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zarck

Dear 2600:

In 2009 and 2019 under the handle p4tn0s and aesun, I wrote several articles for 2600. If at all possible, I wouldn't mind having my real name associated with them.

j

And yet you only give us one letter of it. It’s OK, though. Time travelers can’t be expected to remember everything.

Dear 2600:

I love reading your magazine. It's always full of interesting articles.

In the latest feature (28:1), there was an insightful article from Oakcool on why he (or she?) likes ebooks. And, for the most part, I agree with the article, except for one of the last advantages that was mentioned. He mentions that the cost is usually lower. I wish that were the case. I've seen happen on Amazon's website that the Kindle version actually costs more than a hardcover version. Technical books often do this, but I have seen novels that do this too.

And on the cost issue is where Oakcool's argument breaks down a little. A paperback or a hardcover edition holds a resale value for me as a consumer. I can buy a paper book, and the price matters a little less because I have the option to resell it later and get a little return on my investment. Probably won't make a profit, but it does lower the total cost of the book for me.

With ebooks, I don't have that option. An ebook, especially one with DRM, doesn't have any resale value. And that, coming from a consumer's standpoint, means that ebooks should come down in price a lot more. In other words, even if an ebook would have the same price or even a slightly lower one compared to a paperback or a hardcover, the ebook itself holds more costs for me compared to a dead tree book.

Please note, I do not mean that the ebooks become worthless in value. They can still hold the same emotional value as a paper book. I just can't resell it and recoup on my investment if I want to.

MadJo

Electronic Publishing

Dear 2600:

Having only just caught up on my reading, I noticed you're now selling the Volumes as PDFs in the store. This makes me extremely happy, and I will definitely be purchasing these collections if you continue to sell them. Any chance we can get the entire back catalog in PDF as well?

The Atomic Ass

This is possible if there is demand for them. We believe the contents are terrific and ageless for the most part, but each of these projects takes a good deal of time and effort to assemble properly. We want this to be done right and the support we’ve gotten so far is very encouraging.

Dear 2600:

I noticed in the last edition and on the website that you are now digital. I downloaded the latest edition to my wife’s Kindle and was impressed. I also noticed it was available for Nooks. My question is, since it is DRM-free, can us life-timers possibly get a PDF, or I would happily pay an additional fee to get a lifetime subscription of PDFs sent to my email. I travel a lot with the Army so it might be a month before I get my zine after it is waiting for me.

Just a thought.... Now if we could only convince QST to go digital.

Michael

For now, the paper and electronic versions are separate entities. We don’t have the means to do a lifetime subscription through the Kindle or Nook and, because of our deal with them, we can’t offer PDF versions at a lower price, which a lifetime subscription would inevitably wind up being. All of this may change in the future. Just consider that little more than six months ago, we had nothing at all in an electronic version - and now the field is rapidly expanding. The future is going to be pretty cool.

Dear 2600:

I just wanted to say a few things about what you are doing. First, I am so happy that you started to have 2600 offered for the Kindle. Your great work didn't go unnoticed - in fact, just the opposite! I have always had a desire to understand how and why things worked like they do. I thought a "hacker" was a bad thing. After reading my first ever 2600 that I stumbled upon in the Kindle store (unaware of your existence), I realized I was a hacker at heart (only a few "hacks"). I