

Why don't we buy sysadmin books anymore?  - standaloneSA
http://www.standalone-sysadmin.com/blog/2010/06/why-dont-we-buy-books-anymore/

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tptacek
* Because server software configuration sucks much less now (compare sendmail.cf to Postfix or qmail)

* Because modern server software is more sophisticated and delegates less to insanely complicated configurations; more unicorns and fairy dust, more "batteries included"

* Because things that involve complex configurations are more likely to sprout "aftermarket" utilities (like monit or god)

* Because a 5-minute "get it up and running" first user experience is now the barrier to entry for new server programs

* Because so much server software starts out pure open source and requires good documentation just to get people to use it in the first place

* Because high-end sysadmins are far more likely to be Python, Perl, or Ruby programmers now than they were in 1996

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danudey
Because after the author has spent a year putting words to the page, getting
it printed, putting it on the shelves, getting positive reviews, and getting
word of mouth out there, the software I'm using has gone from 2.x to 3.x, the
config file format has changed, and it's compatible with the thing I couldn't
figure out already.

I could understand buying RHEL books, since RHEL (by virtue of 'tested and
supported' software), is typically a few years behind the times anyway, or
'starter' books for people who aren't familiar with the topic, but there are
so many good howtos, config examples, setup scripts, utilities, IRC channels,
etc. that spending $80 on a book that will likely only come in handy two or
three times before it's completely out of date just makes no sense at all.

Software these days moves too fast for dead trees to keep up. Give me a Safari
Bookshelf app on my iPad and maybe we can talk.

~~~
nick5768
Just in case you didn't know, the Safari Bookshelf mobile website is quite
good. Most of the books I use are deemed "mobile friendly" and the experience
is good enough that at times I will choose to read on my iPhone rather than on
my desktop.

~~~
danudey
I didn't know, but I'll consider taking a look. I find it's far too expensive
to be worthwhile though, at least at the advertised prices.

~~~
csixty4
Become an ACM member. Membership includes access to a subset of Safari Books
and Books 24x7.

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WestCoastJustin
Funny, looking by my recycle bin, there are three large stacks of outdated
unix/linux/sysadmin books. The best resource for recipes is the internet once
you have the base.

Seems technology moves faster than books can be written, published, and
shipped. The digestion cycle is just too long for this media. Personally, I
see a big future in people publishing their own ebooks. Cuts many of these old
fashioned publishers out of the game and returns profits to the people.

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dedward
Because we have the internet, and most books with "Sysadmin" anywhere in the
title are garbage beyond entry-level.

There are a few gems out there about system engineering and longer-term good
practices, but anything else is a waste of time.

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etravers
It also depends on your definition of sysadmin books. I recently purchased
Windows Powershell 2.0 TFM. Could I have found most of this information on the
web? Most definitely, but buying the book allows me to have it all in one
place. In addition to that I get it in a limited amount of voices.

I'm not even an admin. Powershell is just too much frakkin fun. If you haven't
checked it out yet you should. Maybe you will find it is not for you, but
maybe you will enjoy it as much as I do.

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mkramlich
i bet the rise of cloud hosting providers and SaaS has decreased the demand
for sysadmins and self-hosting. Also the state of free online tech info is
much better than say in the 90's, plus there's all the pirated and copylefted
ebooks and PDF's available through mechanisms like BitTorrent.

