Hi Darryl, I agreed with your assessment on the environmental impact of multiple CDs. I just forgot to mention it ;-) <snip>
An attactive alternative for those who want it, but just as the cost of everyone's product shouldn't be driven up just to meet the needs of a few, such an offering to satisfy many should not unfairly limit the options of the few. Quite a few people here have suggested they don't want a manual aimed at the average home user, rather they want something for the experienced Linux user (as do I). I see no reason why both audiences could not be targetted.
Again, I concur. I once worked at a software company where I not only sold products and supported customers, I sometimes had to come in very early weekdays or on Saturdays to fix/calibrate our diskette duplicator (5.25"). We produced serialized, licensed packages in 'a la carte' fashion... source code to some.. compiled to others... single user docs *with* technical manuals to VADs... multiuser docs *without* technical manuals to large endusers... and so on. Maybe an 'a la carte' sales menu covering the entire spectrum of possibilities, priced accordingly, would be a good solution? The nice part about this approach is it can evolve as customer demands and expectations evolve, so obsoleted items wane and get pulled as new products (even spontaneous additions for promotional perks) are added.
As for electronic bookmarks in an electronic file, they don't work for me. I remember the general contents of entire paragraphs, not chapter or section titles, and certainly not the names of electronic bookmarks. The text files that seem to work for you are useless for me -- I have to wade through everything to find the reference I want, which is what I have to do with the bare file anyway.
A reasonably priced hard copy Administrator's manual is a rational expectation... if it is well written to withstand becoming obsolete too quickly. And, with today's technology, it is possible to produce books like this on demand. It makes more sense to have Novell/SUSE consolidate and coordinate the order fulfillment, though, given the economies of scale available with bulk (not mass) production. It could be a separate line item not shipped by default, and you retain the option to print it yourself if you don't like the OEM price. This kind of approach covers the 1 DVD vs. 2 DVDs vs. 5 CDs vs. subscription download issue, as well.
You still have to pay the piper, Carl.
That's a fact. Physics 101 All one can hope for is to let technology evolve and encourage people to evolve along with it, particularly when it takes a turn towards better stewardship of our natural resources.
If you have an ongoing need for them, by all means -- otherwise, your sarcasm is unbecoming.
Sorry... this comment wasn't directed towards you, Darryl, and I didn't mean to convey sarcasm, either. It was more a general expression of frustration over how far we've come vs. how far we have yet to go. regards, - Carl