if you notice that the average student outside the Mumbai metropolitan region spends more than that on fuel alone.
Fuel?? You're certainly talking about a different class of people here. I (and most of educated India, AFAIK) don't spend on fuel. Mostly its on bus and train fare ;-).
And why do the buses and trains require you to buy the tickets? Only to pay the drivers? I thought they ran on some fuel too.
In my opinion Rs 100-Rs150 for a really good quality magazine is not too much. Googling is ok, but having a hard copy still counts. Not everywhere in India do you get good stable Internet connections, and so using the net is still remains a pain for some. And remember the Internet also costs some amount.
Lets not confuse a 'good FOSS magazine' with the ones we already have like Digit, PCQ, etc.. In my opinion they often advertise proprietary software that runs on otherwise Free OSes. Hence they do not serve the purpose.
Bye, Debarshi
On Monday 12 June 2006 10:17 am, Debarshi 'Rishi' Ray wrote:
And why do the buses and trains require you to buy the tickets? Only to pay the drivers? I thought they ran on some fuel too.
Public transport is Heavily subsidised. And unprecedented economies of scale available in cramming 3x ++ rated capacities in Mumbai. It is far more expensive and difficult to travel locally outside Mumbai, where public transport is restricted to the odd MSRTC bus in the day or the Mahindra jeep with cram ratios that will make u suffocate to death.
In my opinion Rs 100-Rs150 for a really good quality magazine is not too much. Googling is ok, but having a hard copy still counts. Not everywhere in India do you get good stable Internet
And this massive market is what the IIM wannabs missed all along. How to deliver complex tech content in 32 languages would be another interesting problem. The non english language publishing industry is orders of magnitutde larger. Btw are there good tech mags in regional languages.
On 6/12/06, Debarshi 'Rishi' Ray debarshi.ray@gmail.com wrote:
And why do the buses and trains require you to buy the tickets? Only to pay the drivers? I thought they ran on some fuel too.
My point was simply this - tech magazines costing at 100-150 INR are difficult to get hold of for many. So whatever LinuxWorld introduces, if it's at 150 INR then it will get the same or a little more coverage than the Digit, PCQ, et al regardless of the content.
Siddhesh
On 12/06/06 11:17 +0530, Siddhesh Poyarekar wrote:
On 6/12/06, Debarshi 'Rishi' Ray debarshi.ray@gmail.com wrote:
And why do the buses and trains require you to buy the tickets? Only to pay the drivers? I thought they ran on some fuel too.
My point was simply this - tech magazines costing at 100-150 INR are difficult to get hold of for many. So whatever LinuxWorld introduces, if it's at 150 INR then it will get the same or a little more coverage than the Digit, PCQ, et al regardless of the content.
I don't disagree. However, I would rather that some people went to libraries[1] (or borrowed from friends) rather than trying to cut down magazine prices by having bad content. Three people buying the magazine and sharing it will reduce your price per subscriber to 1/3 of cost price.
Devdas Bhagat [1] I used to read Nature from the British Council Library. I still can't afford to subscribe to that magazine :).
Devdas Bhagat
Devdas Bhagat wrote:
On 12/06/06 11:17 +0530, Siddhesh Poyarekar wrote:
On 6/12/06, Debarshi 'Rishi' Ray debarshi.ray@gmail.com wrote:
And why do the buses and trains require you to buy the tickets? Only to pay the drivers? I thought they ran on some fuel too.
My point was simply this - tech magazines costing at 100-150 INR are difficult to get hold of for many. So whatever LinuxWorld introduces, if it's at 150 INR then it will get the same or a little more coverage than the Digit, PCQ, et al regardless of the content.
I don't disagree. However, I would rather that some people went to libraries[1] (or borrowed from friends) rather than trying to cut down magazine prices by having bad content. Three people buying the magazine and sharing it will reduce your price per subscriber to 1/3 of cost price.
Speaking as an accountant and a costing / pricing advisor, I agree with what was said earlier. You need to cut down the price. Even though I can afford it, I think twice before buying a magazine at Rs. 150 (or even Rs. 100) a pop. Few people will want to buy a magazine on sharing basis. It does not work.
Cutting down the cost (and therefore the price) by using cheaper paper (less glossy ? and thinner), doing away with CDs are some of the options you will have without affecting user experience. Value Engineering philosophy says do a cost control on what is not the basic desire of the customer. If the content is good and the magazine is prices at Rs. 40 or so, many more people will buy it, irrespective of whether the paper is shiny or now.
