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  3. I Hate Obsolete Computer Books!

I Hate Obsolete Computer Books!

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  • J jschell

    Roger Wright wrote:

    Nope, technical books never appreciate in value; they just become obsolete and "quaint."

    Errr...yes they do. http://www.biblio.com/rare-books/Engineering-79-0.html[^]

    R Offline
    R Offline
    Roger Wright
    wrote on last edited by
    #15

    Okay, I suppose they sometimes do. But these won't in my lifetime, I have no space to store them. Off they go...

    Will Rogers never met me.

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    • J jschell

      Roger Wright wrote:

      Nope, technical books never appreciate in value; they just become obsolete and "quaint."

      Errr...yes they do. http://www.biblio.com/rare-books/Engineering-79-0.html[^]

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      Forogar
      wrote on last edited by
      #16

      I suspect those books are only becoming valuable now because at the time of publishing they were fairly rare and are now obviously becoming even rarer. My old programming books (yes, also in pristine condition) are/were fairly common and there is such a broad range of them and with multiple reprints and editions will probably not become sufficiently rare until at least the 4th millennium - at which point the paper will have degraded to dust and the cost of storage will far exceed their value - never mind the cost of shipping them to my cybernetic mind/body/home in orbit around Mars/Saturn/[insert planet/moon of choice here].

      - Life in the fast lane is only fun if you live in a country with no speed limits. - Of all the things I have lost, it is my mind that I miss the most. - I vaguely remember having a good memory...

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      • R Roger Wright

        Dammit - I have boxes of them, many in new condition, and I have to be very drunk and thoroughly on a mission to toss one out. I was raised to treat books as sacred objects (items written by L. Ron Hubbard excepted) and to mark one, tear a page corner, unnecessarily bend one - these are unforgivable sins of the cardinal sort. But no one's will ever want to read books on InterDev, VB 5, Oracle 8, and that ilk ever again. I've considered donating them to the library, but last time I asked, they didn't want more books. The one they have keeps them busy enough, I guess. They're too heavy to ship, even if someone wants them, and all are hopelessly outdated. But they're in beautiful shape... Grrr.... It's time for a long night with a bottle in front of me, ended with several trips to the dumpster with a look of grim determination on my mug. I'm going to hate myself in the morning, just like the night I married my ex wife... :(

        Will Rogers never met me.

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        H Brydon
        wrote on last edited by
        #17

        I have a room with an entire wall of floor to ceiling books. Most of them older than 3 years (by definition, obsolete in the computer science world)... but I still consult them for details and mine some of the obsolete platform code for algorithms that are still useful. My feeling is that documentation (including but not limited to books) is like sex ... even if it is terrible it is still better than nothing at all.

        -- Harvey

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        • R Roger Wright

          Dammit - I have boxes of them, many in new condition, and I have to be very drunk and thoroughly on a mission to toss one out. I was raised to treat books as sacred objects (items written by L. Ron Hubbard excepted) and to mark one, tear a page corner, unnecessarily bend one - these are unforgivable sins of the cardinal sort. But no one's will ever want to read books on InterDev, VB 5, Oracle 8, and that ilk ever again. I've considered donating them to the library, but last time I asked, they didn't want more books. The one they have keeps them busy enough, I guess. They're too heavy to ship, even if someone wants them, and all are hopelessly outdated. But they're in beautiful shape... Grrr.... It's time for a long night with a bottle in front of me, ended with several trips to the dumpster with a look of grim determination on my mug. I'm going to hate myself in the morning, just like the night I married my ex wife... :(

          Will Rogers never met me.

          W Offline
          W Offline
          wizardzz
          wrote on last edited by
          #18

          They might make good kindling, good insulation, bedding for chickens or other animals, wall paper, paper mache, targets for your new rifle, pads for dogs to pee on. I guess you can check with your local animal shelter? Last time I checked, newpapers were in abundance. Do you guys recycle out there? My old college text books that are severely outdated are donated to Salvation Army, I let them deal with it.

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          • R Roger Wright

            Dammit - I have boxes of them, many in new condition, and I have to be very drunk and thoroughly on a mission to toss one out. I was raised to treat books as sacred objects (items written by L. Ron Hubbard excepted) and to mark one, tear a page corner, unnecessarily bend one - these are unforgivable sins of the cardinal sort. But no one's will ever want to read books on InterDev, VB 5, Oracle 8, and that ilk ever again. I've considered donating them to the library, but last time I asked, they didn't want more books. The one they have keeps them busy enough, I guess. They're too heavy to ship, even if someone wants them, and all are hopelessly outdated. But they're in beautiful shape... Grrr.... It's time for a long night with a bottle in front of me, ended with several trips to the dumpster with a look of grim determination on my mug. I'm going to hate myself in the morning, just like the night I married my ex wife... :(

            Will Rogers never met me.

