GLBasic forum

Main forum => Off Topic => Topic started by: MrTAToad on 2010-Nov-05

Title: Books
Post by: MrTAToad on 2010-Nov-05
You'll be pleased to know that this time, the subject isn't about my ones (although the GLBasic User Guide is now available at Amazon.com) :)

However, whilst searching to see what other books are available, I came across this :

http://www.amazon.co.uk/GLBasic-Frederic-P-Miller/dp/6131847614/ref=sr_1_2?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1288959928&sr=1-2

Ah, possibly some competition, I thought.  Unfortunately, its not possible to find out what is covered by this tome.

Look up the publisher, and they do academic publishing.  Bit iffy, me thinks...

Look up the author name, and apparently he has written about everything from Batman to Distributed Cognition (a weighty subject).

To cut a long story short, it turns out that "Alphascript Publishing" and its other parts just take web pages, print them out and charge money for them...

See http://rufftoon.livejournal.com/59337.html?thread=2667721 for more information...



Title: Re: Books
Post by: Ian Price on 2010-Nov-05
That's interesting.

Strange that the authors haven't actually tried to pimp it here - it's supposedly in English too.

I really can't understand some of these creative types at all - make something from nothing, then don't even bother to promote it, even to the community that might find it most useful. I mentioned this recetnyl, when talking about the iPhone apps section. Weird.
Title: Re: Books
Post by: matchy on 2010-Nov-05
By the blog, your market competitors seem to be producing printout of the Wikipedia page. This could be perceived as a scam to some and a helpful service to others with legalities blurred. ;)
Title: Re: Books
Post by: Ian Price on 2010-Nov-05
Quote from: matchy on 2010-Nov-05
By the blog, your market competitors seem to be producing printout of the Wikipedia page. This could be perceived as a scam to some and a helpful service to others with legalities blurred. ;)

If that is the case, and you're probably spot on, then that'll explain why they haven't made a song and dance about it.
Title: Re: Books
Post by: MrTAToad on 2010-Nov-06
Indeed, especially as the "authors" dont visit :)

It would be interesting to see what was published though - unfortunately there are no previews.  Unlike mine :)
Title: Re: Books
Post by: XanthorXIII on 2010-Nov-09
Yes, please buy MrTAToad's guide. It's a very excellent resource I have been using the past couple of weeks.

Title: Re: Books
Post by: okee on 2010-Nov-09
I think it's one of those dodgy books that's pulled from wikipedia
That company is listed as having 17,000 + of these types of "Book"
It looks like they use a script to pull the information and create a title etc automatically
no proofing or anything etc

It's obvious by some of the covers
http://www.amazon.co.uk/K-Bobs-Steakhouse-Frederic-P-Miller/dp/6131790086/ref=sr_1_40?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1289335131&sr=1-40
Title: Re: Books
Post by: erico on 2010-Nov-10
Quote from: XanthorXIII on 2010-Nov-09
Yes, please buy MrTAToad's guide. It's a very excellent resource I have been using the past couple of weeks.

sure will pretty soon, the pdf versions thought as the printed one will be quite expensive to get them shipped to me...
Title: Re: Books
Post by: MrTAToad on 2010-Nov-11
Quote from: XanthorXIII on 2010-Nov-09
Yes, please buy MrTAToad's guide. It's a very excellent resource I have been using the past couple of weeks.
Glad you like it.

Let me know if you think anything needs adding or such like.
Title: Re: Books
Post by: shawnus on 2010-Nov-11
I must admit 'Macclesfield, Bollington and Marple Railway' from FP Miller & Co looked tempting, but the secondhand price £34.81 is more than the new price £31.35!

I guess the secondhand version is an antique & they used Netscape (the 'Mallard' of all browsers) to take the web pages. Perhaps the price includes a link to a subscription youtube channel- 'live text scraping' showing the archive footage. Looks like the White House on the front cover.