A new ITIL V3 online product changes the game
I don't normally "plug" products but this one is interesting because it puts a cat amongst the pigeons: Van Haren's Best Practice Online, the five ITIL V3 books online in full for fifty Euros per year. [update: this product has been withdrawn. here's why] Compare that with TSO's online subscription service for the same five books of €280 per annum.
The Van Haren offering seems to have everything the TSO one does - search, bookmarking... - except for
- history
- pop-up glossary
- "cross linking betwen chapters"
- dynamic content??? OGC have quietly released at least one full revision of the books already. The TSO online service gets updated. Presumably van Haren are well enough connected to know when this happens and update their own offering too.
- Copy text to clipboard??? You can't with the VHP offering - it uses Flash. I'm not sure about the TSO service. Any reader help here?
If you are into cool features, the VHP online books will read to you, by that unsettlingly realist American lady that is standard for these things.
I'm not a big fan of online reading in general. As I said when reviewing the available formats originally it is less convenient to read in bed or ... er.... other places of deep thought. And I for one would still much rather read paper than pixels (maybe it is just my aging eyes).
But if you do like reading or accessing books online this is a very compelling offering. It reduces one of my other objections - the cost.
Mind you if you don't mind limitations on how much you can access (and face it - how much ITIL can most of us take at once) then an even cheaper option is Google Book Search - it is free. The interface is a bit less funky and you have to manage your own bookmarks (as URL favourites), but it works. That's still my pick. But I'm spending my own money. If it is your boss's money then US$68 is a lot easier to get approved than US$378 and you get near enough to the same as far as I can see - go for the VHP.
Disclosure: VHP have given me a few free books over the years. I contributed to one of their books. I get no cut, commission, kickback or freebie for this article.
Made in New Zealand 
Comments
More dirty deeds in the ITIL world?
I wonder why Van Haren's Best Practice Online product has disappeared from the market? I doubt very much that it was because it was not profitable. I smell mischief... Can anyone enlighten me? Confidentiality is always rigorously respected - you can contact me here
A new ITIL V3 online publications offering changes the game
This product is sold as an audio book and I have a visual impairment. I thought that this would be a good product for me but the trial is worse than useless and appears to be a very basic PDF with a bolt on Audio reader. The woman voice over is extremely annoying and it skips the figures and diagrams - that was obviously too difficult. Therefore this product is useless. I am suprised that the British Government who have their own accessiility standards could support something of this nature that is clearly not accessible and not up to standard!
ITIL V3 Online Publications
Hello Liza
We always like to have feedback and we can always improve! Please send me your ideas and if possible some good examples of what you like (especially on the diagrams) and we will see what we can do! I am at annelise@vanharen.net
Thanks
Annelise
ITIL V3 Online Publications
Annelise
I am confused as it appears your company is based in NL but you are endorsed by the British Government. The British Government should adhere to accessibilty standards - they are well documented see http://www.w3.org/WAI/.
ITIL online
Hello Liza
For clarity the content is the official ITIL content and is officially licensed. The vehicle (the way we present that content) is not endorsed by the British Government -- I believe that the British Government leaves specialist endorsement of this nature to other bodies. We believe that the audio functionality will be of significant benefit to those who are partially sighted but as I said before we are always interested in examples of ITSM products that you believe have better audio functionality. Send them over and we will investigate!
Best regards
Lisa is a troll
The reader is an automated voice synthesizer, that's why I referred to it as a "standard' voice. Presumably the cost would be a lot less competitive if someone manually read all the books. I'm struggling to understand how one "reads" a diagram. Since the TSO online sunscription provides no voice at all I'd see this as a step forwards for the visually impaired.
BTW Lisa, I know where you work. You really shouldn't indulge in this kind of trolling using your office machine.