[Asterisk-Users] FINALLY! a good book about Asterisk.

[Umar Sear]

--- Andy Powell <andy at beagles-den.demon.co.uk> wrote:
> 
> On 08/07/2004 at 22:19 usedcanon wrote:
> 
> >-----Original Message-----
> >From: asterisk-users-admin at lists.digium.com
> >[mailto:asterisk-users-admin at lists.digium.com]On
> Behalf Of Harold
> >Workman
> >Sent: 08 July 2004 20:15
> >To: asterisk-users at lists.digium.com
> >Subject: RE: [Asterisk-Users] FINALLY! a good book
> about Asterisk.
> >
> >
> >what does that have to do with an overpriced book?
> >and i agree with Joe.  With this book sourcing most
> of the documentation
> >directly from wiki, why pay for something thats
> free?  Id rather donate $49
> >to keeping wiki free to the enviroment.
> >
> >
> >I second that, I think a more reasonably priced
> book in PDF fromat would
> >have been better.
> >
> >Umar.
> >
> 
> 
> Late last year I was approached by a publisher
> asking if I would be interested in writing
> an asterisk book. I said a polite no (after some
> discussion) for a number of reasons:
> 
> 1. Precisely what the author of this book is
> experiencing. Being bitchslapped by the
> asterisk community, for no apparent good reason.
> Since very few of the people on
> this list have actually read the book this early
> critism and mud slinging appears unfounded.
> 
> Let's face it - the biggest failing of asterisk is
> it's lack of documentation.
> Sure there are guides, documentation projects.. but
> all of these rely on people giving
> up their free time... and since we don't have much
> of that, progress is slow. Anything
> that helps document asterisk and how to get it set
> up can't be all that bad.
> 
> 
> 2. I hand't heard of the publisher before, and a
> google search didn't turn up the most
> favourable links.
> 
> 
> 3. Asterisk changes day by day.. If I'd gone with it
> the book would have been out by now
> and (aside from being bitchslapped) I'd probably
> immediately have had to start a 2nd
> edition.. I'm not a writer... I can't even spell
> properly.
> 
> I don't know what the author was offered, but if it
> was just 15% then perhaps the deal I was
> offered wasn't as bad as I thought...
> 
> 
> At $49 it is quite expensive, however, when funds
> allow I'll more than likely buy a copy
> out of interest - I consider myself fairly a well
> seasoned asterisk person, but hey it might
> teach me something too... I'm prepared to give it a
> chance.
> 
> 
> All IMHO of course...
> 
> 
> Andy
> 

You make some very valid points. And to be honest I
applaud the author’s effort in documentation. However,
the price etc I think is a bit on the high side. 

For something that with the best effort is not going
to be complete, simply due to the fluid nature of
asterisk, I think it would have been better to have
had a PDF offering with a promise of updates for a
certain period. 

Same as you, all of course IMHO ...

On a separate note, I would like to see those
criticising (myself included) to make an effort and
write a book themselves. 

Umar.



	
	
		
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