kurt@fluke.UUCP (05/07/84)
I just got a mailing from digital press, the printing arm of digital
equipment corporation. They advertised themselves as a publisher of
timely and interesting books for educators and computer professionals,
so I read the ad. Imagine my surprise and disgust when I discovered
that what they were selling was mostly outdated processor manuals and
catalogs at bestseller prices. Give me a break. If I wanted to know
how to interface to a wide variety of terminals, I wouldn't buy a book
that described only DEC hardware, and if I wanted to interface with DEC
hardware, I would certainly not expect to pay $14.95 for the
privilege. Then there were the books allegedly for use in teaching
operating systems classes that actually were manuals for VMS, RSTS,
etc. I don't know about you, but I don't consider RSTS, RSX, or VMS to
be the quintessential expression in operating system design, and would
greatly prefer a more general, easier-to-read text than a manual.
Stuff like this should be given away free.
Always my own opinion, my company buys DEC stuff and likes it fine.
--
Kurt Guntheroth
John Fluke Mfg. Co., Inc.
{uw-beaver,decvax!microsof,ucbvax!lbl-csam,allegra,ssc-vax}!fluke!kurtrgh@inmet.UUCP (05/20/84)
#R:vax2:0:inmet:5800051:000:656
inmet!rgh May 18 19:22:00 1984
Some of the Digital Press stuff is pretty good. McNamara's {Technical
Aspects of Data Communication} is the best single book I've seen on
the subject, especially valuable because it details a lot of the
nuts & bolts. {Computer Engineering: A DEC View of Hardware System
Design} collects many of the original papers on such important
processors as the PDP-8, DEC-10, PDP-11, and VAX. Their series on the
history of computing has received good reviews. I suspect the
material you saw was from DECbooks, a division of Digital Press, which does
push the manuals.
Not a DECperson,
Randy Hudson
{harpo, decvax!cca!ima, ihnp4} !inmet!rghkurt@fluke.UUCP (Kurt Guntheroth) (05/23/84)
I was the one who posted the original article critical of DEC Press.
It seems that DEC Press does publish some quite worthwhile books, including
the 'History of Computing' series. I obviously should have narrowed the
scope of my criticism. I wish the advertisement I received had more of
these worthwhile titles listed and fewer of the old processor manuals. Why
weren't all the worthwhile titles mentioned? Sigh.
--
Kurt Guntheroth
John Fluke Mfg. Co., Inc.
{uw-beaver,decvax!microsof,ucbvax!lbl-csam,allegra,ssc-vax}!fluke!kurtminow@decvax.UUCP (05/25/84)
Digital Press performs two functions: first, it publishes and distributes Dec hardware and software manuals for the general public. These manuals cost a fair amount to write, print, and distribute -- and, if a sales engineer gives you a copy, it is in the hope that it will cause you to buy a computer. A more important function it performs is as a publisher of trade books in the computer field. Some of these have become classics; John McNamara's Technical Aspects of Data Communicatins, for example. One of its specialties is a series tracing the history of computing. If you look beyond the processor manuals, you will probably find a solid collection of well-writen and produced books. (Take a look at "Games Computers Play", for example.) Martin Minow decvax!minow