X-Ftn-To: Marek Williams 

abc@spooron.com (Marek Williams) wrote:
>As you say, it's an ethical issue with library books. But it's more
>than just ethics. It's also cost. Even the cheapest copy machine will
>end up costing the book borrower more for a copy of the book than it
>would usually cost just to buy it from the bookstore. And, of course,
>the illicit copy is not going to be nicely bound, either.

The exact case with the inkjet prints.

>Contrast that with your PDF files. Copying them and giving them to
>friends is trivial. 

Sure. And they'll all either read them from the screen, which is
tiresome, or print them on their inkjet/laser. Printing them might
actually cost more than just buying the book on Amazon; and, the thing
they'd get from Amazon is an excellently produced hardcover, courtesy
LightningSource.

>I'm sure some will be ethical and refuse to do so,
>but how many will? 

I don't know - let's find out. 

>Perhaps I am too cynical about the nature of
>mankind, but I'm afraid the amount of piracy will cut out any profit
>you hope to make.

Actually, that might be the case with the kind of books that you read
and throw away - people who write them can't allow people to read them
before buying. My book is a different thing, because it's the kind of
a book that people have at home and read so many times that they'll
soon have to buy another, because they abused it to death. :) True,
there will be people who are just not interested, but I think it would
be unethical to force them to buy something that they don't find
interesting.
So, I can afford to make it shareware, but I agree that most can't.

-- 
Homepage: http://www.danijel.org