Today I visited a local University where an employee, a friend of
mine, was having his retirement sendoff. While I was there, I had a
look in their Library.

I can remember, years ago, the Library building had four levels, each
full of books. Now, the building is twice the size, by adding the
equivalent of a second building?s worth of floor space beside the
existing one, so it still has four levels, each with double the area.
But all the books (that would have been part of the old collection)
now fit on just one level. There is a new specialist ?Law Library? on
another level, but the rest is filled with computer terminals, meeting
spaces etc.

So four (old-size) floors? worth of books is now down to just two.

I had a look at the computing section. I found books dating back ten
years or more. Apart from historical interest, I can?t see much of
that being of value to the current students.

So, like it or not, we are steadily moving more and more into an
online world. And some subjects are moving faster than others.

--- PyGate Linux v1.5.11
* Origin: Dragon's Lair, PyGate NNTP<>Fido Gate (3:633/10)

On 13/02/2026 05:48, Lawrence DOliveiro wrote:

Today I visited a local University where an employee, a friend of
mine, was having his retirement sendoff. While I was there, I had a
look in their Library.

I can remember, years ago, the Library building had four levels, each
full of books. Now, the building is twice the size, by adding the
equivalent of a second building?s worth of floor space beside the
existing one, so it still has four levels, each with double the area.
But all the books (that would have been part of the old collection)
now fit on just one level. There is a new specialist ?Law Library? on
another level, but the rest is filled with computer terminals, meeting
spaces etc.

So four (old-size) floors? worth of books is now down to just two.

I had a look at the computing section. I found books dating back ten
years or more. Apart from historical interest, I can?t see much of
that being of value to the current students.

So, like it or not, we are steadily moving more and more into an
online world. And some subjects are moving faster than others.

The last editions of Unix In A Nutshell and Linux In A Nutshell were both
published in 2009. Paper books are still a thing, but more so in the arts
and humanities. I'm still kicking myself for leaving my good friends
Kernighan and Ritchie behind when the office got permanently closed during
lockdown.

--
--
A PICKER OF UNCONSIDERED TRIFLES

--- PyGate Linux v1.5.11
* Origin: Dragon's Lair, PyGate NNTP<>Fido Gate (3:633/10)

On Tue, 17 Feb 2026 23:10:21 +0000, Jason H wrote:

On 13/02/2026 05:48, Lawrence DOliveiro wrote:

Today I visited a local University where an employee, a friend of mine,
was having his retirement sendoff. While I was there, I had a look in
their Library.

I can remember, years ago, the Library building had four levels, each
full of books. Now, the building is twice the size, by adding the >>equivalent of a second building?s worth of floor space beside the
existing one, so it still has four levels, each with double the area.
But all the books (that would have been part of the old collection)
now fit on just one level. There is a new specialist ?Law Library? on >>another level, but the rest is filled with computer terminals, meeting >>spaces etc.

So four (old-size) floors? worth of books is now down to just two.

Sounds like the library in the University a few miles from me. But in this case the library was originally built in 1968, but asymmetrically with the central catalogue hall and just the 'left' (west) wing. The other wing was built in 1974, with again four floors. A new part was built next to it,
same height, but in a totally different style, but joined on. This part
has a cafe, lecture theatre, exhibition space, etc. but few books. There
is a Law Library and a Cartoon Centre.

It used to be called The Library, but now it's the 'Txxxxx Library', named after the first Vice-Chancellor.

I had a look at the computing section. I found books dating back ten
years or more. Apart from historical interest, I can?t see much of that >>being of value to the current students.

So, like it or not, we are steadily moving more and more into an online >>world. And some subjects are moving faster than others.

Yes, I miss the physical books, particularly the O'Reilly ones. I still
have a shelf of those here.

The last editions of Unix In A Nutshell and Linux In A Nutshell were
both
published in 2009. Paper books are still a thing, but more so in the
arts and humanities. I'm still kicking myself for leaving my good
friends Kernighan and Ritchie behind when the office got permanently
closed during lockdown.

I still have both editions.

--
Using UNIX since v6 (1975)...

