>>I don't wanna get off on a rant here but ...
>>
>> ( not directed at you, Tc as I think we're on the same page on this but is a convenient place to jump in )
>>
>>I understand the arguments made on all sides here. But there is one point that is not being made : it costs $20. For that you get a new one, your own, you can keep it for as long as you want, highlight it with yellow marker and then if you like give it away.
>>
>>We do this for a living (presumably) If you learn *anything* from a good professional book it is worth $20 and if you are any good at what you do you will make $200 more than you would have made if you didn't buy the book.
>>
>>There is a mentality in the Fox community ( or has always seemed to be ) that somehow it is "cheaper" to spend 100 hours of your own time figuring something out or stumbling around than paying the authors, instructors, framework or widget builders etc for tools and knowledge that make you worth more per hour and increase your income and professional viability. I wouldn't want to hire or contract a developer who is proud being *entirely* self taught and who only uses tools he built himself or has only what knowledge he has figured out on is own.
>>
>>Billable hours are a finite resource and productivity tools, training etc. are the one variable that can affect the hourly rate and the productivity.
>>
>>I have had up close and personal views of people like Feltmans, Strahl, Roche, Tamar, Whil, Paddock, Hennig etc not finding nearly as big a market as they should have when they offered stuff that was an incredible value and that properly applied would have made a whole lot of Fox folks a whole lot more successful. Of course their products were succesful, but not nearly in proportion to the number of people who needed them, whether they knew it or not.
>>
>>Just seems penny wise and pound foolish and I'm sure those people will carry that attitude with them into the .NET world or wherever they go next.
>>
>>of course that's just my opinion - I could be wrong.
>>
>>
>
>No, you are not. I 100% agee with everything you say. Books are the least expensive way to get the knowledge. Additionally I - personally - see two more benefits of having books:
>1. When someone comes to my office and see shelves full of technical books (and I do have tons of tech books, VFP, HTML, XML, .NET, etc.), they immediately think I am very smark. And if I keep my mouth shut they never find out the truth.
>2. If an asailent breaks into my office, I can always throw a book at him (pun intended). And some of these tech books will kill you.

You are very smark, Dmitry <g>. Actually I know you are, just couldn't resist the easy joke.

I loved seeing the Patriots in their original uniforms on Sunday. Those are so much better than the current ones, which IMO have all the fashion appeal of an F-16.