Is it just me...

[Antonio Carlini]

shoppa_classiccmp at trailing-edge.com wrote:
> I have to wonder: is the availability for so much old
> documentation for free:
> 
> 1.  Driving down E-bay prices for documentation because so
>     many similar things are available for free?

In the late 1990s I used to pay maybe £5-£10 for a handbook
or manual that I wanted. Prices there don't seem to have
moved much. When I sell excess tech books/manuals now they
seem to go for about that sort of price (except when there
is an inexplicable blip and something goes for £20).
 
> 2.  Driving up E-bay prices for documentation because so many
>     are "hooked" into the hobby by the bitsavers archive?

I don't see that happening. _Some_ docs go for way more than
I want to pay right now. Then again, I don’t have a PDP-11/60
that I absolutely need the printset for right now, so maybe
my need is not great enough.

> 3.  Driving up E-bay prices for physical items because
>     appropriate documentation is available for free at
> bitsavers? 

You would think so, but this does not seem to happen (much).
I've even answered bidders' quiestions pointing them to
online copies of whatever they are bidding on and they still
continue to bid (sometimes). I imagine that if I were trying
to resurrect a PDP-11/60 I would prefer to have a paper
printset to stare at rather than flicking from page to page
on a computer screen. But I might change my mind if I had
to pay £50+ for the privilege :-)

Antonio


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Antonio Carlini arcarlini at iee.org