Python and p2p

[Alex Martelli]

pedro alvarez wrote:
   ...
> I have noticed that python books dont have a cd at the back with an
> electronic copy of the book, wheras Microsoft Press and Mcgraw Hill
> do. Therefore, python books are not easily piratable on p2p.
   ...
> (p.s 2- Also having tasted the quality of O'reillys books, i am going
> to subscibe to their safari online service, which i think is very
> reasonably priced)

I agree about O'Reilly's books and about Safari -- I couldn't live
without the latter's handy search features (and sometimes copy and
paste is useful too, though not a big issue), even though I have a
LOT of those books in paper form (when you do technical edit of a
book for O'Reilly, they can "pay" you in terms of their books rather
than cash, and if you choose this option you get many more books
than if you got the cash and used it on Amazon).

Anyway, once you have Safari, you have many good Python books
available that way.  And pirating books off Safari is about as
easy (with a simple webslurp script) and exactly as illegal as
pirating books off CD's.  I don't think it's a good thing: if
the author WANTED his book to be available for free as well as
for pay, then the author would have no problem putting a "free
edition" of his book on the web, as many authors choose to do;
I think you should respect the author's choice about whether
to do so or not.  But, that's between you and your conscience
(and whatever law enforcement may or may not happen in your
country, of course;-).


Alex