[PyQt] PyQt book "Rapid GUI Programming with Python and Qt" now available

[Jim Bublitz]

On Thursday 25 October 2007 10:19, David Boddie wrote:
> On Thu Oct 25 12:56:25 BST 2007, Andreas Pakulat wrote:
> > In Amazon Germany its even 63.3 euros, which makes about 90 us$, thats
> > almost double the normal price of the book as shipped in the US.
> >
> > I could find it quite a bit cheaper at libri.de, its 42,74 euro there,
> > which is still more than 10 dollar more than the original price from
> > prentice hall. If I buy directly from prentice hall, I'd pay 67$
> > including shipping, AFAICS
>
> I thought I'd see if I could find a lower price in the Euro zone, or a
> price outside that would correspond to a lower price.
>
> I used kelkoo.co.uk first, then tried their service in other regions.
> Here's what I found:
>
>   United Kingdom: 23.75 GBP (~34 EUR)
>   http://books.theregister.co.uk/catalog/browse.asp?ref=863830
>   Apparently, shipping would be free if the price was over 25 GBP. :-(
>   Otherwise, it appears that delivery to Europe is 7.95 GBP (~11 EUR)!
>   (http://books.theregister.co.uk/info/payment_delivery.asp)
>
>   Norway: 297 NOK (~38 EUR)
>   http://www.capris.no/product.aspx?isbn=0132354187
>   Shipping appears to be free (within Norway, I suppose), but that may
> depend on my interpretation of the word "fraktfritt"!
>   (http://www.capris.no/customerservice.aspx)
>
> The first price shouldn't include any tax. I'm not certain what the
> situation is with tax on books in Norway, so I don't know if the price is
> inclusive of tax or not.

I think it makes sense to look around for the best price, but I guess I don't 
understand the complaining about the price.

I've got a copy of Stroustrup's C++ Programming Language that cost me $65 
probably 5 years ago or more. I don't use it much, but the binding is falling 
apart, and it's not even a language I like. And considering what my daughter 
pays for college textbooks (actually what I pay for her books), Mark's book 
seems pretty reasonably priced - this isn't going to make the bestseller 
lists (no reflection on Mark - there just aren't that many PyQt users, 
although I've heard the plot is weak too), or even sell as many copies as the 
average college text.

Considering we get free software that actually works and free, fast online 
support from the author of the software and the author of the book and the 
lead tech writer at TrollTech plus the other really knowledgeable people on 
this list, it doesn't seem to me that the price is that bad when you take all 
that into account.

I can sympathize with people who have a hard time coming up that amount of 
money - I've been there. But then again, esp considering the Windows users 
who fork out a lot of money to Microsoft for software with less quality and 
support (even if it came 'free' with your computer) - I guess I don't think 
it's that bad to send less money than the price of Windows to Mark and 
someone willing to publish him.  He can probably make better use of the money 
than Bill Gates. (I'd say less than Linux too, but I've been buying distros 
at CheapBytes, and most of you probably download).

Divide the cost of the book by 4 for Qt, PyQt, Python and the book itself, and 
the price doesn't look too bad at all.

Just my 2 cents - (and if I post enough of these you can cash them in and  buy 
the book - but do it before the dollar falls even more).

Now I have to go remove the cat from the microwave ...

Jim