Untitled
|
| Author | Content |
|---|---|
| tripwire45 Feb 02, 2010 8:27 AM EDT |
There will always be collectors editions. It's not easy to own the electronic version of the original print of a 100 year old book or a leather bound copy of Moby Dick. Also, for the older generation, there's a certain amount of nostalgia attached to "real" books. I recently ordered some old, paperback copies of several science fiction novels published in the late 1950s and early 1960s. There's nothing like the smell and feel of an old book, even a paperback, to evoke a few pleasant memories. |
| Bob_Robertson Feb 02, 2010 8:48 AM EDT |
The experience of Mises.org might be of interest in this context. They spend quite a bit of effort trying to get obscure educational and philosophical texts "opened up", most commonly by getting the copyright holder to allow an electronic "free as in beer" version to be made available. With the text available and searchable, sales of the hard-copy books has always increased, sometimes by substantial amounts. The books available through Project Gutenberg are another excellent example, since many of those texts are still published even though they have long fallen into the public domain. Lending libraries didn't eliminate book stores, either, which was one of the doom-and-gloom predictions in the 1800s when they were introduced. At this point, it seems people like having paper books even when the electronic version is available for little or no cost. I know there is something vicerally satisfying about picking up a book, or knowing when I think of a plot or theme that that book is on a shelf or in a box of mine. |
| phsolide Feb 02, 2010 12:04 PM EDT |
My guess is that "eBooks" will never replace paper books. First, you can't mark-up typos, correct errors or make marginal notes in "eBooks". Second, you can't leave paperclips or sticky notes or whatever in them. Third, all that "books" require is light, "eBooks" will always be tied to batteries or a power cord or something. There's also this little issue of reading comprehension. Material read on-screen always has less retention than the same stuff read off paper. You can argue about what "reading retention" means, but virtually every way you measure it, paper comes up best. These are issues way beyond the obvious handicaps of goofy scrolling, DRM, media impermanence, etc that very obviously (to anyone other than a vendor) plague "eBooks". |
| bigg Feb 02, 2010 12:44 PM EDT |
Agreed. Until there is a digital substitute for paper, books will exist in their current form. eBooks just aren't a proper substitute. |
| vainrveenr Feb 02, 2010 1:46 PM EDT |
Quoting:Third, all that "books" require is light, "eBooks" will always be tied to batteries or a power cord or something.This brings up the general issue of portability. Printed books can be carried anywhere there is light without the constant worry of "power loss" as is certainly the case for eBooks. Also with printed material, there is never any need for online Internet connection as there is for eBook downloads/updates on eReader-type devices. OTOH, there is the case of portability of large, heavy books, e.g., hardbound textbooks, encyclopedia volumes, or other large volumes 800 pages++. It is rarely as feasible to carry one or more such large, heavy printed books using public transportation as it is to carry lighter printed material. So perhaps eBooks can find their niche with using material from such longer, volume-type books, with e-readers having an easier ability to carry around (a.k.a. "to port") and use such material on their lightweight eReader-type devices. Even given all this, the market for printed (large & heavy) student textbooks is still very much active! See http://www.studentpirgs.org/reports/textbooks/affordable-tex... Indeed, one can ask whether the increasing presence of student text eBooks will result in lowered pricing for their original printed counterparts ?? |
| tuxchick Feb 02, 2010 3:53 PM EDT |
Textbooks are a total racket. Overpriced, and forced upgrades to new editions that are the old editions slightly re-arranged. While I prefer a paper book for all the reasons already mentioned, maybe ebooks will bring some sanity to textbook pricing. |
| jezuch Feb 02, 2010 4:04 PM EDT |
Quoting:My guess is that "eBooks" will never replace paper books. Never say never. More accurate would be "never in our lifetimes". But can you imagine a paper book 1000 years into the future? There, I said it ;) |
| gus3 Feb 02, 2010 4:46 PM EDT |
Quoting:More accurate would be "never in our lifetimes". But can you imagine a paper book 1000 years into the future?Definitely. Once the EMP renders all electronics on the planet useless, paper will be the way to go. |
| jezuch Feb 03, 2010 3:04 AM EDT |
Quoting:Once the EMP renders all electronics on the planet useless Now you're making an unreasonable assumpyion that in 1000 years people will still use electronics :) |
| Bob_Robertson Feb 03, 2010 12:36 PM EDT |
> Now you're making an unreasonable assumpyion that in 1000 years... Reminds me of Linus Torvalds, during the Y2K curiosity, when people asked about the *nix 32bit time rollover in 2038, basically "what will happen with Linux?", he said "I hope people are using something better than Linux by that time." Nope, we'll just be using kernel 2.6.1387 |
| gus3 Feb 03, 2010 12:50 PM EDT |
Quoting:"I hope people are using something better than Linux by that time.""Better than Linux"?!? BLASPHEMER!!!!11one |
| Sander_Marechal Feb 04, 2010 2:26 AM EDT |
The 32-bit time rollover has already been largely fixed on 64-bit platforms. IIRC the kernel can handle 64-bit time. Just not all applications quite yet. |
Posting in this forum is limited to members of the group: [ForumMods, SITEADMINS, MEMBERS.]
Becoming a member of LXer is easy and free. Join Us!