[Numpy-discussion] NumPy documentation

[Christopher Barker]

Travis,

I'm very sorry to hear that you got such a response. It was completely 
unwarranted. I am often quite surprised at the vitriol that sometimes 
results from people that are not getting what they want from an open 
source project.

Indeed, the comment about "suing" makes it completely clear that this 
individual completely misunderstood your intentions (and the reality of 
copyright law: you would only have a course of action if your book was 
copied!).

When you first announced the book, I know there was a fair bit of 
discussion about it, and you made it quite clear how reasonable your 
position is. Personally, I think forcing open source projects by writing 
and selling books about them is an excellent approach: it works well for 
everyone. My freedom is not restricted, you get some compensation for 
your time.

Ideally, I'd like to see comprehensive reference documentation 
distributed for free, while more comprehensive explanatory docs could be 
either free or not. One of these days I'll put my keyboard where my 
mouth is and actually write a doc string or two!

In the meantime, I am absolutely thrilled that you've put as much effort 
into numpy as you have. You are doing a fabulous job, and I hope the 
appreciation of all is clear to you.

thank you,

-Chris

PS: If we get a reasonable budget next year, I'll be sure to buy a few 
copies of your book.


-- 
Christopher Barker, Ph.D.
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