbox and the Manuals were evolving and changing at the same time >If you don't want to have to replace beta manuals with final ones, then don't >buy beta manuals. You may wait a year or two longer than your competition to >start writing programs, but you'll save $50 or so for your effort. But, the question that many users and hobbyists (you know, the folks that buy more Apple II computers than appliances :-) put forward is, "Just how do I know that what I buy will be up to current specs?". Also, it is very unorganized to have numerous updated manuals when one could do the job, not to mention that there are a number of us interested in buying the information, but not every update that does not cover all of the previous material. I believe that there is a viable alternative, but I'll get to that later on. >My APDAlog (actually, Llew's) shows the _Toolbox Reference Update_ at $30. >Your current books aren't "obsoleted"; this new one supplements them. It >tells you what changes have been made, what errors we've found, and adds >new documentation for four new tools. There will be more coming this summer >from APDA to document the 5.0 additions, including TextEdit, the Resource >Manager, super controls and the thousands of other enhancements made for 5.0. >For those who want the information; I suppose there is a school of thought >that says that 5.0 was unnecessary since it makes the existing Toolbox >Reference set a little out of date. Not from me!!! But, I would like to suggest that you consider publishing the materials in a format that is easily updated with new materials. I remember the first Amiga manuals that came out. They followed the same drab and hard to use format of hard bound manuals. But, looking at my Unix manuals I see why the later Amiga manuals adopted nearly the same format, with a hard bound manual and large looped rings with a flat side for easy page flipping and reading. Whenever a new update to the Unix manuals comes out all I have to do is order _that_ specific update set of pages and replace the old ones in the manual that are affected. I've noted that a number of different manual sets are now using this format outside of the computer manual society. If you cannot visualize what I am suggesting I think that you could talk to some people at Apple (like chuq@Apple.COM) who are Unix wizards from way back. >Developing for a machine that is not dead involves changes to the >documentation. It's called "the cost of doing business," and while not >cheap, it's far better than being assured nothing in the system is ever >going to change again. >Matt Deatherage, Apple Computer, Inc. | "The opinions expressed in this tome Be that as it may, Matt, I think you can agree that David is trying to benifit that Apple programming community through a number of his efforts, but in his current status he is unable to afford a lot of the things that would help him. If things were implemented in a way that would make updates less expensive and more easily compiled (as in specific page insert updates) this would certainly help the majority of people that cannot afford things the way they are now, IMHO. Todd South -- UUCP: {nosc, uunet!cacilj, sdcsvax, hplabs!hp-sdd, sun.COM} ...!crash!pnet01!pro-nsfmat!pro-pac!tsouth ARPA: crash!pnet01!pro-nsfmat!pro-pac!tsouth@nosc.MIL INET: tsouth@pro-pac.CTS.COM - BITNET: pro-pac.UUCP!tsouth@PSUVAX1