            P Offline
            P Offline
            PIEBALDconsult
            wrote on last edited by
            #19

            Wait a minute; didn't you just buy a new rifle? :cool:

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            • P PIEBALDconsult

              Wait a minute; didn't you just buy a new rifle? :cool:

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              Roger Wright
              wrote on last edited by
              #20

              Yup. I wonder how many computer books a .243 can pierce? I have just discovered (in a box in the closet) the complete manuals for Turbo Pascal 5.5 Turbo Assembler Turbo Debugger Turbo Prolog 2.0 Paradox 4.0 Altogether, that's about 3' of high quality documentation, which should be a challenge for any caliber. :-D

              Will Rogers never met me.

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              • R Roger Wright

                Dammit - I have boxes of them, many in new condition, and I have to be very drunk and thoroughly on a mission to toss one out. I was raised to treat books as sacred objects (items written by L. Ron Hubbard excepted) and to mark one, tear a page corner, unnecessarily bend one - these are unforgivable sins of the cardinal sort. But no one's will ever want to read books on InterDev, VB 5, Oracle 8, and that ilk ever again. I've considered donating them to the library, but last time I asked, they didn't want more books. The one they have keeps them busy enough, I guess. They're too heavy to ship, even if someone wants them, and all are hopelessly outdated. But they're in beautiful shape... Grrr.... It's time for a long night with a bottle in front of me, ended with several trips to the dumpster with a look of grim determination on my mug. I'm going to hate myself in the morning, just like the night I married my ex wife... :(

                Will Rogers never met me.

                J Offline
                J Offline
                JimmyRopes
                wrote on last edited by
                #21

                Roger Wright wrote:

                I have to be very drunk and thoroughly on a mission to toss one out

                Me too. :(

                The report of my death was an exaggeration - Mark Twain
                Simply Elegant Designs JimmyRopes Designs
                Think inside the box! ProActive Secure Systems
                I'm on-line therefore I am. JimmyRopes

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                • R Roger Wright

                  Yup. I wonder how many computer books a .243 can pierce? I have just discovered (in a box in the closet) the complete manuals for Turbo Pascal 5.5 Turbo Assembler Turbo Debugger Turbo Prolog 2.0 Paradox 4.0 Altogether, that's about 3' of high quality documentation, which should be a challenge for any caliber. :-D

                  Will Rogers never met me.

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                  PIEBALDconsult
                  wrote on last edited by
                  #22

                  Aye, it was sad day I threw out my Turbo Pascal manuals (and discs), but it had to be done.

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                  • P PIEBALDconsult

                    Aye, it was sad day I threw out my Turbo Pascal manuals (and discs), but it had to be done.

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                    Roger Wright
                    wrote on last edited by
                    #23

                    Alas, there was no room in the box for the complete Quattro manuals, but I found space for ProComm+ along with the disks! :-D Sadly, yes, there does come a time when it becomes necessary to toss out the old, even if the old was better than the new. For solid functionality, reliability, readability, maintainability, and cost effectiveness, nothing offered in the .Net universe comes close to Turbo Pascal.

                    Will Rogers never met me.

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                    • J JimmyRopes

                      Roger Wright wrote:

                      I have to be very drunk and thoroughly on a mission to toss one out

                      Me too. :(

                      The report of my death was an exaggeration - Mark Twain
                      Simply Elegant Designs JimmyRopes Designs
                      Think inside the box! ProActive Secure Systems
                      I'm on-line therefore I am. JimmyRopes

                      R Offline
                      R Offline
                      Roger Wright
                      wrote on last edited by
                      #24

                      I have to admit that I wasn't able to get drunk enough to do the deed this weekend; the doomed are stacked on the porch, awaiting a colossal bender to meet their final destination... :sigh:

                      Will Rogers never met me.

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                      • R Roger Wright

                        Alas, there was no room in the box for the complete Quattro manuals, but I found space for ProComm+ along with the disks! :-D Sadly, yes, there does come a time when it becomes necessary to toss out the old, even if the old was better than the new. For solid functionality, reliability, readability, maintainability, and cost effectiveness, nothing offered in the .Net universe comes close to Turbo Pascal.

                        Will Rogers never met me.

