posted
Someone has bought FoEd. I expect support to resume and the period of trouble to be short lived.
I guess all the authors regret the problems with download files and lack of support, but in many cases the issues have been beyond our control (download files are usually edited by FoEd, and the files held by the author may not be the same as the 'official' downloads).
This is good news for authors as well as book owners btw; we might even get paid something this year after all
posted
Hmm, so since you haven't gotten paid, the FTP server is shut down? That makes sense and is fair to you but if it is not coming back up in the next day or so let me know. Seriously, reply here or lookup my e-mail addy under my profile. While it makes sense for you to shut down the FTP server at the same time I paid for "Advanced PHP for Flash" and it is unfair to me. If I need to return this book it would be nice to know. At that point I will also be sure to avoid books by FriendsOf in the future.
Because this book looks like it was really rushed to print it is pretty useless without a CD or access to the any support files. A good example is the breakdown of pages in Chapter 4 vs. Chapter CS1. It is all over the place in Chapter 4 while Chapter CS1 is broken down fairly well. So many inconsistencies it is kind of sad.
20/20 hind sight: I usually won't buy books without the CD but being a designer who works in Flash, HTML and is in programmers PHP code all day long your title caught my eye and I didn't even check. I'll be more careful in the future especially after this experience.
posted
the honest answer is we don't know if the ftp server will reappear.
please understand that it is not the authors or friends of ED staff that have made these decisions, but the 'money-men'.
for your php woes, i'd suggest pointing your browser atphpforflash.com there is support for both the foED php titles via the message board there, and you should find someone with the code already.
the inclusion of a CD with a book was usually a cost issue, which did result in some massive downloads for readers, particularly with photoshop or DV books. as a rule though, any book can be worked through without the downloads, so don't dismiss them out of hand, they are still decent books.
hopefully when all it all settles down we will find a way to offer the files for all books. we do still give a damn after all, we wouldn't be here if we didn't.
Sorry you feel that way, however, as Pete mentions, the whole issue is actually out of our hands.
We have no control of how the liquidation is handled, and *we couldnt even keep the servers running if we wanted to because they are not ours*. We would actually have to bid for the contract; buy the use of the servers, and then maintain them. Someone has actually tried to do that, partly for your benefit (I am lothe to mention him, but it doesn't take much working out ) The server contracts currently belong to the liquidator, and they will keep them running based on their own criteria. They will also pay us based on their own criteria... the fact that we have not been paid *and* the servers are down are not related, but the process that caused them (liquidation of FoEd) is the same.
Myself and other authors/staff are keeping an eye on these boards because we want to help as far as we can. If the boards go down, we will query it with the liquidator, and if the FTP goes down for an extended period, I will be on the phone pointing out that this is an uneconomic decision to make. If it carrys on to the point we feel is unfair, I will certainly buy some dedicated server space and start supporting my own books.
I can however, see why payments have not been made; FoEd has been sold and responsibility has (or will soon be) shifted. The new owner (who I cannot name, but is a pretty badly kept secret ) is going through a transition period, but hopefully that will be short; they currently don't have the staff. Staff will be hired with responsibility for support, and this will simply be seen as a blip in hindsight. Thats the theory anyway, and all we can do at this time is wait a little longer. We haver all been waiting for some time, certainly, but remember the FTP has only been down since the weekend. People are aware of it, and hopefully it will quickly be rectified. If it isnt, other routes will be taken.
S
PS - IF its any consolation, I now realise that it is important for myself as an author to maintain a seperate emergency FTP for *all my books*, and am currently looking at setting up a dedicated author site, complete with downloads area for the future. I will, in future have this right clarified in all my contracts.
[This message was edited by Sham B on 04-30-03 at 11:47 AM.]Posts:
170 | From:
UK | Registered: 11-14-00
posted
Obviously the situation is not as black and white as I thought. Nice to know they aren't related.
