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> Everyone realizes this. They absolutely don't. Every time this subject comes up, there are plenty of people wondering how expensive it can be to host a PDF.
by Vinnl 8y ago
> Everyone realizes this.
They absolutely don't. Every time this subject comes up, there are plenty of people wondering how expensive it can be to host a PDF. It's not; the price they're asking is not for the service of hosting a PDF, but for granting you the privilege of using their brand. A publisher has a monopoly on its brands, which means that there's almost no downwards price pressure.
- michaelt 8y agoEvery time this subject comes up, there are plenty of people wondering how expensive it can be to host a PDF. I always assumed that was a rhetorical technique, a sort of jargon-free shorthand for "Given that variable costs are so low but the prices so high, surely this company's managers are either sinfully greedy with their profit margin, or sinfully inept in their inability to control back office costs"
- Vinnl 8y agoRight, but "inept in their ability control costs" is irrelevant: the price they ask is for the brand, not for the costs of producing anything.
- jamesrcole 8y agoThere are two issues 1. why the system is as it is (and why it's hard to change) 2. what work are the publishers doing that is actually contributing value The hosting cost is a point regarding 2, and making that point is consistent with understanding 1.
- Vinnl 8y agoI agree, but I will still argue that people making the PDF download point are often conflating points 1 and 2.