In checking if this (newly moved) web site was coming up on search engines, I did a search for the title, C and the 8051. It was a surprise!
I have known for some time that my ex-publishers chose to (illegally) permit the third edition on Google books and that someone had scanned in the entire 4th edition (also illegally). After chafing for a bit and exploring what steps might be necessary to fight it, I decided it wasn’t worth the effort. Those who want to Xerox about 500 pages will find it costs as much or more than buying the official book and still leaves them without a cover or binding.
But now I see my book boldly announced as a “free e-book” implying 1) that I approved it (which is false) and 2) that I made the conversion. I have never shared either the text or the PDF of the book and I’m confident that the printer, Lightning Source, would never do that either.
I remember a (sick) joke about three people going to the Guillotine. As each of the first two put their heads in place and the knife dropped, it stuck. Allegedly there was a law that they would get to go free in such a case. The third, an engineer of course, looks up and says, “If you put more grease at that point, it should fix the problem!”
I find myself in the role of that engineer: I had believed that converting my book with its many figures and program pieces would be a nightmare, and the resulting product would be very difficult to use on an e-reader. I have yet to acquire an e-reader so I can’t test that, but the start point for the conversion could not have been the actual text or PDF. I am wondering what technology has somehow made the conversion possible and what the result looks like. At the least, whoever did this owes me a few dollars for each transfer of my new “e-book.”
[a closer look reveals that the e-book is of the 3rd edition which was (illegally) posted on Google books, hence the conversion was certainly easier than working from a scan. If you are a poor struggling engineering student, use it with my blessing–otherwise, honor the author and buy the book]