MSDN - Why is MSDN accessible for free online, but not offline?

Author

Why is MSDN accessible for free online, but not offline?

Roger Shrubber

2005-01-12, 3:55 am

An hour or so negotiating the MS website maze has failed to provide an
answer to this question, so I humbly offer it here. However I expect
it is an FAQ.

The parts of the MSDN that most interest me are available online for
free to any internet user. Why then is there apparently no means to
acquire an offline copy other than by subscribing, since this would
offer an alternative to having many users constantly hitting MSDN's
servers for the free online version?

If a fee must be charged, would it not make more sense to charge it
for the online version, which incurs ongoing cost to MS in server
maintenance?

Thanks!

R.

Mike Brannigan [MSFT]

2005-01-12, 8:55 am

"Roger Shrubber" <roger128shrubber@hotmail.com> wrote in message
news:82fbf7c.0501112243.483458a1@posting.google.com...
> An hour or so negotiating the MS website maze has failed to provide an
> answer to this question, so I humbly offer it here. However I expect
> it is an FAQ.
>
> The parts of the MSDN that most interest me are available online for
> free to any internet user. Why then is there apparently no means to
> acquire an offline copy other than by subscribing, since this would
> offer an alternative to having many users constantly hitting MSDN's
> servers for the free online version?
>
> If a fee must be charged, would it not make more sense to charge it
> for the online version, which incurs ongoing cost to MS in server
> maintenance?

Roger,

The same is true for TechNet.
In that both technet and the MSDN Library are offered online and also as a
subscription service.
The cost you pay for your off line copy includes the fact that you are
getting a subscription service with monthly updates sent to you.
You are paying for the convenience of having access to all this information
off line as opposed to just accessing it over the Internet.

I cannot discuss the cost models Microsoft operates on and where cost
recovery for the online services we offer is made.

--

Regards,

Mike
--
Mike Brannigan [Microsoft]

This posting is provided "AS IS" with no warranties, and confers no
rights

Please note I cannot respond to e-mailed questions, please use these
newsgroups

"Roger Shrubber" <roger128shrubber@hotmail.com> wrote in message
news:82fbf7c.0501112243.483458a1@posting.google.com...
> An hour or so negotiating the MS website maze has failed to provide an
> answer to this question, so I humbly offer it here. However I expect
> it is an FAQ.
>
> The parts of the MSDN that most interest me are available online for
> free to any internet user. Why then is there apparently no means to
> acquire an offline copy other than by subscribing, since this would
> offer an alternative to having many users constantly hitting MSDN's
> servers for the free online version?
>
> If a fee must be charged, would it not make more sense to charge it
> for the online version, which incurs ongoing cost to MS in server
> maintenance?
>
> Thanks!
>
> R.

Ronny Ong

2005-01-13, 3:55 am

"Roger Shrubber" <roger128shrubber@hotmail.com> wrote in message
news:82fbf7c.0501112243.483458a1@posting.google.com...
> If a fee must be charged, would it not make more sense to charge it
> for the online version, which incurs ongoing cost to MS in server
> maintenance?

Ahh, the old "price should be based on marginal cost" concept. Wouldn't it
great if airlines recognized that a last-minute ticket on a flight which
would otherwise take off with an empty seat should be priced based on the
cost of the additional fuel burned due to the extra passenger's weight? The
reality is that people will pay for convenience or other "perceived value."
Not everybody is necessarily happy about it, but every cup of Starbucks
coffee sold is proof that plenty of people will pay prices that have little
to do with the supplier's costs.

Furthermore, the online version is involved in Microsoft's legal
settlements. As Microsoft's official mechanism for posting API documentation
in public view, it appears to me that having the online Library freely
accessible is a political necessity.

And I would question whether the costs of hosting the Library web site are
comparable to the cost of providing an offline copy to anyone who wants it.
The offline version of MSDN Library is updated quarterly. Obviously, you
would want to download it for Microsoft to avoid the costs of manufacturing
and distribution (and remember that distribution involves dealing with
people who can't seem to provide a correct mailing address but want to blame
you anyway, replacing discs damaged in shipment, redirecting people who call
customer service to ask a technical question, handling SKUs for various
language and media choice combinations, etc.). The full DVD is over 4GB.
Four quarterly updates comes to about 17GB of total transfer per year. Do
you really accumulate 17GB worth of hits against the online version of the
Library each year? Some developers might, but those would tend to be
progressive developers who routinely get into newer technologies and thus
have more frequent need of docs. Those developers are also more likely to
have an MSDN Subscription level higher than Library so that they have access
to the latest technologies to begin with. And those higher subscription
levels come with Library shipped on media every quarter.

All this being said, I would also point out that MSDN Library is largely a
compilation. Many sections of it are available as standalone HTML Help files
that can be downloaded for free (a few examples: .NET Framework SDK Docs,
SQL Books Online, Windows Scripting Reference, Exchange SDK Docs, Commerce
Server Product Docs). Other portions are included in the "Evaluation
Edition" of various products. Many such Evaluation Editions can be
downloaded for free (after registering) or ordered on media for free/cheap,
and are widely given out at free Microsoft events. Sure, it's not as
"convenient" assembling all these pieces as having Microsoft deliver a
consolidated, comprehensive Library, but this goes back to the idea that you
pay for convenience.

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