rap@peck.ardent.com (Rob Peck) (08/04/89)
Approximately 5 months ago, (perhaps longer), I received a generous
offer from a dealer in California who told me that he had virtually
completed a translation of the programs from the Programmers Guide To
the Amiga into Modula 2 and that he would send the disk to me for
redistribution at my discretion. Knowing that I already distribute
a Lattice/Manx C disk, and a TDI Modula 2 disk, I told him I was willing
to pay (he offered it for free) for the priviledge, so that he'd get
something out of it... in that I had paid $200 to someone who gave me
the Manx version (with Makefiles), I offered the same deal to him,
figuring to make that investment back in 6-9 months of casual sales.
[For those of you who are interested in writing tech books, a
standard contract with a standard publisher nets the author
an average of -->5%<-- of the cover price of the book. I know,
I've had books published with Howard Sams and SYBEX, and
both contracts were virtually identical. Maybe if you are
a best-selling author, you get to write your own ticket.
But at least it comes out to be worth nearly the cost of the
'time' one puts in and buys important accessories that one
might not get without this added incentive. And I would not
be doing it if I did not enjoy it.]
UNFORTUNATELY that dealer has been unable to deliver the translation
after all, promising me on a weekly basis that he was just trying to
get it down to one disk instead of two, or that he suddenly discovered
a compiler error that only showed up on the 2500, and everything else
that qualified the translation either as vaporware or RSN. Though I
do have the Benchmark compiler and a TDI translation as a starting
point, I have many other projects to work on (including working for
a startup computer company) and I have no desire to reinvent the
wheel. M2S and M2Amiga are independently working on a translation
of the TDI Modula disk for the benefit of their own personal markets
and I SUPPOSE that I should assume that if the author/distributor of
Benchmark SHOULD be doing the same. But since I had told him that
someone was working on the translation (and he has been working with
the dealer on this - via compiler bug fixes/workarounds), I SHOULD
assume that Benchmark should be interested in doing a translation
on his own.
BUT, because I am still interested in promoting the Programmers Guide
To The Amiga as both a C and a Modula learning tool, I still would like
somehow to be in position to offer a Benchmark compatible version of
the disk. I have thusfar had to return money to 8 people who have
ordered the Benchmark version based on an earlier announcement, and
I would dislike not being able to supply it eventually.
If there are any of you who, as an exercise, may have already translated
all or most of the book into Benchmark Modula, or if there is a student
out there who would like to begin with a complimentary copy of the
book AND the TDI Modula version, and for the maximum sum of $200
as mentioned above, provide a Benchmark source/object (" Hey, ya mean
somebody's gonna PAY me for learning something?"), please contact me.
OK, OK, if someone has done ALMOST all of a translation, and can offer
me a redistributable copy of just THAT part, also let me know. For
other translations, I have left the author's README intact -- so if
you're the best Benchmark Modula programmer there is, its ok to tell
the folks that, I don't mind. Or did you do this to prove yourself
and to offer your consulting services -- here's a good chance to
advertise your talents, especially if it only means digging something
out of the box that you'll hardly look at again anyhow.
Yesterday I phoned the dealer and left this message on his answer machine:
"Thanks for your time... thanks for trying to provide this valuable
service to the Amiga commmunity, but I realize that you probably have
a lot going on and I no longer wish to impose on your time. I have
refunded any advance deposits and no longer plan to offer a Benchmark
Modula compatible version of the Programmers Guide To The Amiga disk
unless I can make an arrangment with some other party. Should I find
the time on my own to do the translation, I shall, but in view of the
other projects I have going, including planning a course and book
called 'A Beginners Guide To Programming In C, for the Amiga' for the
Santa Clara Calif AmiExpo in October. Thus, without outside help it
is unlikely that I will supply this disk on my own."
There's no sense making him feel guilty about not delivering the product
to me -- hey, he offered it for free and I forced him to consider accepting
the money as a thank you. RSN gets real bothersome specially when you
thought you already had it in the mail. (sigh)
Rob Peck DATAPATH, POBox 1828, Los Gatos, CA 95031