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CAVEAT AVCTOR (WP34S)

Posted: Fri May 31, 2019 10:35 am
by Walter
For those of you interested in the WP34S (ancestor of 43S):

Please note that Amazon took CreateSpace 'home' early this year. In doing so, it changed its price policy (although it officially claimed nothing would change). Guess why?

Now, the author can't edit anything anymore at the WP34S and WP31S manuals being offered there or the price will be calculated newly inevitably. Meaning it would rise significantly, even when just a typo in the offer is corrected. My mails to Amazon's 'customer care' in this matter were not even answered. In consequence, I refuse to participate in this rip-off.

So for the time being and although the links given on https://sourceforge.net/projects/wp34s/ have to point to Amazon now, you can still get said printed manuals for the old price as offered under CreateSpace the time before that takeover. If you don't need a printed copy, however, you can get a personalized pdf of the WP34S Manual and Calculation Guide of 2015 (version 3.3 build 3778) directly from me for a donation of 9.00 US$ to the WP34S project (renewing my offer of 2015); this is more, BTW, than the royalty Amazon pays to the author for each print sold.

For future books or manuals to be printed on demand, I will certainly try finding another publisher. I recommend other potential authors to do the same.

Re: CAVEAT AVCTOR (WP34S)

Posted: Fri May 31, 2019 3:58 pm
by toml_12953
Walter wrote:
Fri May 31, 2019 10:35 am


For future books or manuals to be printed on demand, I will certainly try finding another publisher. I recommend other potential authors to do the same.
I can put it on Dropbox for free if you want PDF copies to be available.

Re: CAVEAT AVCTOR (WP34S)

Posted: Sun Jun 02, 2019 2:13 pm
by Walter
toml_12953 wrote:
Fri May 31, 2019 3:58 pm
Walter wrote:
Fri May 31, 2019 10:35 am


For future books or manuals to be printed on demand, I will certainly try finding another publisher. I recommend other potential authors to do the same.
I can put it on Dropbox for free if you want PDF copies to be available.
Thanks, Tom. I'll return to that offer as soon as I can pick up DM42s for free.

Re: CAVEAT AVCTOR (WP34S)

Posted: Mon Jun 03, 2019 8:36 pm
by Jaymos
Walter wrote:
Fri May 31, 2019 10:35 am

... In consequence, I refuse to participate in this rip-off.

...If you don't need a printed copy, however, you can get a personalized pdf of the WP34S Manual and Calculation Guide of 2015 (version 3.3 build 3778) directly from me for a donation of 9.00 US$ to the WP34S project (renewing my offer of 2015); this is more, BTW, than the royalty Amazon pays to the author for each print sold.

In April 2019 I paid to Amazon.co.uk GBP 28.93 for an ebook version of the WP34S V3.3 manual. I received an abomination of an ebook, broken, unreadable, with gibberish characters everywhere: a book devoid of any use.

I reported it to Walter directly, and he immediately solved the problem and sent me a personalised PDF copy. I printed and ring bound this on A5 to look similar to my HP manuals and am quite happy: the book is useful.

I am not complaining for paying the money. The book is good. My gripe/rant/complaint is that Amazon tried to produce an ebook, broke it, and sold me something utterly useless, and they got at least 20 of my pounds for their efforts and the author had to salvage their problem for them.

It does smell like a rip-off to me and I wouldn’t recommend Amazon for this book.

Jaco

Re: CAVEAT AVCTOR (WP34S)

Posted: Mon Jun 03, 2019 9:23 pm
by H2X
Jaymos wrote:
Mon Jun 03, 2019 8:36 pm
Walter wrote:
Fri May 31, 2019 10:35 am

... In consequence, I refuse to participate in this rip-off.

...If you don't need a printed copy, however, you can get a personalized pdf of the WP34S Manual and Calculation Guide of 2015 (version 3.3 build 3778) directly from me for a donation of 9.00 US$ to the WP34S project (renewing my offer of 2015); this is more, BTW, than the royalty Amazon pays to the author for each print sold.

In April 2019 I paid to Amazon.co.uk GBP 28.93 for an ebook version of the WP34S V3.3 manual. I received an abomination of an ebook, broken, unreadable, with gibberish characters everywhere: a book devoid of any use.

I reported it to Walter directly, and he immediately solved the problem and sent me a personalised PDF copy. I printed and ring bound this on A5 to look similar to my HP manuals and am quite happy: the book is useful.

I am not complaining for paying the money. The book is good. My gripe/rant/complaint is that Amazon tried to produce an ebook, broke it, and sold me something utterly useless, and they got at least 20 of my pounds for their efforts and the author had to salvage their problem for them.

It does smell like a rip-off to me and I wouldn’t recommend Amazon for this book.

Jaco
I wouldn't recommend Amazon for much else either. I have lost count of how many shipments I have received where the cardboard was of poor quality, leading to a damaged package on arrival, with obnoxiously tedious and time-consuming efforts on my part in order to get in touch and having the problem solved.

Time to direct the cash flow towards the people who deserve it instead...

Re: CAVEAT AVCTOR (WP34S)

Posted: Sun Jun 23, 2019 11:13 am
by wyattwong
I want to buy the PDF too and I have sent you a PM.

Re: CAVEAT AVCTOR (WP34S)

Posted: Mon Jun 24, 2019 1:26 am
by wyattwong
How can I buy the PDF ?

Re: CAVEAT AVCTOR (WP34S)

Posted: Mon Jun 24, 2019 8:17 am
by Walter
wyattwong wrote:
Mon Jun 24, 2019 1:26 am
How can I buy the PDF ?
PM sent.

Re: CAVEAT AVCTOR (WP34S)

Posted: Mon May 29, 2023 1:21 pm
by Walter
Since I was asked about the manual, please note:
  1. There won't be any update of the printed edition of 2018-10-15 for reasons explained in the original post.
  2. There won't be any other pdf-file distributed than the one which you may have got already. Any update would never return anything.
  3. The WP 34S project is closed. We are not able to build a new release anymore.
Just for sake of clarity. The WP 34S itself enjoys good health in its present state though hardware sources (HP-20b and -30b) dwindle. Keyboard overlays/stickers are available still (see earlier posts).

Re: CAVEAT AVCTOR (WP34S)

Posted: Mon May 29, 2023 7:56 pm
by sgleysti
Walter wrote:
Sun Jun 02, 2019 2:13 pm
toml_12953 wrote:
Fri May 31, 2019 3:58 pm
I can put it on Dropbox for free if you want PDF copies to be available.
Thanks, Tom. I'll return to that offer as soon as I can pick up DM42s for free.
My experience with calculators, electronic test equipment, electronic components (including microcontrollers), computers, computer equipment (printers, scanners, etc.), software, consumer electronics, home appliances, automobiles, bicycles, manual tools, power tools, outdoor power equipment (lawn mowers, snow throwers, etc.), and even furniture is that one pays money for the hardware, but the manuals and documentation are available online in electronic form free of charge. A print manual, if available, comes with the hardware and might also be sold for a nominal fee.

I understand that you have put an immense amount of careful work into the manuals you have written, and that is admirable. But I think most people have similar experiences to mine regarding the availability of documentation, and those experiences tend to shape expectations. These expectations are likely reinforced by the free availability of the old, likely still copyrighted HP manuals online in PDF form, the rise of free and open source software, and the rise of the open source hardware movement.