Relay-Version: version B 2.10 5/3/83; site utzoo.UUCP Posting-Version: version B 2.10.1 6/24/83; site sjuvax.UUCP Path: utzoo!watmath!clyde!bonnie!akgua!psuvax1!burdvax!sjuvax!jss From: jss@sjuvax.UUCP (J. Shapiro) Newsgroups: net.micro Subject: Pournelle Column this month Message-ID: <801@sjuvax.UUCP> Date: Tue, 5-Feb-85 02:01:49 EST Article-I.D.: sjuvax.801 Posted: Tue Feb 5 02:01:49 1985 Date-Received: Fri, 8-Feb-85 00:45:33 EST Organization: Saint Josephs Univ. Phila., Pa. Lines: 26 [Aren't you hungry...?] The last time this subject came up I remained quiet. I honestly didn't agree with much of what was being said, but this month's column has got me steamed. Pournelle begins by talking about the flood of cruddy computer books (admiitting - to give him credit where due - that he has a vested interest). He proceeds to advise people to go to the major bookstores and special order the books they can't find, and also to look at the books on the shelves and see to it that the store managers learn which publishers are publishing shlock. Now, I agree that the vast majority of technical book sales to laymen occurs in large bookstores, and what he says makes sense. Unfortunately, the rest of the description is a not so subtle plug for his publisher, Baen Books. To partially quote: "By 'bad books' I mean those that are poorly edited, filled with typos and misspelled words, crammed with jargon..." (Chaos Manor - Feb 85 Byte) I'll buy all of that. And Pournelle, as usual, goes on to write a technical and jargon filled column. Most of the time I find his writing style refreshing, but the hypocrisy this month was a little much. I plan to write to the editor, and to Jerry, and complain. I would be curious to see how others feel about this month's column.