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Re: IDL Shareware [message #18549 is a reply to message #18527]

Fri, 14 January 2000 00:00

davidf
Messages: 2866
Registered: September 1996

Senior Member

Ralph Lorenz (rlorenz@LPL.Arizona.EDU) writes:

> I think part of the problem is that most IDL users are research-
> oriented. If I can find a piece of code quickly that will do what
> I want it to do, I'll use it, and many astronomy users provide
> libraries of routines on the web.
>
> If, however, to use said piece of code, I need to have my department
> write a check, or I need to worry about invoices etc, the effort to me
> becomes disproportionate . I'd rather spend 2 hours
> trying to code something than 1 hour doing paperwork to buy it..
>
> I know that may sound perverse (plus I know that the stuff you guys are
> talking about is way more sophisticated anyway and probably takes
> hundreds of hours to code)

I've been hearing this so often lately it's finally
beginning to sink through even my thick skull.

I don't know why I'm wasting my time tying to write
a book about object programming. The potential market for it
must consist of about 10 programmers, who don't need
a book anyway.

I think I'll shift gears, take the stuff I have and
put it into the last chapters of a brand new IDL
Programming Techniques book (where no one will have
to read them), and write IDL Recipes: What to Do If
You Only Have 10 Minutes a Day to Work with IDL. I'm
pretty sure sales of this one would be brisk.

Plus, I could charge an extra $50 to get all the
neat programs I talk about in the book. (Assuming
I can get them to work.) That would be consistent with
my observation that you have to charge people something
to make them want to use your free software. :-)

Cheers,

David

P.S. On second thought, I could get the book to market
about six months sooner if I called it IDL Recipes: What
to Do If You Only Have 10 Minutes a Day to Work with IDL
on your Windows PC.

--
David Fanning, Ph.D.
Fanning Software Consulting
Phone: 970-221-0438 E-Mail: davidf@dfanning.com
Coyote's Guide to IDL Programming: http://www.dfanning.com/
Toll-Free IDL Book Orders: 1-888-461-0155

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[Message index]

		Re: IDL Shareware By: Mike Schienle on Fri, 14 January 2000 00:00
		Re: IDL Shareware By: davidf on Fri, 14 January 2000 00:00
		Re: IDL Shareware By: Mike Schienle on Fri, 14 January 2000 00:00
		Re: IDL Shareware By: Mike Schienle on Fri, 14 January 2000 00:00
		Re: IDL Shareware By: Mike Schienle on Fri, 14 January 2000 00:00
		Re: IDL Shareware By: Mike Schienle on Fri, 14 January 2000 00:00
		Re: IDL Shareware By: Mike Schienle on Fri, 14 January 2000 00:00
		Re: IDL Shareware By: Mike Schienle on Fri, 14 January 2000 00:00
		Re: IDL Shareware By: ronn on Fri, 14 January 2000 00:00
		Re: IDL Shareware By: davidf on Fri, 14 January 2000 00:00
		Re: IDL Shareware By: Martin Schultz on Fri, 14 January 2000 00:00
		Re: IDL Shareware By: davidf on Fri, 14 January 2000 00:00
		Re: IDL Shareware By: davidf on Fri, 14 January 2000 00:00
		Re: IDL Shareware By: eddie haskell on Fri, 14 January 2000 00:00
		Re: IDL Shareware By: Richard Elsbernd on Fri, 14 January 2000 00:00
		Re: IDL Shareware By: R.G. Stockwell on Fri, 14 January 2000 00:00
		Re: IDL Shareware By: davidf on Fri, 14 January 2000 00:00
		Re: IDL Shareware By: Struan Gray on Fri, 14 January 2000 00:00
		Re: IDL Shareware By: wbiagiot on Fri, 14 January 2000 00:00
		Re: IDL Shareware By: wmc on Fri, 14 January 2000 00:00
		Re: IDL Shareware By: rlorenz on Fri, 14 January 2000 00:00
		Re: IDL Shareware By: Struan Gray on Thu, 13 January 2000 00:00
		Re: IDL Shareware By: ronn on Thu, 13 January 2000 00:00

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