I am a part owner of a hosting company and if you would like some files mirrored I think we could help out. If your interested I can find your e-mail in your profile and go from there.
posted
I'm not surprised someone has bought FoED. FoED is good for Flash and Flash is good for the World Wide Web, and I haven't seen anything comparable in the bookshops. I too bought Advanced PHP for Flash (after the news of the liquidation) and yes, I'm pissed off with all the errors it contains, and the (perhaps understandably) pretty limited support at the other forum. But there is no way I would not want this ragged book on my bookshelf. The cookbook example in chapter five, just as an example, is excellent once it's got to work properly. Superb, actually.
If FoED is on its way back, that's great for me and great for anyone who didn't get paid or who might get their job back. Maybe it means that support will improve, but even if it doesn't, the books published so far, warts and all, have become an inherent part of what I do, as to a degree, is this forum.
PatrickPosts:
397 | From:
Manchester UK + Melbourne Australia | Registered: 11-16-01
posted
Just a comment about the inclusion of a CD. It made the books -much- cheaper because they then weren't liable for VAT as well as the added production cost. Cost was one of the major reasons I chose FoED to start with, but then it was quality plus cost
Hope it all gets back on its feet soon! Totally fantastic books. Have made me look at Flash in a different way. Go go Sham! Am still faffing around base camp but on the way up!
All the best
MiladyPosts:
1 | From:
London | Registered: 05-02-03
posted
Buying this book is about educating me to make more money. Breaking down $10 (guess of what it would cost to include a CD) vs the money I will make from using the knowledge this book could provide, there is no comparison. It's about having what you need to learn. I could do a freelance project that would pay for this book (with a CD) in an hour. The point is I am willing to pay whatever just so I can have everything I need to learn when I am ready to learn it. The files are pretty much required to make this book useful. If the FTP was worth anything (AKA ever up) I would take your side but obviously it isn't. So if it meant spending $10 more for a CD where I would have had the files earlier in the week that would have been well worth the money. Time is money and if it comes down to having to write a e-mail telling someone their site is down and getting a reply of "we don't know if the ftp server will reappear" it's not worth saving $10.
posted
You gotta understand one thing though skeep..when the books were being published, there was no sign or idea that Friends of ED was going down (at least not to anyone of the readers....) and the FTP servers were up perfectly.....the books you bought arent exactly brand new books...so back when they were published, it was a wise decision to forget the CD....and let the people download them themselves....this provides one good thing is that if u lost your files u could just re-download them....and about the putting an extra 10$....no offence but friends of ED isnt only writing for you to read...a lot of us don't make the big bucks liek you..and a lot of us dont even make the money...we r ead these books so we can learn for many reasons..soem being that we are working in this field, other maybe due to self-interest... Yes, $10 more seems like no big deal because u will be rewarded in the future, but not all of us have the extra $10 right now and if all we need to do is log on and download the files for free and save a good $10.. i think it's worth it... Don't take this the wrong way, i know waht oyu mean and there are many times it makes life so much easier (Esepcially if yr on a 56K connection or lost your interenet connection completely (Then yr doomed!!)).... but like mentioned earlier on..a lot of reasons to cut out the CD.....and the fiels u need to download arent exactly going to fill a full CD...so why not save money AND the plastic used for a CD..im sure our environment could use a little help
Emotion takes no form. Art takes no form. An abstract sense of form is an Absense of Form...Posts:
972 | From:
Hong Kong | Registered: 02-05-03
posted
Yep - and the unofficial but current state is that some of the books in limbo between writing and being published will now be published... so it will be nice to see this work hopefully read by at least a few dozen readers =)
posted
And will that include the Swish book, "Nero to Zero" many=many ppl are sooo waiting for this, it would seem that it was put on hold some time ago, thanks.
"Treat me like an angel and I'll show you heaven. Posts:
4 | From:
United Kingdom | Registered: 05-08-03
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