jans@tekgvs.GVS.TEK.COM (Jan Steinman) (09/24/88)
<I have recently started reading "The Waite Group's C++ programming"... Some of
the examples are bugged and will never work or even compile... The book is
incomplete and... very vague... Why don't authors follow an accepted practice
of actually trying to compile their examples before incuding them in the main
text?>
Because Waite doesn't treat its authors well, and can't attract the best.
(This is not meant as an insult to any individual author who may have published
through Waite.) He commissioned me to do a chapter. I sent an outline and
called several times for advice, but never got any feedback or style guide.
("Read our other books", which I did, was as close as I got to instruction on
what was wanted.) I put about 40 hours in three days (took a Friday off from
work, even!) into an 8000 word chapter with 6 figures and tables on deadline,
and sent it Federal Express. When I still hadn't heard from him two weeks
later, I called: "Oh, I'm sorry. It really wasn't at all what we were looking
for." BULLSHIT!!!
I will never buy a Waite book, and encourage potential Waite authors to proceed
with caution! On the other hand, I've found M&T (regardless of their other
flaws) to be good to work for, editorially. I got a signed contract, good
direction, and was able to have two chapters accepted on first draft. (Waite
wouldn't give me a contract. "Too close to deadline!", he said. Poor planning
is a better way to put it!)
:::::: Software Productivity Technologies -- Experiment Manager Project ::::::
:::::: Jan Steinman N7JDB Box 500, MS 50-383 (w)503/627-5881 ::::::
:::::: jans@tekcrl.TEK.COM Beaverton, OR 97077 (h)503/657-7703 ::::::