The report in a downloadable format?

[nick-c]

Hello all,

I have been lurking around this site and the forums for a few years now. I would love to become a member and get the report etc.

Unfortunately my disability makes holding magazines/books very difficult. Has the possibility of buying the report in pdf format been considered?

Nick

[Guest]

It has been talked about

It has been talked about before, but the idea always seems to die a death.

Andy

[nick-c]

that is a great shame...

that is a great shame...

[JWLaRue]

Okay....I'm always willing to entertain

Okay....I'm always willing to entertain a discussion of this subject!

The SCR is produced such that we create PDF files that are sent to the printer for the actual publishing. So creating the PDFs is a no-brainer.

The issue always comes down to a trade-off of the cost of printing the paper copies. (I am excluding the cost of cutting CDs/DVDs as it is nominal, though who would do it is an open question) The bulk of the cost for printing the SCR goes into the prep work done by the printer. This is essentially a fixed cost no matter how many copies get printed. I don't have the number off the top of my head, but given enough interest in CD/DVD versions of the SCR, we could not pay for the printing of the paper copies unless we raise the dues.

And please make no mistake......for the foreseeable future, folks want both.

So we remain with the status quo......unless someone can craft a solution to our problem/challenge!

Nick-c, please send me an e-mail. I'd like to discuss this further with you.

-Jeff

[robert]

Maybe I'm missing something, but

Maybe I'm missing something, but it seems to me the solution is to charge the same amount as currently, and offer the ability to receive it in paper OR downloadable? The only aspect lacking would be a secure delivery method for people who chose the downloadable method, and a method to avoid piracy of digital (.pdf) copies.

Personally I'm one of those people who like my subscriptions to certain magazines, and this is one of them, to be in hard copy so I can read them anytime, anywhere, for the rest of my life.

[tsenecal]

I agree, if you want

I agree, if you want the PDF, you download it. It is insane to mail pdfs on cd or dvd. if you want it mailed it will be paper. If you don't want to kill trees, then send an email stating that you will download it from the site. Only problem now is how to make it so that people who are members of subcommittee are the only members of this (or possible a secondary) website that can download copies of the PDF. I am thinking that there are many features of this website that are activated only if a person is a member of subcommittee, so why can't we setup a secure download area for these report PDFs and any future electronic items the subcommittee (and its members) may come up with.

[nick-c]

Yes,

I was thinking along the

Yes,

I was thinking along the lines of those mentioned above]http://www.subcommittee.com/forum/icon_smile.gif[/img]

[tmsmalley]

The big problem is as

The big problem is as soon as a pdf gets out there - either on CD or downloadable - there will be guys who, for whatever reason, start cranking off multiple copies from the high speed office laser printer and giving them to their buddies or emailing the pdf across the globe. This practice would have a strongly negative effect on new subscriptions/memberships.

This already happens with people Xeroxing the magazine to a certain degree, but it takes so long to photocopy a 60+ page publication, it doesn't happen enough to cause gross problems. The crooks who break copyright laws are mostly lazy enough not to want to take the time to stand at a copier flipping pages one at a time. However pressing "PRINT 10 Copies" from Adobe Acrobat Reader is too easy and too tempting.

You get your Newsweek, National Geographic and Radio Control Boat Modeler subscriptions hard copy - their editors know that a freely distributed pdf would kill their publication. SCR needs to stay hard copy for many of the same reasons.

###

[bcliffe]

Tim,

I have mixed feeling on

Tim,

I have mixed feeling on the subject. To grow the hobby I see a larger distribution of the SCR as a benefit.

I agree with your observations, however those organizations are in the business for the money. Are we?

I don't want to sway folks one way or the other, however it may be interesting to do a poll both on-line and off-line on the subject and let the members decide.

Personally if I new I could get the SCR for free, or pay for it, my ethics would still make me pony up the cash.

Cheers
BC

p.s. I recall that we had agreement to at least put a single version of the SCR on-line to attract new members. Any plans to implement?

[jdlockh]

Here is a thought. There

Here is a thought. There are two new products that have been in development that deals with electronic ink. Electronic Newspaper Considering that newspapers don’t produce their product for free, there would need to be some form of security with these products.

James

[tsenecal]

Tim,

I am not sure if

Tim,

I am not sure if you are aware of this or not, but the latest version of the pdf spec allows for a pdf to be printable only if given a password. All one needs to do is assign a password that isn't given out to anyone but the builder of the pdf...


Tim

[tsenecal]

Tim,

Did a little more investigating.

Using

[color=#000000]Tim,

Did a little more investigating.

Using Acrobat 6/Distiller 6 or newer, you can add a password to a pdf document.

That password can restrict any or all of the following three areas]

[gerwalk]

I was about to post

I was about to post that. You can restrict printing, copying, etc using passwords in a pdf. Though there are ways to crack those security issues that would be a situation similar to xeroxing a hard copy of the SCR]www.modelersite.com[/url] (in this case you can read part or a whole article but all the high res photos are only available in pdf form at 3u$/article) and even the New York Times is implementing this for some of it's on-line articles!!

There are more advantages in implementing a pdf SCR]http://www.subcommittee.com/forum/icon_biggrin.gif[/img]

[anonymous]

I think there were some

[color=#000000]I think there were some good points made here, however, I would be very adverse to going to a downloadable SCR. In order to limit blatant copying & CD burning of copies, there is a suggestion of being able to view a page but not print it; I doubt that would go over very well with a lot of folks. Like the diagram you see on the screen of a submarine plan? No printing it out to scale up and scratchbuild a model with it.
Also one should not assume that everyone has high speed access to the web, nor that they would necessarily enjoy reading their magazine on a computer screen (which is what would be required if you restrict printing).

Please remember the SCR is the centerpiece of this organization. I don't think the economics would support giving people the option of either downloading or paper, one would have to go. The economics of magazine printing would fall below the point where we could make that an option if a sizeable fraction of people went to an online version. At that point, we become just another subscription website.

I am in favor of two proposals]

[nick-c]

Upon reading the points made

Upon reading the points made above it would seem that .pdf's can be made more secure without any cost.

Anyway, just a suggestion

I suppose I could join, rip the pages out and scan it all in :O