You are saying the value to the buyer is far, for more than the cover price. I agree completely; it's a really important point. But not everyone on HN is a pr

You are saying the value to the buyer is far, for more than the cover price. I agree completely; it's a really important point. But not everyone on HN is a professional programmer, and there are students, self-improvers, and individuals in other countries for whom the sentiment of "just buy it; it's sufficiently valuable to you" is tempered by the opportunity cost (yes; the opportunity cost of $10) and the need to get the best value/dollar. This is probably why poverty is so self-sustaining: because you have to burn ridiculous effort over trivial nonsense. Your thin budget gets even thinner, and now you're stuck.