Over the years, I've received lots of favorable feedback about my comments on Hacker News. Some have suggested that I blog or even write a book. I always resisted because I thought that more writing would take time away from my software, which I've always considered more important.
I started this blog last year, but found that I really wasn't that well suited to the medium. I never found a way to set aside regular time, so I ended up posting old Hacker News posts instead. The feedback, understandably, has been lukewarm.
Then when I found out about the micro-priced ebook phenomenom, it hit me. Why not take my favorite Hacker News contributions, edit them into a micro-priced ebook, and sell it on-line. Even better, it gave me a chance to write an app to do it for me. (You know us hackers: any excuse for a fun weekend project).
I describe the process I went through a little more in the Forward of the ebook. I ended up with my 256 favorite entries and decided to sell it on Scribd. You can read the Table of Contents, Forward, and Chapter 1 for free, then purchase the pdf for $2.56 if you want to read more. (I know, very Knuth-inspired.)
I intend to print hard copies to distribute to family, friends, and customers. Maybe even make the software available so that others can turn their Hacker News comments into their own ebooks.
Just a little experiment. Who knows where it may lead...
Check it out at
http://www.scribd.com/doc/52729281/The-Best-Of-edw519 Permalink
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Published on April 11, 2011 19:06
