I think most have seen the ad on Fine Woodworking’s homepage about their upcoming CD rom, “The Best of 155 Issues”. I, for one, am excited about it, and would like to hear from others if they will seriously consider buying it. It ain’t cheap ($125 for subscribers) but the wealth of 500 articles is indeed tempting. I own every issue and have begged the publishers for an updated index in printed form. I get frustrated at times when I want to consult a specific article, only to find myself forgetting what it was I was searching for after an hour of flipping through pages. This CD version should eliminate all that… or will it? Any thoughts?
William
Replies
Compilations like this are heavily dependent on the effectiveness of the search engine and accessibility of articles. For example, Britannica has been slow to refine what is arguably the most authoritive encyclopedia to computer media, yet look what Microsoft has done with Encarta. Similar examples with Time and National Geographic which haven't crossed over very successfully.
Personally I hope they did a good job. Many of the best FWW articles are already redistributed in several books. Even then the sum total would be more costly than the CD yet contain fewer articles. And if the interface is effective, finding a specific topic on CD beats wading through the magazines for 2 hours. Though it's usually more casual flipping through magazines in bed than enduring the pauses computer browsing involves.
$75 would be in line with most program content of this type. National Geographic offered several decades worth of material in the $125 -$150 range.
I will buy it...
As a fairly new subscriber, I don't have the back issues... Presuming that one CD has articles, pictures and even a decent index, gives me access to years worth of reading?
I'm anxious to hear from anyone who has seen the CD. How thorough is it? Are all pictures, drawings, etc included?
lp
As someone else on here said...the ad does say "BEST OF" so it won't have everything...for that amount of money I think it should
If someone gets it please be kind enough to write a short review on heremakinsawdust
A few months back there was a discussion about why such a CD doesn't exist, given the available technology, etc. One of the main issues involved electronic rights/ownership of materials (articles) written for print publications prior to the PC explosion and growth of the Internet. The Supreme Court recently weighed in, saying that authors needed to be reimbursed or voluntarily sign away their rights, if their print articles were going to be reproduced in electronic form.
I have a feeling that's why we're seeing "The Best Of..." instead of everything ever published in FWW. Taunton -- like most publishers -- has probably been going crazy trying to contact all of their authors. On the other hand, as a relatively new reader/subscriber, I think 500 articles will probably have some decent material, so I'm not too worried about a topic being missed.
DavidHmmm... the garden or the workshop today?
Hi folks,
Yes, David is right that the best of represents what we have the right to publish. But it will be a good representation of what has been done over the years. I've got a complete set of issues sitting at my desk but I know having them accessible and searchable electronically will be helpful. I'm going to see if they will provide a list of the articles that are on the CD and we can post that on the web site. That way you can take a look for yourself.
Best,
Tim____________Tim SamsAssociate Editor, Fine WoodworkingKnots Moderator
Great Idea Tim, Thanksmakinsawdust
i am very excited about the disc. as a matter of fact i was metioning to the wife that it would make a fine christmas gift.
Some interesting threads so far. Here's my take on the topic. RJT makes a valid point when he comments, "The only thing to consider is if you want to read a magazine over a computer or from the armchair. " That's the kicker, isn't it? One of the reasons we read FWW (or any magazine of choice) is for the pleasure of sitting back and relaxing with a good article. I said above that I was excited about it. Excited about having the possibility of finding information in a mouse click, but not at the prospect of scrolling through pages and staring at the glow of my computer screen for a few hours at a time.
I give the editors of FWW full credit for attempting to answer their readership's cry for out-of-print articles. Many can still be found in the series "Fine Woodworking on..." but so many still want the original issues. Just look at the message board "FWW Magazines" on this forum. A few years back I starting inquiring at Fine Woodworking about reprints and I understand their reticence because of author infrigement. National Geographic did it, however (see above), and they covered 100 years! Ebay is the most logical step for those wanting to complete their collection. I went that road, but I've noticed that the quality copies are more scarce nowadays. The point is that ebay won't always have a supply and woodworkers years from now will still want the information. Perhaps a collection of the "best" articles will suffice and perhaps a CD version is the natural way forward in this electronic age. I am very thankful, though, that I have all 25 years of FWW in my library (spelling errors, mismatched photos, improper measurements and all) because I derive more pleasure from my evening reading of the techniques and sources from twenty years back (even the ads with their prices) than I ever could from the cool sleekness of electronic articles where my fingers can never smudge and my coffee cup can never stain.
I have about half of all FWW mags. They're not all that useful anymore due to the terrible difficultly of finding anything. A CD would be vast improvement in my view, and worth the money if you get the use out of it.
Dave of Fla.
Ditto on what most of the others have said. Having only been receiving FWW for about a year now, I am looking forward to access to all the past articles that are often referred to. I already have the CD pledged as my birthday gift. While I'm willing to pay $125 for it, I just hope they don't go adding a ridiculously high S&H cost, in which case I would elect not to purchase it.
I, on the other hand, see this cd a a waste of money. You can find all the info you need for free if you know where to look. This forum is an excellent source of help and is only one of many ways to get an education in woodworking. Many magazines offer free issues and the internet is an inexhaustable source of information and free plans. In less than two years you will accumulate all the info you will need for a life time but this is no substitute for time in the shop; the real source of education.
Endgrain
I saw a quick tip where an individual would xerox the contents pages of each issue and would then put those pages in a binder for easy perusal. Of course it's not an electronic index, but it could suffice.
Michael
I wonder what file format the articles will be published. If they are Acrobat or some other high quality format, it would be simple to print the items of interest to publication quality (the Black and White issues will really be easy to reproduce for most of us).
It would be interesting to know how the search is going to work, it will make a big difference in how useful the disk really is.
If you can search and do high quality printing it should be a good product.
