Synthesis lectures

[David Farber <dave () farber net>]

________________________________________
From: Rod Van Meter [rdv () sfc wide ad jp]
Sent: Tuesday, July 08, 2008 10:30 PM
To: David Farber
Subject: Synthesis lectures

Dave,

Interesting discussion; the last few messages have generated more light
than heat, which is good :-).

Now might be the time to point out the relatively new series called
"Synthesis Lectures", 50-100 page books on fairly specific topics,
primarily of interest to specialists, available for download or print
purchase.  The goal, as I understand it, is to reduce the threshold to
creating something more in-depth than a review paper, but without the
overhead (in author's time, as well as other metrics) for getting out
something useful.  It might serve as a model for reducing the dependence
on the "epic tome" phenomenon referred to by others. Mark Hill is the
editor for the computer architecture series.
http://www.morganclaypool.com/toc/cac/1/1
Prices to buy individual lectures are noticeable ($30), but I think
their preferred model is to get institutional subscriptions.

Just another point in the design space.

                --Rod

P.S. For many topics, including architecture, there are common
principles but practice is changing quickly, so I lean toward newer
editions.  However, there are classics that have stood the test of time
in our field, and even *their* prices are an issue.  For example, when I
was a master's student (more than fifteen years ago), IIRC, Kleinrock's
_Queueing Theory, V.1: Theory_ went for about forty bucks, and I thought
that was too much to pay.  Now list price is $138!  Same book, no new
typesetting, no new edition.  Shipping, stocking, distribution and even
printing costs may have gone up, but most of that extra hundred bucks
goes to the publisher and the author.  Now, I'm not opposed to the
occasional CS equivalent of Stephen King -- if a few people get rich
because they produced either something great or something they could get
a lot of people to buy, more power to them.  But that one's ridiculous.
Hennessy & Patterson, on the other hand, recently put out the 4th
edition, and it's fantastic, with a bunch of material moved to CD and a
cheaper paperback binding, trying to keep weight and cost down, with
some success.






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