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                        P Offline
                        PIEBALDconsult
                        wrote on last edited by
                        #25

                        I never used Quattro, but I got a copy somewhere and was unable to sell it. That and VB 2 & 3 -- couldn't give them away. ProComm+ you say? Hmmm... I haven't used that since 2005 or so when I wrote my own scripting language. I don't know whether or not I have a copy any more.

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                        • R Roger Wright

                          I have to admit that I wasn't able to get drunk enough to do the deed this weekend; the doomed are stacked on the porch, awaiting a colossal bender to meet their final destination... :sigh:

                          Will Rogers never met me.

                          J Offline
                          J Offline
                          JimmyRopes
                          wrote on last edited by
                          #26

                          It is definitely our age. These days people Google (or google equivalnt) for information. Who needs books these days? :~

                          The report of my death was an exaggeration - Mark Twain
                          Simply Elegant Designs JimmyRopes Designs
                          Think inside the box! ProActive Secure Systems
                          I'm on-line therefore I am. JimmyRopes

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                          0
                          • J jschell

                            Roger Wright wrote:

                            Nope, technical books never appreciate in value; they just become obsolete and "quaint."

                            Errr...yes they do. http://www.biblio.com/rare-books/Engineering-79-0.html[^]

                            R Offline
                            R Offline
                            Rob Grainger
                            wrote on last edited by
                            #27

                            Much more recently, I submit: A Theory of Objects[^] I'd quite like a copy, but...

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                            • R Roger Wright

                              Dammit - I have boxes of them, many in new condition, and I have to be very drunk and thoroughly on a mission to toss one out. I was raised to treat books as sacred objects (items written by L. Ron Hubbard excepted) and to mark one, tear a page corner, unnecessarily bend one - these are unforgivable sins of the cardinal sort. But no one's will ever want to read books on InterDev, VB 5, Oracle 8, and that ilk ever again. I've considered donating them to the library, but last time I asked, they didn't want more books. The one they have keeps them busy enough, I guess. They're too heavy to ship, even if someone wants them, and all are hopelessly outdated. But they're in beautiful shape... Grrr.... It's time for a long night with a bottle in front of me, ended with several trips to the dumpster with a look of grim determination on my mug. I'm going to hate myself in the morning, just like the night I married my ex wife... :(

                              Will Rogers never met me.

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                              N Offline
                              NAANsoft
                              wrote on last edited by
                              #28

                              Keep the books with general knowledge in them, for example mathematics (how to do Hamiltonian Quadruple, Laplace transformations whatever...), computer science (architectonial secrets of operating systems now forgotten) and so on. Thy rule should be: He who forgets the past is bound to repeat it...

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                              • R Roger Wright

                                Dammit - I have boxes of them, many in new condition, and I have to be very drunk and thoroughly on a mission to toss one out. I was raised to treat books as sacred objects (items written by L. Ron Hubbard excepted) and to mark one, tear a page corner, unnecessarily bend one - these are unforgivable sins of the cardinal sort. But no one's will ever want to read books on InterDev, VB 5, Oracle 8, and that ilk ever again. I've considered donating them to the library, but last time I asked, they didn't want more books. The one they have keeps them busy enough, I guess. They're too heavy to ship, even if someone wants them, and all are hopelessly outdated. But they're in beautiful shape... Grrr.... It's time for a long night with a bottle in front of me, ended with several trips to the dumpster with a look of grim determination on my mug. I'm going to hate myself in the morning, just like the night I married my ex wife... :(

                                Will Rogers never met me.

                                C Offline
                                C Offline
                                charliebear24
                                wrote on last edited by
                                #29

                                Recycle. I did it with no less than 100 tech books. But there was one I wish I had kept, so be careful!!! Cheers.

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                                • R Roger Wright

                                  Dammit - I have boxes of them, many in new condition, and I have to be very drunk and thoroughly on a mission to toss one out. I was raised to treat books as sacred objects (items written by L. Ron Hubbard excepted) and to mark one, tear a page corner, unnecessarily bend one - these are unforgivable sins of the cardinal sort. But no one's will ever want to read books on InterDev, VB 5, Oracle 8, and that ilk ever again. I've considered donating them to the library, but last time I asked, they didn't want more books. The one they have keeps them busy enough, I guess. They're too heavy to ship, even if someone wants them, and all are hopelessly outdated. But they're in beautiful shape... Grrr.... It's time for a long night with a bottle in front of me, ended with several trips to the dumpster with a look of grim determination on my mug. I'm going to hate myself in the morning, just like the night I married my ex wife... :(

                                  Will Rogers never met me.

