Is Kazaa distribution part of the answer? (was: Python and p2p)

[Cameron Laird]

In article <bfac4f24.0302041449.540a63b9 at posting.google.com>,
pedro alvarez <dickerc6 at hotmail.com> wrote:
>Has anyone tried to look for python books on kazaa?
>The result of the search is equivalent to the cosine of 90 degrees.
>How about java or vb or even php and perl?
>You get truckloads of results!!!!
>
>The point is, for a poor coder in a poor country, kazaa is like a
>library.
>If all he comes across are vb and c# books, thats all he will study,
>and the popularity of those languages will spread.
>Also, the name of a popular books author spreads far and wide.
>
>If an authors main source of income was from books, probably he would
>lose out,
>but if he relied on the popularity of his books to get contracts or
>seminars or to sell his ideas, he would gain in the long term.
>
>So how come we dont see any python books on p2p?
>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.
>
>Anyway, if i have caused any upset or controversy, I'm sorry, because
>i am just pointing out a realistic fact of life.
>
>(p.s -I downloaded Eckels 'Thinking in c#', and then i just had to go
>to his site and pay for it, because it was very good)
>(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'm not well acculturated; could someone make this more
explicit for me?  I understand the claim to be that
1.  content available through Kazaa includes
    the texts of books published conventionally
    on dead trees
2.  impoverished programmers habitually read
    such content.
Trying, for the moment, to leave aside the morality of
these practices, I still find the report surprising.  If
I were in a situation where I found low returns to my
programming time, I still wouldn't find the described con-
tent appealing.  VB and C# books are, in my experience, 
often mediocre or worse, and they particularly don't work
when read on a screen.  Or, Mr. Alvarez, are you saying
that the programmers print out what they find on paper?
Is that truly less expensive than ordering from the
publisher?  I'm curious about such details.

In any case, I'm very confident that there is absolutely
no benefit to investing time straining to make Python more
popular by publishing more books about it.  *None* of the
c.l.p readers have a comparative advantage in *that* alter-
native.

Writing Python books for profit, even through the secondary
effect of promotion of a consultancy or other business, is
... problematic.  Believe me; I've accumulated plenty of
evidence on this.

I summarize:  I think you're advocating that readers ought
to write more Python books, because 
1.  this will encourage Python "uptake" in 
    relatively poorer countries, and
2.  authors make money.
I judge that both of these propositions apply only in very
narrow circumstances.
-- 

Cameron Laird <Cameron at Lairds.com>
Business:  http://www.Phaseit.net
Personal:  http://phaseit.net/claird/home.html