I feel like I should put my two yen in.

I am new to Textfugu, but I’ve known about it for a few months, and I have learned so much in the month I’ve been here, as opposed to all of my other methods of learning Japanese over the years. I can see how “Old Timers” feel, but seriously, I don’t think Koichi is getting a lot of credit here. He’s the only one working on this online textbook – and this isn’t his only project. And while the medium isn’t traditional, the concept of continuously editing a textbook until it’s at a suitable level and has good readability isn’t. (It’s even longer if it’s just one person working on it). The average traditional textbook takes approximately five years to publish and can cost about as much as a forever account does here. And by learning Japanese traditionally (especially in a university environment), one will pay that $120 time and time again, maybe even more, every four months.

What I’m trying to say is that Koichi is doing the best that he can, and that’s a lot more than some people are doing in this planet. There will be an inevitable “editing process” when writing a “textbook” – traditional and internet. I can understand how he’d want to go back to the basics and clarify/add/edit things. We don’t all learn at the same pace, and we don’t all get things at the same rate. So it makes sense that the basics would be perfected before more advanced lessons are brought it. I never saw Textfugu as the be all to end all anyway – I plan to study Japanese in university, so I’m sure I’ll be focused on that and I won’t be on here as much anymore…maybe.

So yeah, I trust Koichi. He knows what he’s doing, and it shows through his lessons. I’m sure there will be advanced material coming along, and I’m sure the advanced students won’t be disappointed. You can’t please everyone, and that seems to be true here.

I assure you, I’m not Textfugu groupie. :)

If you are going to try and compare the creation of this site to that of a traditional text book you also need to look at the fact that you can’t buy a book until it’s written. That is why they cost so much, you are paying for years of work and research, not just a stack of papers. And yes, mistakes are found, methods improved and so on in traditional books as well, but those are made up for by releasing new editions (and this is the key part) of the entire book. Books aren’t released one chapter at a time and constantly having that chapter get released again and again in new editions without having ever gotten to the next chapter.
I don’t think Koichi is slacking. I’m sure he puts tons of time into design, layout and content. He just said so himself for Pete’s sake. (read sah-kay)

thisiskyle worded my response better than I could, but I still have one word for N’Donna: Hashi :3

(Koichi is SO not alone)

@N’Donna – thanks much! Much appreciated!

@thisiskyle – I see what you’re saying… but the difference is you see the new editions as they’re being worked on (which you wouldn’t see in a regular book). So, instead of waiting 4 years for a new edition you see the new stuff being added and integrated over time, at least that’s how I see it.

@MisterM – Hashi does Tofugu so I can spend more time on TextFugu, which I do thanks to him and his work on Tofugu. There’s a little overlap in both directions, but generally I spend my time here and he spends his time there. We don’t like each other. Eww, cooties.