Creative Fuel is a resource for graphic designers, web designers and multimedia developers.
We discuss the software, hardware, books and online resources you need to get the job done.
We've tried to assemble some of the best links, tutorials and relevant information to save you time, effort and money.Safari Books Online: Is it worth it?
I was fortunate enough to work for a company a couple years ago that gave each of their employees a subscription to Safari Books Online. If you’re not familiar with this company, here’s how it works: You pay a monthly fee–as low as $10 (see below)–for access to most of the technical books published by most of the major book publishers. Depending on the plan, you may get to check out 5-10 books at a time or you may get unlimited books. For most people, the biggest benefit is that you can search the text of these books. Are you looking for a solution to a very specific problem? Are you trying to debug some code? The answer(s) are often in these books. Consider you have been buying new computer books at Borders or Amazon. You’re probably paying $25-$60 each time. It only takes a few books a year to make this service appealing.
The fact that you can search the text of all the books and download the sample files makes it even more useful. I know I checked out and read many more books than I would have otherwise. I was exposed to new techniques I would otherwise never have seen.
For about 6 months I lost access to Safari (my previously employer finally terminated my account). I thought about joining myself, but wasn’t sure if I needed another $23 monthly bill. I have access to a lot of books from other sources, so I wasn’t convinced.
Then, a month ago, I was trying to look for some information on Spry (new AJAX methods in Dreamweaver CS3). I did a search in Safari and they had exactly what I was looking for, complete with sample files. I joined as a trial member and quickly ran out of free page downloads–the trial is limited to 50 page views. I decided to join and at some point in the process it mentioned a $9.99 plan. That sounded perfect–5 books at a time for $9.99/month. I couldn’t find anywhere to sign up at this rate. After contacting customer service, which was a pleasant experience, I found that I could do this as a ’special request’ after subscribing at the regular $22.99/month rate. True to their word, they credited my account and bumped me down to the $9.99 plan. I don’t know that they want this spread around, but I figure they’d rather get some customers hooked at the lower rate than turned off at the higher price. If you’re interested, sign up for a regular plan (month to month or annual) and then ask to be bumped down to Basic Starter - 5 slots Bookshelf, USD $9.99 per month.
In the end, if you use the service regularly, it is a very good value. I’m very happy with the number of titles I have access to for the equivalent of buying three new books a year. Plus I get the latest titles and don’t have to keep buying more bookshelves…
If you’re a member, or you sign up, let me know what you think…
?????? ?????…
????????/????????? ????????? ……