NEC 2020 electronic access regression.

[rnatalie]

Pardon me if this isn't the right place, but I couldn't see a better category.

Is anybody as annoyed as I am about the 2020 code electronic access at the NEC. They are no longer distributing it in PDF (either the straight code or the handbook). I've been buying the handbook PDFs for years (mostly because the straight code PDF had some problems, like lack of a full table of contents).

Now your only option is to use their clunky web interface. It takes nearly 20 seconds to bring up a page. The search is even worse. The system lacks a full table of contents (and hence you can't jump to a specific section within an article).

 

[tkb]

And you have to pay every year and once you stop paying, you lose access.
Unlike when you purchase the PDF that you can use forever and refer to when a newer code was released.
This is the first cycle that they don’t get my money.

 

[jusme123]

Pardon me if this isn't the right place, but I couldn't see a better category.

Is anybody as annoyed as I am about the 2020 code electronic access at the NEC. They are no longer distributing it in PDF (either the straight code or the handbook). I've been buying the handbook PDFs for years (mostly because the straight code PDF had some problems, like lack of a full table of contents).

Now your only option is to use their clunky web interface. It takes nearly 20 seconds to bring up a page. The search is even worse. The system lacks a full table of contents (and hence you can't jump to a specific section within an article).

They want your money, that is why the free access is intentionally slow and cumbersome to use. They couldn’t stop the free sharing of the PDF version, so they just discontinued it.

 

[infinity]

Pardon me if this isn't the right place, but I couldn't see a better category.

Is anybody as annoyed as I am about the 2020 code electronic access at the NEC. They are no longer distributing it in PDF (either the straight code or the handbook). I've been buying the handbook PDFs for years (mostly because the straight code PDF had some problems, like lack of a full table of contents).

Now your only option is to use their clunky web interface. It takes nearly 20 seconds to bring up a page. The search is even worse. The system lacks a full table of contents (and hence you can't jump to a specific section within an article).

Welcome the NPFA 2020. I often work in areas that have no cellular access so an online version is completely useless to me. Do a search this has been discussed before here at length. I'm sure that there's a hacked version of a pdf out there.

 

[GoldDigger]

Welcome the NPFA 2020. I often work in areas that have no cellular access so an online version is completely useless to me. Do a search this has been discussed before here at length. I'm sure that there's a hacked version of a pdf out there.

Which, of course, we could not link to directly here, much as we appreciate it.

Sent from my Pixel 4a using Tapatalk

 

[don_resqcapt19]

They have something new coming out for access later this month. Not sure how much better it will be, and they say there is some offline functionality. It is a subscription based format.

As far as the PDF and illegal copies, I believe this action by the NFPA has actually increased the number of people who would buy an illegal copy. In the past I would have never considered doing that, but now I am not so sure.

 

[infinity]

As far as the PDF and illegal copies, I believe this action by the NFPA has actually increased the number of people who would buy an illegal copy. In the past I would have never considered doing that, but now I am not so sure.

I agree.

 

[zbang]

The music and video game industries would agree, too, but won't outright say so.

 

[rnatalie]

Yep, at least they're giving me a conversion to NFPA LiNK. We'll see how it goes. If it includes other standards (which I occassionally have need for) it might be worth it. Hopefully, the user interface doesn't suck so badly.

I'd love it if they put the historical copies in there. I do a lot of jumping back and forth between versions as I work with multiple states. I'll post a review as soon as they turn it on (September 14).

 

[don_resqcapt19]

Yep, at least they're giving me a conversion to NFPA LiNK. We'll see how it goes. If it includes other standards (which I occassionally have need for) it might be worth it. Hopefully, the user interface doesn't suck so badly.

I'd love it if they put the historical copies in there. I do a lot of jumping back and forth between versions as I work with multiple states. I'll post a review as soon as they turn it on (September 14).

Is will include the latest four editions of the NEC from what I have read. If you have purchased the current online version, you will be converted to the new version for free.