                                  M Offline
                                  M Offline
                                  Michael Haines
                                  wrote on last edited by
                                  #30

                                  I have a slightly used copy of Stimulating Simulations for the VIC 20, if any one is interested. I imagine a bidding war starting now... "I am rarely happier than when spending entire day programming my computer to perform automatically a task that it would otherwise take me a good ten seconds to do by hand." - Douglas Adams

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                                  • W wizardzz

                                    They might make good kindling, good insulation, bedding for chickens or other animals, wall paper, paper mache, targets for your new rifle, pads for dogs to pee on. I guess you can check with your local animal shelter? Last time I checked, newpapers were in abundance. Do you guys recycle out there? My old college text books that are severely outdated are donated to Salvation Army, I let them deal with it.

                                    Y Offline
                                    Y Offline
                                    yoni at jefco
                                    wrote on last edited by
                                    #31

                                    wizardzz wrote:

                                    They might make good kindling, good insulation, bedding for chickens or other animals, wall paper, paper mache, targets for your new rifle, pads for dogs to pee on.

                                    Not to mention emergency toilet tissue... Microsoft Press books are particularly soft.

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                                    • R Roger Wright

                                      Dammit - I have boxes of them, many in new condition, and I have to be very drunk and thoroughly on a mission to toss one out. I was raised to treat books as sacred objects (items written by L. Ron Hubbard excepted) and to mark one, tear a page corner, unnecessarily bend one - these are unforgivable sins of the cardinal sort. But no one's will ever want to read books on InterDev, VB 5, Oracle 8, and that ilk ever again. I've considered donating them to the library, but last time I asked, they didn't want more books. The one they have keeps them busy enough, I guess. They're too heavy to ship, even if someone wants them, and all are hopelessly outdated. But they're in beautiful shape... Grrr.... It's time for a long night with a bottle in front of me, ended with several trips to the dumpster with a look of grim determination on my mug. I'm going to hate myself in the morning, just like the night I married my ex wife... :(

                                      Will Rogers never met me.

                                      F Offline
                                      F Offline
                                      Fatman13CC
                                      wrote on last edited by
                                      #32

                                      They might be serving well as toilet paper. ;P

                                      1 Reply Last reply
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                                      • R Roger Wright

                                        Dammit - I have boxes of them, many in new condition, and I have to be very drunk and thoroughly on a mission to toss one out. I was raised to treat books as sacred objects (items written by L. Ron Hubbard excepted) and to mark one, tear a page corner, unnecessarily bend one - these are unforgivable sins of the cardinal sort. But no one's will ever want to read books on InterDev, VB 5, Oracle 8, and that ilk ever again. I've considered donating them to the library, but last time I asked, they didn't want more books. The one they have keeps them busy enough, I guess. They're too heavy to ship, even if someone wants them, and all are hopelessly outdated. But they're in beautiful shape... Grrr.... It's time for a long night with a bottle in front of me, ended with several trips to the dumpster with a look of grim determination on my mug. I'm going to hate myself in the morning, just like the night I married my ex wife... :(

                                        Will Rogers never met me.

                                        S Offline
                                        S Offline
                                        SenseiJae
                                        wrote on last edited by
                                        #33

                                        too expensive to ship? Did you know there is a media rate for books that is downright affordable?

                                        1 Reply Last reply
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                                        • R Roger Wright

                                          Dammit - I have boxes of them, many in new condition, and I have to be very drunk and thoroughly on a mission to toss one out. I was raised to treat books as sacred objects (items written by L. Ron Hubbard excepted) and to mark one, tear a page corner, unnecessarily bend one - these are unforgivable sins of the cardinal sort. But no one's will ever want to read books on InterDev, VB 5, Oracle 8, and that ilk ever again. I've considered donating them to the library, but last time I asked, they didn't want more books. The one they have keeps them busy enough, I guess. They're too heavy to ship, even if someone wants them, and all are hopelessly outdated. But they're in beautiful shape... Grrr.... It's time for a long night with a bottle in front of me, ended with several trips to the dumpster with a look of grim determination on my mug. I'm going to hate myself in the morning, just like the night I married my ex wife... :(

                                          Will Rogers never met me.

                                          R Offline
                                          R Offline
                                          RafagaX
                                          wrote on last edited by
                                          #34

                                          Easy, put them in the trunk and drive straight to Mexico, then go to any public high school and tell them that you want to donate all the books you have in your car, they may take them gratefully.

                                          CEO at: - Rafaga Systems - Para Facturas - Modern Components for the moment...

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