Software Manual Preservation: DIY Bookscanning

[PowerPup]

With my recent conquest of development software, I thought it would be useful for me and others if I try to "bookscan" the programming manuals I got for Symantec C++ and THINK Pascal.

I plan on using this Instrucable to create my "book scanner." The results are actually quite good.

I put together a little sample PDF of THINK Pascal's User Manual. But I didn't have the tripod setup so some pages are too small, warped, etc.

Once I setup a proper place to do it, I'll be working on "book scanning" the following:

THINK Pascal:

User Manual

Object-Orientated Programming Manual

Symantec C++:

Compiler Guide

Visual Architect and THINK Class Library Guide

I might do some other general programming books I have. But the priority are these four.

Format: Final results will be PDF. However I have been looking at the Djvu format. Apparently there was a Browser plugin made for Mac OS 9. And DjVuLibre can convert Djvu to PDF. So I would be able to provide both formats.

 

[bittin]

i have a Localtalk Cable System Owners guide, Macworld System 7.5 Bible, a swedish Filemaker book called Filemaker Guiden and some old Office and Mathtype Manuals and might be able to help when i bought a scanner

 

[PowerPup]

Well it turns out that there were already official digital copies of the Symantec C++ 7 manuals on the Symantec C+ 8.6 CD. I've made them available for download here.

I've currently scanned all the right pages of the THINK Pascal User Manual. Just the other half of the book to go. Then it will be onward to dewarping and cleaning the pages... Manually.

Anyway, here's some samples of the final results using Scan Tailor 1.0.0Beta10,

(Tiff images appear inverted due to a Google Docs bug, if you download them they will be normal.)

Picture 1

Picture 2

Picture 3

Picture 4

Picture 5

 

[Trash80toHP_Mini]

I've been working on GttMFH2E here and there . . . just to share some pertinent info upon request.

BTW, how long do the copyrights last on these woefully dated tomes, 20 years . . . 15 years? :?:

 

[PowerPup]

According to the US Copyright Office website:

As a general rule, for works created after January 1, 1978, copyright protection lasts for the life of the author plus an additional 70 years.

So yes, these works are still in copyright. Though the books are 20 years old and for a software product that is no longer sold or supported. Software manuals tend to be rare, infact, google searching "think pascal manual" and this topic comes up as #2. Google books has a spot for the book, but even they do not have so much as a cover or snippet to view. I don't think Symantec will be upset for preserving them. (Though if this goes against forum rules an admin/mod can remove all links to the content.)

 

[PowerPup]

Here's my latest sample of the THINK Pascal User Manual (Chapters 1-3)

Because I have the left and right pages in separate projects, the right pages somehow were generated slightly larger than the left pages. (Ugh, I'll have to start all over to fix this. )