(rant) Circuit Cellar digital is a ripoff

[dfnr2]

<rant>
I just renewed my Circuit Cellar print subscription (using the 25th anniversary price, which is half their website price).

I have subscribed to Circuit Cellar since issue 1, and used to have all the issues on my bookshelf, which took up considerable space.  When they started the digital, I subscribed, and recycled my collection, assuming I'd have access to the archive. 

Imagine my surprise when, as it's time to renew, I checked the digital subscription, and I only can access the past 8 issues!  The digital subscription would barely justifiable if I can only access the issues published during my subscription, but not if I can access only the past 8 months.  Most specialty interest magazines, such as consumer reports, cooks illustrated, or the economist, allow unlimited access to the archive, as long as the subscription is valid.  I paid the digital subscription fee for peace of mind, not because I ever read the PDF versions.

Does anybody here get the digital subscription?  Am I correct in my understanding that the digital subscription is just for reading, not for archiving?  if so, I've spent my last on that service.  I really wish I hadn't recycled my collection, because now I don't have any way of getting those back short of purchasing their archive USB stick for $250.  Seems unfair given that I've already bought those issues.

Am I missing something here?
</rant>

[BravoV]

With this so called "new economy" model, trust me, someday near future, your "DRM-ed" fridge/stove/tv/kid's toy and etc must be online and stay connected to internet all the time in order to work, get a clue.

[David_AVD]

You can download (and therefore keep) the digital versions of Circuit Cellar and Elektor.  No DRM on either that I'm aware of.  I always save them and never read online.  Always assume that any online content could disappear at any time. 

Access to back issues is a different matter.  I wouldn't expect access to issues before I was a subscriber.  I can see how access to past digital versions once you go from paper to digital subscription might be a little trickier.  Not impossible of course.

[poptones]

I just grabbed sept 2011 from a newsgroup post and it works just fine. So maybe your solution is to hoist the skull and crossbones...

[westfw]

Am I correct in my understanding that the digital subscription is just for reading, not for archiving?

You can read it, or you can download it and archive it yourself.  A digital subscription does not give you anytime-access to all the issues you subscribed to in the past.  8 months worth is more than I recall getting.  I did completely miss downloading an issue once, and got CC ink to grant me access via an email to their service department.

Yeah, it'd be a lot nicer if you had full access, at least for as long as you stayed subscribed.  Remembering to download a copy for your archiive when you mostly read the paper version is troublesome...

[SeanB]

They do offer a USB key with all the editions on it quite cheap. An actual physical USB key with the logo on it and everything, all in PDF format.

[rr100]

Kindle does something similar for subscriptions: ""The seven most recent issues delivered are saved on your Kindle. Older issues are automatically deleted for your convenience."
Yea, for your convenience.
Plus they are DRMed so if (when) you get a new kindle they won't work on it anymore.

It is pretty pathetic that paying customers get worse products than the guys from the "dark side". And I really, really don't want to see now publishers suing book lovers (or hoarders or leeches, whatever). This can only end in tears, even if internet is uninvented you can still have books in the millions on one relatively cheap drive; as soon as there are enough books in electronic format "out there" even with "sneakernet" everybody will end up having every book worth having (and 10 000 times more books not worth having...).

[SeanB]

It is a pdf that you download.

[dfnr2]

They do offer a USB key with all the editions on it quite cheap. An actual physical USB key with the logo on it and everything, all in PDF format.

It's $250.  I don't consider it cheap, given that I already paid more than that for (now I know) temporary access to digital issues for several years.

If you just discovered CC, and wanted to catch up from the start, then if you consider that it's 25 years of magazines at 12/year, then it's less than $1 per issue.  However, not all those issues will be useful.  Yet buying a la carte is much more expensive.  A library subscription is really much more sensible.

[djsb]

I have ALL of the issues from number 1 onwards upto 2008 (issue 221) on cdrom. Got them as back issues. I've just got to buy 2009 thru 2011 for a complete set.
I works out better value that way I think.

David.


PS Dont forget Dave Tweeds index here

http://www.dtweed.com/circuitcellar/

[poptones]

Damn, thanks for making me feel old. I remember when CC was just starting out, and talking with Steve on the phone about his new project.

Damn, 25 years. So you can get all the back issues for 10 bucks a year? Don't sound bad to me.

[poptones]

Indeed. And make sure to avoid the complete catalog of BYTE... nasty stuff.

[Mechatrommer]

now its 3 months back view only instead of 8 months, go figure.

[rr100]

I am getting increasingly frustrated with this "limited availability". On Kindle I had to unsubscribe (actually multiple times) from magazines because I just couldn't tolerate the manual work you need to do "keep" each issue. It is the same with paper bills; of course I prefer the electronic ones but it used to be a time when they came to my inbox. Now, oh, we can't do that, security and crap, you need to go from time to time to download them by hand from their web site and they keep it sometimes for only 6 months (and in one case for 2 months!).

If I "subscribe" to something like a magazine or if I "receive" some electronic bills there should be some outomated way to just keep it forever, like a pile of old unread bills, they just accumulate until you completely run out of space or some disaster like a fire (or in this case hard drive crash) happens.

[TucsonTechie]

Circuit Cellar, while a decent magazine, is totally absurd about their distribution policies. I have been a subscriber for a couple of decades, and I am about to give it up because of their BS.

Several years ago, when I had personal health issues that prevented me from downloading CC issues for several months, I found out about their absurd policy about downloading only the last few issues. I contacted them and asked for relief, and they were firm in their policy that when it scrolled off, it was not available, even though I had paid for the issues that I could no longer access.

I was angry, but continued my subscription, making sure that I downloaded the pdf of every issue while it was still available.

A few years later now, I am still angry, since no other publication that I know of imposes such draconian limitations, particularly when one wants to download issues that have been paid for.

So I recently wrote to Steve and everyone else on the masthead of the magazine, via snail mail, since there is no online feedback option. I pointed out that if I had paid for an issue, I should be able to retrieve it online. I have not received any response of any kind.

I say, screw these guys. As useful as some of the data in the magazines might be (and I have never complained about the content), their paranoia and business conduct does not warrant sending them any more money. Being told that I can't download what I have paid for is an absolute limit for me. I will not renew my subscription. To hell with such paranoid and draconian policies. I don't need it any more. I hope you also drop your subscription and tell the folks why you are doing so. Lack of revenue might be the only way to kill this BS.

[David_AVD]

I didn't renew my CC subscription when it lapsed earlier this year.  I found the content rather boring.

With Elektor, I do make sure I download the issue straight away so I don't miss out on it later.

[madires]

I didn't renew my CC subscription when it lapsed earlier this year.  I found the content rather boring.

With Elektor, I do make sure I download the issue straight away so I don't miss out on it later.

I'm suprised positively how Elektor deals with that. I may download all issues back to 1990 (being subscribed even a bit longer) and the 2012 DVD. And it seems I can download other languages too. That's really fair!