FYI
This is from the link on the FW site.
"... The popular Adobe Acrobat PDF format allows you to read the articles as they originally appeared in the magazine. You can also print out the articles for reference. ..."
I don't think the CD is a substistute for all the back issues everyone has collected. The CD is written in Adobe Acrobat PDF format, which everyone has the reader software on their computers. The indexing and search engine is worth every penny.
I have the CD's from Journal of Light Construction and I update every time JLC offers newer versions. Their CD retails for $100.00
As a design/ company I find that I can use the PDF files along with my construction documents and specifications.
The only dilema I have is to buy the Fine Woodworking CD too. Now we are talking $250.00!
Kyle
Approximately when did FWW begin printing in color?
The first use of printed color that I could find was the background of the index in #40. (The index in #30 was printed on colored paper.) There were color photos starting in #41, and #48 had the first color cover.
Regarding the CD vs Paper Argument:
A few years back I bought the first ~120 issues of FWW. I had gotten started reading FWW prior to issue 120, so I had a small amount of overlap, but ended up with a complete set Anyhow, my wife said I was happier than a teenage boy with the first 120 issues of playboy! Read them constantly for about the first two years I owned them, learned a lot, keep reading them. Bought the most recent (paper) index; it, too, goes to issue 120.
I don't think I could get the same level of pure enjoyment out of a CD. I tend to spread related articles out on a flat surface, compare and contrast. I read them in bed, and don't particularly want to snuggle up to my laptop, or bother with printing. Also find that I "wander" through an old issue after I find an article of interest. I usually am surprised and learn something new; I am not so task-oriented that this bothers me overmuch. When I want to take an article into the shop, I take the
My point is is that I while I think the CD might be handy for some uses, For me the price is too high, both dollar- and learning-wise. I think you would lose the tactile pleasure of going through old issues, the incidental learning, etc. If you need to find a specific article or group of articles quickly and don't have a paper index, or want info after issue 120, go to the Taunton Site; you can see an issue index there.
Reminds me of something Clifford Stoll, uber-computer user technology skeptic, and author of the book "Silicon Snake Oil" (yes you can be both uber-user and skeptic) once remarked on. He laments the loss of the paper card catalog at libraries in favor of the computerized catalog. Remember them? Lots of nice little 3 X 5 cards skewered into a dovetailed hardwood drawer. Unbelievable library smell emanating from them as you opened each drawer. Well, Clifford points out that part of the genius of the paper card catalog is that you get the opportunity for serendipity as you move through your manual card catalog search that you would never find using a more directed computer search. I think something very similar happens when you go through copies of FWW searching for information.
Yes, I recognize that not everyone has a full set of FWW. However, I think you can get the same pleasure and serendipity from a truncated FWW set whatever the size. And remember, Knots has a whole section dedicated to FWW back issues for sale. Also that library that got rid of the card catalog, well, they probably get rid of the back issues of FWW after a couple years worth accumulate. They get microfiche versions. My library puts them out at $0.10/issue, along with lots of other mags. A deal at twice the price
Ed
When I found out that I could obtain the first 155 issue of FH on CD, I was happier than a pig in mud. Although I already own most of the magazines in print form, I find that looking for specific information on one particular subject somewhat time intensive. Many times I have only considered one article because I didn't have the time or energy to consult various indexes. I know from experience how much a computer word search can speed up the process; once you start doing searches like that, you hardly ever go back to the old way of searching indexes by hand. (one thing I discovered about word searches is that it will sometimes bring up other articles that aren't related but yet offer a suggestion that you haven't considered and yet make a hugh impact.) Also, since I bring my laptop to work everyday, having the resources of 155 issues on hand is hard to pass up. I already put my order in for the CD as well as the fine homebuilding CD. The way I look at it, I'll just work a few hours OT to pay for the CD's, it's well worth it.
Also Ed, I'll still flick through the printed magazines every year as I have the custom. I still enjoy the tactile experience of sitting on my easy chair with a cup of joe and reading up on articles that catch my eye.
that's my two cents
-Pat
Pat, just a quick correction: I think the CD contains the "best of" (roughly 500) of the articles from the first 155 issues of FWW, not all of the articles. That comes to, on average, just over 3 articles from each issue.
Not that the CD won't contain a lot of great information, I'm sure, and I'm considering buying it since I only just started my subscription about 18 months ago. But, the fact is, since I started reading it I've already noticed a certain degree of repetition (as is common to all such subject-specific magazines). So you'll probably get all the articles you'll need on dovetails, for example, just not ALL of them.
David
Hmmm... the garden or the workshop today?
Edited 9/9/2002 10:28:09 AM ET by davamoore
I did not hesitate when I saw the price, I think it is fair. I have some issues I purchased in the mid to late 80's and every issue since 1997, but that leave some huge gap, but now I can fill them quite inexpensively.
I think the idea of the cd rom is a great one, but hope that the articles can be printed out for reference while working in the shop. Don't need anything fancy, just would really appreciate being able to fit the info on a sheet of paper that can have glue dropped on it or worse :)
I don't want to take the laptop out to the shop to have the articles with me, and find that every time i take my magazines out, they come back a bit tattered.
The price,..yep, a bit steep, but for the convienence of being able to have all that info readily available,..would love to see it.
The Best of Fine Woodworking gives you fast, immediate access to more than 500 of the most significant articles from 27 years of publication.
Think you may have read it wrong "155 issues"
Sounds like a good idea but as many have stated depends on the ease of use. Personally I like flipping through the past issues while in my easy chair. But at times I know I have read an article but what issue? Could be useful to quickly look it up and pull that issue out if you have it. The price $125 -$150 seems steep, I could buy some nice tools with that and actually do some woodworking rather than read about it. Jeff
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