[1349] in Public-Access_Computer_Systems_Forum
Gutenberg Newsletter, Pt. 2 of 2
daemon@ATHENA.MIT.EDU (Public-Access Computer Systems For)
Tue Sep 29 19:44:07 1992
Date: Tue, 29 Sep 1992 18:03:21 CDT
Reply-To: Public-Access Computer Systems Forum <PACS-L%UHUPVM1.BITNET@mitvma.mit.edu>
From: Public-Access Computer Systems Forum <LIBPACS%UHUPVM1.BITNET@mitvma.mit.edu>
To: Multiple recipients of list PACS-L <PACS-L%UHUPVM1.BITNET@mitvma.mit.edu>
From: "Michael S. Hart" <HART@vmd.cso.uiuc.edu>
Subject: Gutenberg Sept Newsletter2, Pt 2 of 2
Q1) You don't really mean you are going to give away a TRILLION
etexts in only nine more years of production, do you?
A1) Our goal is to encourage to creation and distribution of 10
thousand etext titles to 100 million people by December 31,
2001. This would require doubling our production each year
as we have been all along, and would also require that this
predicted audience of 100 million etext users actually come
into existence. Of course, these are very round numbers of
which only a few are under our control. Yes. . .we should,
barring massive changes of a negative nature, be able to do
10 thousand etext titles by the end of 2001. There are 100
million computers already in existence, and they are making
connections to other computers at an increasing rate, so we
should actually see 100 million users of the kind who might
want etexts have the opportunity to get them by 2001. User
numbers should always be greater than the actual numbers of
computer (at least until major numbers of computers are the
recipient of a boot into the closet where they will join up
with the other obsolete items we tossed in there, and crawl
out one day and gain their final revenge. You think it was
really enough when they crashed your favorite program, then
zorched all your data? Ha! It will make Revenge of Nerds,
no I never saw it, look like a walk in the park.)
At any rate. . .10 thousand etexts to 100 million people is
1 trillion etexts. No one measure the sales of any book in
paper any other way. . .a company that has a thousand books
that are million sellers is easily able to say they have an
entire sales of a billion books. . .we measure this exactly
the same way. . .only we are giving them away. . .and NO NO
NO. . .we are not making any effort to track how many users
have each of our books. . .do you think we are THAT nuts???
That would take more time than making the books!!
Q2) What about copyright?
A2) Generally we avoid copyrighted material altogether. We may
make arrangements from time to time to release copyrighted,
or otherwise protected works, but the hassles involved have
been consistently greater than just sticking with works old
enough to be indisputably in the Public Domain. . .even tho
it is sometimes a battle in and of itself to actually find,
xerox, and prove the item is actually in the Public Domain.
Q3) How do you make any money?
A3) As described above. . .we are totally donation driven for a
financial base. . .and entirely volunteer driven for all of
the operational infrastructure: including our legal staff,
copyright staff, production staff, proofreading staff, even
our offices overseas are manned totally by volunteers. . .I
have even met some of the overseas people who are official,
and some who are not, official Project Gutenberg people.
Q4) Aren't you concerned about destroying libraries?
A4) Libraries will simply become electronic. . .nothing else is
really likely to have to change. . .other than substituting
the electronic for the physical. This was the same issue a
library faced with the advent of the Gutenberg press; books
dropped to 1/400th of their previous price. . .that is just
what we plan for the price of etext. In 2001 we predict an
etext of Alice in Wonderland will cost you $.01 to put on a
computer, as compared to $4.00 or so for a paperback. This
is not going to eliminate libraries, it is merely going the
same direction as Gutenberg pointed us in the first place--
people will be able to have more books at home, but library
collections will be able to grow in the same proportion. A
home library will be larger but the library collections are
going to be larger by the same proportion. As my signature
block often indicates. . . .
Q5) OK. . .what is this signature block you are referring to?
A6) The trend of library policy is clearly toward
the ideal of making all information available
without delay to all people.
The Software Toolworks Illustrated Encyclopedia (TM)
(c)1989,1990,1991 Grolier Electronic Publishing Inc.
Q6) Aren't you concerned about reducing the desire of people to
write new materials by making so much information so easily
available at such low cost?
A6) Most of our books are over 100 years old. We seriously are
not of the opinion that we are going to inhibit publishers'
or authors' livings by producing etexts from Ancient Greeks
to books no newer than 1917 (with certain exceptions we may
get permission to republish). Even if we reproduced copies
of all materials only a year old it wouldn't make much of a
difference because 90% of all profits made from copyrighted
materials are made in the first year. If copyright periods
were reduced to 10 years it wouldn't change the profit line
much for authors and publishers, but it would open up whole
worlds of information to the general public.
Q7) Why do you do Project Gutenberg?
A7) Well. . .if I told you "Because it is there!" the way those
who climb Mount Everest answer the question. . .they should
feel they deserve a better answer. . .especially since this
project wasn't there until we invented the whole concept of
Replicator Technology (TM) which is what we called the work
of creating infinitely copyable materials and sending those
works out to the general public.
However. . .I haven't really got a good answer other than I
want to do it; I want a world which contains information in
abundance; I want a world in which I can look up anything I
want. . .and have a good chance of finding it free of fees,
and free of the effort of searching thousands of books in a
library and copying what I need over and over to get it for
a final resultant paper I am writing.
Personally, I think the technology to put the whole Library
of Congress (or any of the other great libraries) into palm
sized storage devices at prices anyone will be able to use,
and to afford, is already at hand with holographic storage,
with material no more expensive than good photographic film
and the lasers in the common CD player.
I think the 80786 and the 69070 will both be out by the end
of 2001, and maybe even the 80886 and the 68080, and that a
processor of this nature, combined with the storage of that
era will allow anyone to look up anything in those thousand
upon thousand volumes we predict will be available as fast,
and as easily as they could walk around the block.
Well. . .I have undoubtedly said enough. . .and will await your
responses to the second edition of the Newsletter2, which is an
editorially oriented newsletter designed to contain information
not well suited for the more objective tone of the newsletter I
write at the end of each month.
Thank you for your interest,
Michael S. Hart, Professor of Electronic Text
Executive Director of Project Gutenberg Etext
Illinois Benedictine College, Lisle, IL 60532
No official connection to U of Illinois--UIUC
hart @uiucvmd.bitnet or hart@vmd.cso.uiuc.edu
THIS MESSAGE IS A PRIVATE COMMUNICATION, INTENDED ONLY TO BE
READ BY THE PEOPLE TO WHOM IT IS ADDRESSED. RECIPIENTS OF
THIS MESSAGE MAY NOT COPY, CHANGE OR DISTRIBUTE IT IN WHOLE
OR IN PART WITHOUT MICHAEL HART'S WRITTEN PERMISSION.
Copyright [1992] Michael Hart
End of Part 2 of 2
