I recently found myself to be a docs ogre as well. A favorite pass-time was to go to library book sales, second hand book stores, and B&N bargain shelves for early editions of any sort of language/technique manual. During a recent move, I decided it was time I renounced my packrat ways. Numerous 3-ring binders full of printed manuals ranging from superceded RFCs to Mac System 7 manuals, to early writeups on XML and the Gnutella protocol all got chucked. I won't even begin to talk about the various obsolete hardware I finally parted with.
A true test of my new, streamlined self came this past weekend when I was at yet another library book sale. There in all thier faded glory were O'Reilly's 'Essential System Administration' and 'Apache: The Definitive Guide' - both first editions. Like a smoker recently quit, I stood rationalizing with myself why these no-longer-particularly-relevant tomes should come home with me -- Just One More!
I overcame that hurdle, but I know others follow. So I say 'Nay, brother Doc Ogre! You are not alone!'