Use the BIG mirror service in the UK:
http://www.mirrorservice.org

--- PyGate Linux v1.5.11
* Origin: Dragon's Lair, PyGate NNTP<>Fido Gate (3:633/10)

In article <10n2sgt$26ic6$1@dont-email.me>,
Jason H <jason_hindle@yahoo.com> wrote:

The last editions of Unix In A Nutshell and Linux In A Nutshell were both
published in 2009. Paper books are still a thing, but more so in the arts
and humanities. I'm still kicking myself for leaving my good friends Kernighan and Ritchie behind when the office got permanently closed during lockdown.

K & R is still in print.

Unix/Linux In A Nutshell have less value as they're mostly reference
books and the info is available via man or web searching. I should
know, as I wrote the last two editions of "Unix In A Nutshell".

However, O'Reilly and other publishers are still publishing paper
books, with the books being available in soft copy as well, which
many people prefer.

For instance, Pearson just published the second edition of my book
on basic *nix programming.

--- PyGate Linux v1.5.11
* Origin: Dragon's Lair, PyGate NNTP<>Fido Gate (3:633/10)

On Wed, 18 Feb 2026 14:01:05 +0000, Aharon Robbins wrote:

However, O'Reilly and other publishers are still publishing paper books,
with the books being available in soft copy as well, which many people prefer.

For instance, Pearson just published the second edition of my book on
basic *nix programming.

Thank you for your books! I have several.

I started using UNIX in 1975, and your Shell Programming book is still
well thumbed. And I'm using the gdb pocket reference right now.



--
Using UNIX since v6 (1975)...

Use the BIG mirror service in the UK:
http://www.mirrorservice.org

--- PyGate Linux v1.5.11
* Origin: Dragon's Lair, PyGate NNTP<>Fido Gate (3:633/10)

On 18 Feb 2026 14:48:57 GMT
Bob Eager <news0009@eager.cx> wrote:

On Wed, 18 Feb 2026 14:01:05 +0000, Aharon Robbins wrote:

However, O'Reilly and other publishers are still publishing paper books, with the books being available in soft copy as well, which many people prefer.

For instance, Pearson just published the second edition of my book on
basic *nix programming.

Thank you for your books! I have several.

I started using UNIX in 1975, and your Shell Programming book is still
well thumbed. And I'm using the gdb pocket reference right now.

--

[I deliberately broke the sig sep]

Using UNIX since v6 (1975)...

Use the BIG mirror service in the UK:
http://www.mirrorservice.org

So that's 50 years of cryptic commands with obscure single letter
(U/lcase) parameters. :-)

--
Bah, and indeed Humbug.

--- PyGate Linux v1.5.11
* Origin: Dragon's Lair, PyGate NNTP<>Fido Gate (3:633/10)

On Fri, 20 Feb 2026 16:12:57 +0000, Kerr-Mudd, John wrote:

On 18 Feb 2026 14:48:57 GMT Bob Eager <news0009@eager.cx> wrote:

On Wed, 18 Feb 2026 14:01:05 +0000, Aharon Robbins wrote:

However, O'Reilly and other publishers are still publishing paper
books,
with the books being available in soft copy as well, which many
people prefer.

For instance, Pearson just published the second edition of my book on
basic *nix programming.

Thank you for your books! I have several.

I started using UNIX in 1975, and your Shell Programming book is still
well thumbed. And I'm using the gdb pocket reference right now.



--

[I deliberately broke the sig sep]

Using UNIX since v6 (1975)...

Use the BIG mirror service in the UK:
http://www.mirrorservice.org

So that's 50 years of cryptic commands with obscure single letter
(U/lcase) parameters. :-)

I didn't say I always liked it. The redundancy in longer commands has
saved me a few times on other systems.

(I used a system where the command ED edited a file. And the command ER deleted it. Look where the difference is on the keyboard. That was a
British system)



--
Using UNIX since v6 (1975)...

Use the BIG mirror service in the UK:
http://www.mirrorservice.org

--- PyGate Linux v1.5.11
* Origin: Dragon's Lair, PyGate NNTP<>Fido Gate (3:633/10)