Ok.. you're gonna need to clear that up. Are you saying it's just as valid to cut/paste pre-existing code wherever you need it for sake of easiness, instead of reusing it via some type of module/class/lib?

I can see the confusion -- I mean to say that if you need a bit of code to have more visibility so that it can be reused, it's a simple matter to move it out of whatever script it was embedded in up to a more visible area.

In other words, don't expose it unless you need to expose it. I'm not advocating a bunch of duplicate code, I'm advocating a development process that works better for Radio. Write the code so that it works, and then figure out what needs to be exposed and what doesn't. It just works better that way.

In another way of looking at it, I'm saying that you should approach script authoring as if it was going to be a completely self contained program. Factor your code, but leave it in the script. If you find that the factored code is useful elsewhere, move the code into a more public area (out of the script and into its own script).

8:24:33 PM    comments ()  trackback []  

As is to be expected, that $49 deal is so good that Amazon is back ordered (although they don't call it back ordered anymore, they just tell you that they won't have it until Friday), and I won't have it for a week.

But then, I got this idea. I printed out the Amazon page, and walked down to my local T-Mobile shop, and asked them if they made deals. "No, we don't match prices," she said. "We're actually part of T-Mobile, so we can't match prices."

That doesn't really make sense to me. They should be the most likely to make deals, because they are the ones who are going to bill me monthly for the service. I would understand a third party not wanting to deal. What would they get out of it?

I don't get it.

Normally I don't like ordering from Amazon. I soured on them during that whole one-click debacle. And to make it even worse, anything I order from Amazon gets sales tax added because I live in Seattle. So it's not always a really good deal.

But damn -- $49 for a Sidekick? Cool.

8:16:28 PM    comments ()  trackback []  

Aaron is a smart guy, and considering what he's been able to do so far, he seems to be destined for greatness.

However, I disagree with the idea that an author should give up their copyright once they've recouped their costs (aside from the fact that this statement seems to conflict with Aaron's tip #1). How do you define what those costs are? Shouldn't it be based on the value that the author provided?

This idea seems to draw an artificial distinction between authorship and any other profession.

As Rogers mentioned in his weblog entry, recouping costs wouldn't be enough to keep someone producing good work. Heck, if the company I worked for only recouped my costs, I'd be looking for another job.

People who provide value should be compensated accordingly.

In tip #3, Aaron comments "you may want to consider selling unedited copies without the additional charge" which sounds good on the face of it, but presupposes that the work in question exists as a whole before any editting takes place. Book creation is a collaboration between the author(s) and the editor(s), with the authors providing the knowledge and creativity, and the editors doing what they can to produce a readable and useful product. It is an iterative process, with editors working on parts as the authors produce them, and providing suggestions that will influence the bits that have yet to be written. It would be the rare book that is complete before the editors get hold of it. Some authors can create books without editors, but most need them.

Cory Doctorow's release of "Down and Out in the Magic Kingdom" over the internet and in the bookstores at the same time is a gutsy move. I read it when it was released, and I have an actual copy of the book heading to me as well. I hope other people do the same thing, since it would be nice if Cory can continue to make a living by writing books.

But remember... Making a living and recouping costs are two very different things.

5:44:02 PM    comments ()  trackback []