Devdas Bhagat [1] I used to read Nature from the British Council Library. I still can't afford to subscribe to that magazine :).
In today's work environment, how many people can afford to go to British Council Library (or any library) to read magazines ? Many of us still read in transit or in the few leisure hours of morning or after dinner. I wish I had time available like you to go to the library.
Regards Saswata
Devdas Bhagat
On Tuesday 13 June 2006 18:07, Saswata Banerjee & Associates wrote:
Speaking as an accountant and a costing / pricing advisor, I agree with what was said earlier. You need to cut down the price. Even though I can afford it, I think twice before buying a magazine at Rs. 150 (or even Rs. 100) a pop. Few people will want to buy a magazine on sharing basis. It does not work.
I agree. Rs.100-150 is for a magazine which provides 2 DVDs and ~130 pages of content + ads on glossy paper. I wouldn't mind a magazine which uses low quality paper. But dont you think that it would be very cheap for them to just make an online magazine? I think with cost of internet access ( ~200INR a month ) anybody can afford to read it online if its priced at Rs.300-400 a year. The magazine cuts down on the cost of printing and DVDs. Its purely the cost of hosting and bandwidth.
In today's work environment, how many people can afford to go to British Council Library (or any library) to read magazines ? Many of us still read in transit or in the few leisure hours of morning or after dinner. I wish I had time available like you to go to the library.
Agreed.
Sometime on Wed, Jun 14, 2006 at 12:18:18AM +0000, Dinesh Joshi said:
pages of content + ads on glossy paper. I wouldn't mind a magazine which uses low quality paper. But dont you think that it would be very cheap for them to just make an online magazine? I think with cost of internet access ( ~200INR a month ) anybody can afford to read it online if its priced at Rs.300-400 a year. The magazine cuts down on the cost of printing and DVDs. Its purely the cost of hosting and bandwidth.
Many people have aversion towards reading large content online. There's nothing like a printed copy of your favourite magazine right there in your hands. No doubt, ``content'' is the undoubted king.
Anurag
On 6/14/06, Anurag anurag@gnuer.org wrote:
Many people have aversion towards reading large content online. There's nothing like a printed copy of your favourite magazine right there in your hands. No doubt, ``content'' is the undoubted king.
When its cheap, the public will read online. Besides most people dont have any need of the large amounts of software provided on the DVDs so this is a cheaper, cleaner alternative.
Hi
A cheaper magazine with loads of content (beginner+advanced) will be surely acceptable. Earlier I had agreed that Rs.150/- would be acceptable if content is good but I realised that a common man cannot afford to shell out Rs.150/-
Google is always there but the feel of paper and the comfort to carry it around cannot be ignored.In fact I have broaband from last 6 months. Surprising no body has mentioned LFY the existing alternative. I think that LFY is a good first attempt for a linux only magazine in India.Surely some of the articles are too amateurishly written
On Wed, Jun 14, 2006 at 10:55:58AM +0530, Anurag wrote:
Many people have aversion towards reading large content online. There's nothing like a printed copy of your favourite magazine right there in your hands.
Very true. Reading online for long hours is tiring for the eyes and the neck.
Regards,
Rony.
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Dinesh Joshi wrote:
On Tuesday 13 June 2006 18:07, Saswata Banerjee & Associates wrote:
Speaking as an accountant and a costing / pricing advisor, I agree with what was said earlier. You need to cut down the price. Even though I can afford it, I think twice before buying a magazine at Rs. 150 (or even Rs. 100) a pop. Few people will want to buy a magazine on sharing basis. It does not work.
I agree. Rs.100-150 is for a magazine which provides 2 DVDs and ~130 pages of content + ads on glossy paper. I wouldn't mind a magazine which uses low quality paper. But dont you think that it would be very cheap for them to just make an online magazine? I think with cost of internet access ( ~200INR a month ) anybody can afford to read it online if its priced at Rs.300-400 a year. The magazine cuts down on the cost of printing and DVDs. Its purely the cost of hosting and bandwidth.
Have you tried reading an online magazine while travelling by mumbai local train, waiting for a bus, in the canteen, etc ? For quiet a long time, the benefit of paper will outweigh the benefits on online magazines.
In today's work environment, how many people can afford to go to British Council Library (or any library) to read magazines ? Many of us still read in transit or in the few leisure hours of morning or after dinner. I wish I had time available like you to go to the library.
Agreed.
