Effin' Kalmbach

[JMaurer1]

John: Been there, did that! Loved the old Compute Gazette magazine (it was just for the 20 and 64) where I could get free software (as long as I was willing to enter the code...typing miles of Hexidecimal ML code without any mistakes or the program crashed).

https://www.commodore.ca/commodore-gallery/compute-gazette-magazines-issue-1-through-43/

I spent most of my time on BBS's, Usenet and Compuserves SIG (but I never hacked a site...ever, no matter what the evidence may be). Still remember how I was on top of the world when I replaced my 300 baud and got my 1200 baud modem...lightening speed! Tape drives for software (start loading the program when I got home from school and hoped it was done when I finished my homework and didn't lock up)...I eventually had one of the rather rare hard drives at one point (7.5 meg baby!).

Must climb back out of this rabbit hole...

[mmagliaro]

Some of you may remember the International Correspondence School (ICS) steam locomotive books that I had scanned and offered for sale on CD many years ago (and actually still do).   

There are 14  100-page books.
I found a book-scanning service that could do the scanning for me and produce text searchable pdfs.
I sold enough CDs to make back my investment.
And these are hard-bound books, which makes them hard to scan.   The place that did them had a
book scanner designed to lay the book open without cracking it down flat and ruining the spine.  They
got beautiful, flat scans of each page, including some fold-outs.

My long-winded point here is that if I could do this, on a tremendously small scale selling under 100 copies over 14 years,  there is no reason that a magazine publisher couldn't do this and make really good money on it.  They all have hardcopy of every issue, I'm sure.

As for Kalmbach... FOR SHAME.  Each of the buyers of those old DRM-protected CDs still have their CDs.  Why not just give them a free exchange for a new one without DRM?  They sold the promise of having your material "forever" because it was on CD, and now they see no obligation to honor that?

[reinhardtjh]

Some of you may remember the International Correspondence School (ICS) steam locomotive books that I had scanned and offered for sale on CD many years ago (and actually still do).   

I missed that on your web site!  Email sent!

As for Kalmbach... FOR SHAME.  Each of the buyers of those old DRM-protected CDs still have their CDs.  Why not just give them a free exchange for a new one without DRM?  They sold the promise of having your material "forever" because it was on CD, and now they see no obligation to honor that?

Very good point.  The new PDF don't have the DRM so they can obviously do it.  It would "just" be a matter of running the DRM protected files through Acrobat again. Could probably be done by some macro app if it's a multiple set process.

[sirenwerks]

As for Kalmbach... FOR SHAME.  Each of the buyers of those old DRM-protected CDs still have their CDs.  Why not just give them a free exchange for a new one without DRM?  They sold the promise of having your material "forever" because it was on CD, and now they see no obligation to honor that?

Thank you.  My logic exactly.  I keep hammering them with the request that they replace the sets with updated ones, as you noted; or access to the online collection.  Every time I do so, communication gets broken off and I have to restart the conversation with another customer service rep.  They can't have that many, so eventually I'll get one I have already talked to...

[Chris333]

Somehow I am able to access their online collection and print out any page I want without even being logged in 

[Ed Kapuscinski]

Thank you.  My logic exactly.  I keep hammering them with the request that they replace the sets with updated ones, as you noted; or access to the online collection.  Every time I do so, communication gets broken off and I have to restart the conversation with another customer service rep.  They can't have that many, so eventually I'll get one I have already talked to...

Atlas isn't sending you Accumate versions of all your old Rapido equipped cars.

It sucks, but it's the reality with a product category in a rapidly evolving space (digital stuff).

[JMaurer1]

If you have a library card (even if you don't, there are lots of libraries that will let you sign up for a digital card and its free) you probably have access to EBSCO and Proquest (via their digital collections). I found the complete collection of Model Railroader magazine in downloadable PDF's from 1996 to the latest issue (but you can't download the entire magazine, just one article at a time) and Trains (1991 to current) is on Proquest.

[John]

Atlas isn't sending you Accumate versions of all your old Rapido equipped cars.

It sucks, but it's the reality with a product category in a rapidly evolving space (digital stuff).

Amazon updates my kindle books with new versions when they are issued ..  Kalmbach could do the same .. if they are worried about DRM -- put them on kindle ..

[Ed Kapuscinski]

Amazon updates my kindle books with new versions when they are issued ..  Kalmbach could do the same .. if they are worried about DRM -- put them on kindle ..

I think that'd be a much smarter thing to do.

But from what I remember, when these things were released there WAS no Kindle.

[ncbqguy]

Better versions of physical objects are not the same as intentionally obsoleted digital products that prevent you from using what you paid for....
I have old CorelDraw files that can’t be opened because it wasn’t important to their marketing plan to include backward compatibility or a conversation routine for longtime loyal customers. 
Now software is going to intrusive subscription models that require connection and sign-in to use your own files...even for operating systems.  I don’t want your constant changes that require me to relearn the software....and if there a patches to fix bugs don’t release faulty product in the first place!
I used to think that killing the lawyers would solve most of society’s woes...but marketing people with their data-mining total disregard for personal privacy have moved to the top of my list....
Charlie Vlk

[peteski]

I have old CorelDraw files that can’t be opened because it wasn’t important to their marketing plan to include backward compatibility or a conversation routine for longtime loyal customers. 

Being a bit of a hoarder of old computer hardware and software, I can likely help you with that (well, unless you have hundreds of old CDR files to convert).
I can save them as V10 or V12 files which I believe even the latest Corel Draw can handle.

I'm kind of on the fence as far as how far back software manufacturers have to go back to support the native files,  but it would be handy if Corel Draw V18 could open V1 files.

[pjm20]

If you have a library card (even if you don't, there are lots of libraries that will let you sign up for a digital card and its free) you probably have access to EBSCO and Proquest (via their digital collections). I found the complete collection of Model Railroader magazine in downloadable PDF's from 1996 to the latest issue (but you can't download the entire magazine, just one article at a time) and Trains (1991 to current) is on Proquest.

Is MR on Proquest? I've found the Trains no problem.

[Ed Kapuscinski]

Better versions of physical objects are not the same as intentionally obsoleted digital products that prevent you from using what you paid for....
I have old CorelDraw files that can’t be opened because it wasn’t important to their marketing plan to include backward compatibility or a conversation routine for longtime loyal customers. 
Now software is going to intrusive subscription models that require connection and sign-in to use your own files...even for operating systems.  I don’t want your constant changes that require me to relearn the software....and if there a patches to fix bugs don’t release faulty product in the first place!
I used to think that killing the lawyers would solve most of society’s woes...but marketing people with their data-mining total disregard for personal privacy have moved to the top of my list....
Charlie Vlk

I don't think Kalmbach made these intentionally obsolete. They did the best they could with the technology available at the time.

The balance of availability vs DRM has been one that much larger players than Kalmbach have gotten wrong.

It sucks, but you kinda just have to move on.

[sirenwerks]

It sucks, but you kinda just have to move on.

Or I can be a PITA and see if Kalmbach will give me what I want.just sayin'...

[Ed Kapuscinski]

Or I can be a PITA and see if Kalmbach will give me what I want.just sayin'...

Hey, it's your time to waste. I'm just letting you know you won't get very far.