Theos-Talk Archives (December 2010 Message tt00031)

Agree totally and perhaps a donation spot could be setup for the online version to the publisher so those that can afford and feel inclined to contribute monetarily can do so at their discretion. More might be brought in this way to the publisher then keeping it in hard copy as if someone cannot afford the book, and does not buy it the publisher gets nothing, where as if 10 people who never would have bought donate $5 then the publisher gets $50 vs. nothing. Also the increased word of mouth would spread attention to the book and oft people will buy a hard copy even if they have an electronic copy for their libraries and convenience when away from personal electronic devices. 

Esoteric wisdom does not have a copyright, it is a gift from the keepers of truth throughout the ages of time, it belongs to all seakers of truth regardless if rich or poor, and it is my personal belief that every effort should be made to make such materials available with the least restrictions of access as possible, so every person who has a yearning enough desire to read its pages or hear its words can do so.

Rose

--- On Sat, 12/4/10, MKR <mkr777@O-C89pJMh1vRorTAG2LrBLMEWUCeWiUUpMr5FDYAacTW4Nn77qJ0Cf0ZG7ge2ANZg_ZEvPLmggxRWBw.yahoo.invalid> wrote:

From: MKR <mkr777@O-C89pJMh1vRorTAG2LrBLMEWUCeWiUUpMr5FDYAacTW4Nn77qJ0Cf0ZG7ge2ANZg_ZEvPLmggxRWBw.yahoo.invalid>
Subject: theos-talk Why TS/TSA should make electronic versions of publications available for free?
To: "theos-talk" <theos-talk@yahoogroups.com>
Date: Saturday, December 4, 2010, 9:22 AM







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      Why TS/TSA should make electronic versions of publications available for

free?



The current situation regarding electronic version of SD Commentaries (SDC)

has brought focus on the need for the publications to be made available as

pdf files.



In the case of SDC, due to the pricey hard copy publication, someone has

taken the trouble to scan it to a pdf file and make it available on

Internet. Since the copyright holder objected to it, it was removed from the

website. But in the interval between the posting and removal, it is highly

likely that many theosophists would have downloaded it. Once this is done,

surely it is privately  circulated. Now that the genii is out of the box,

nothing can be done to put it back.



We have seen some comments justifying the high price of the book and even

going as far to say such priceless information should not be made available

to the world very easily. These arguments do not hold water. Nothing really

occult can be communicated in print. You will find this discussed in the ML

to AP Sinnett.



Firstly, there are legit reasons to have an electronic copies for personal

use. Let us say you are traveling on work or vacation and you want to read

it. You may not want to carry a bulky book. You want to store the electronic

copy on your netbook or notebook and this is quite legit if you have already

purchased a hard copy. For love or money, you cannot get an electronic copy.

So it is more likely that you get hold of an electronic copy from whatever

source and load it into your computer.



Todayâs publishing methodology lends itself to make electronic copy easily

available. Books are written using word processors and an electronic version

is produced. It is then sent to the printer to print and bind the hard copy.



>From the electronic word processor version to pdf file (pdf is the most

widely used format for documents), it is only a click away. Eureka!; within

two to three minutes, the computer creates the pdf file.



In the above process, withholding the electronic copy from circulation does

not help; especially in theosophical matters where the objective is to make

theosophical information easily available to everyone and hopefully would

transform the personal lives of some. Making electronic copy available will

go a long way to help theosophists around the world, especially in the east

where people cannot afford to buy expensive books.



TS, was once at the forefront of the issues of the world. It is time to be

pro-active and make all publications, including new theosophical ones such

as the HPB letters and Mahatma Letters commentary, available in electronic

form free to theosophists. The man or the woman in the street is not going

to read them. It is theosophists who are interested in them and TS has a

duty towards them. Such a move can only help theosophical movement and not

hurt it.



I hope the leaders wake up and do the right thing. Longer you wait, scanning

machines will solve the problem, whether one likes it or not.



MKR



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