On Friday 16 June 2006 09:00, Saswata Banerjee & Associates wrote:
Have you tried reading an online magazine while travelling by mumbai local train, waiting for a bus, in the canteen, etc ? For quiet a long time, the benefit of paper will outweigh the benefits on online magazines.
No. I usually concentrate on getting there faster rather than abusing my eyes trying to read a glossy magazine under direct sunlight in a moving vehicle.
On Friday 16 June 2006 08:47 pm, Dinesh Joshi wrote:
On Friday 16 June 2006 09:00, Saswata Banerjee & Associates wrote:
Have you tried reading an online magazine while travelling by mumbai local train, waiting for a bus, in the canteen, etc ? For quiet a long time, the benefit of paper will outweigh the benefits on online magazines.
No. I usually concentrate on getting there faster rather than abusing my eyes trying to read a glossy magazine under direct sunlight in a moving vehicle.
Ya but hope springs eternally and a book is most (ly) convienent.
On Fri, Jun 16, 2006 at 05:48:46PM +0530, jtd wrote:
On Friday 16 June 2006 08:47 pm, Dinesh Joshi wrote:
On Friday 16 June 2006 09:00, Saswata Banerjee & Associates wrote:
Have you tried reading an online magazine while travelling by mumbai local train, waiting for a bus, in the canteen, etc ?
No. I usually concentrate on getting there faster rather than abusing my eyes trying to read a glossy magazine under direct sunlight in a moving vehicle.
Ya but hope springs eternally and a book is most (ly) convienent.
Rgds JTD
Online reading is also expensive as long periods of computer activity mean big electricity bills. Everyone won't use a lappy.
One point we did not raise was the intended reach of a linux magazine. If linux is touted as a peoples' operating system then its magazine should be accessible to the people not just the elite. Bandwidth costs are still high enough to restrict direct downloads of CDs and DVDs at will. We have just begun, to stop looking at the time counter to disconnect the net connection. Therefore a magazine with bundled CDs/DVDs is a must for the software to spread across the entire user base. Technology alone will be of little use if it does not reach the people.
Regards,
Rony.
___________________________________________________________ All new Yahoo! Mail "The new Interface is stunning in its simplicity and ease of use." - PC Magazine http://uk.docs.yahoo.com/nowyoucan.html
On 6/16/06, Rony ronbillypop@yahoo.co.uk wrote:
On Fri, Jun 16, 2006 at 05:48:46PM +0530, jtd wrote:
On Friday 16 June 2006 08:47 pm, Dinesh Joshi wrote:
Hi,
Is the creator of this thread taking any notice of all the arguments or are we just going on dicussing endlessly...I mean i did not see any mail of him acknowledging any mail in this thread nor asking questions...
Pankaj
On 6/17/06, Pankaj Dekate whoispankaj@gmail.com wrote:
Hi,
Is the creator of this thread taking any notice of all the arguments or are we just going on dicussing endlessly...I mean i did not see any mail of him acknowledging any mail in this thread nor asking questions...
Hi friends,
We are taking note of the insights from each of you. And we will make sure that we offer such specialised, hi-quality content at the best price. We guarantee that it will be unparalleled by any of the titles dedicated to Linux, currently available in India.
Your views are helping us greatly in establishing a production, pricing and distribution model for this title.
Rony's echoed our thoughts precisely - "One point we did not raise was the intended reach of a linux magazine. If linux is touted as a peoples' operating system then its magazine should be accessible to the people not just the elite."
We want to create a win-win situation for our readers as well as us, the publishers. We believe that although as the publisher of this magazine we will produce the magazine, but ultimately it is you, the readers who will help us better our efforts with each and every issue.
As a matter of fact, we (Infomedia India Ltd) are the publishers of CHIP (computing & tech mag), Cricinfo magazine (Cricket mag), Overdrive (a car & bike mag), Better Photography (a mag covering photography) & many more. Information about our all our publications & businesses is available on our corporate website - http://www.infomediaindia.com.
We are listening. Please keep writing.
Mitul, I beg your pardon for not tagging this thread as Commercial at the outset. I was not sure whether this could be classified as commercial. Please advise.
Regards,
Hemant S. Charya
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Anurag -
Debarshi 'Rishi' Ray -
Devdas Bhagat -
Dinesh Joshi -
Hemant Charya -
jtd -
Pankaj Dekate -
ronbillypop＠yahoo.co.uk -
Saswata Banerjee & Associates -
Siddhesh Poyarekar -
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