11 Aug 08
Richard Cohen, a columnist for the Washington Post, laments the future passing of books, when they will one day be replaced by the Kindle, a device that lets readers download books. It's no longer a question of can we replace all books with computer text, but should we? I vote no.
http://www.dallasnews.com/sharedcontent/dws/dn/opinion/viewpoints/stories/DN-cohen_11edi.ART.State.Edition1.4d65683.html
11 Aug 08
Originally posted by der schwarze Ritterno way i am going to replace my collection with some stupid software. Its not about the text only, there are various memories related to the books and oh how can anybody not love the smell of those old and withered pages.
Richard Cohen, a columnist for the Washington Post, laments the future passing of books, when they will one day be replaced by the Kindle, a device that lets readers download books. It's no longer a question of can we replace all books with computer text, but should we? I vote no.
http://www.dallasnews.com/sharedcontent/dws/dn/opinion/viewpoints/stories/DN-cohen_11edi.ART.State.Edition1.4d65683.html
11 Aug 08
Originally posted by vuelveAgreed. 🙂 And I like to read a book in bed, I can't do that with an ebook.
no way i am going to replace my collection with some stupid software. Its not about the text only, there are various memories related to the books and oh how can anybody not love the smell of those old and withered pages.
11 Aug 08
Originally posted by der schwarze RitterI agree, but probably for different reasons.
Richard Cohen, a columnist for the Washington Post, laments the future passing of books, when they will one day be replaced by the Kindle, a device that lets readers download books. It's no longer a question of can we replace all books with computer text, but should we? I vote no.
http://www.dallasnews.com/sharedcontent/dws/dn/opinion/viewpoints/stories/DN-cohen_11edi.ART.State.Edition1.4d65683.html
11 Aug 08
Originally posted by der schwarze RitterNo. You can't read computer text in the bathtub. Nor can you write on it.
Richard Cohen, a columnist for the Washington Post, laments the future passing of books, when they will one day be replaced by the Kindle, a device that lets readers download books. It's no longer a question of can we replace all books with computer text, but should we? I vote no.
http://www.dallasnews.com/sharedcontent/dws/dn/opinion/viewpoints/stories/DN-cohen_11edi.ART.State.Edition1.4d65683.html
12 Aug 08
Originally posted by der schwarze RitterI suspect that, like all things, it will be market driven. There will always
Richard Cohen, a columnist for the Washington Post, laments the future passing of books, when they will one day be replaced by the Kindle, a device that lets readers download books. It's no longer a question of can we replace all books with computer text, but should we? I vote no.
http://www.dallasnews.com/sharedcontent/dws/dn/opinion/viewpoints/stories/DN-cohen_11edi.ART.State.Edition1.4d65683.html
be a subset (perhaps increasingly small...) of the population like you and
me who prefer a book to a computer. I have prolific marginalia in many
of my favorite books, so reading online is really quite useless for me
(unless it's to search a specific reference). Plus I read in bed, on the
can, in the car, &c, &c, &c, so the idea of porting a computer just so I
can read isn't very appealing. And, I tend to prefer illumination from
behind/above rather than directly at me (as on a screen).
So, I suspect that it will replace books in large part, but not entirely.
One of the advantages of digitalization, though, is that the price of books
will continue to drop as production costs are limited (no more plates to
get worn and replaced).
Nemesio
12 Aug 08
1 edit
Originally posted by der schwarze RitterAs do I. I prefer to buy all my books used and in compact paperback form. They are cheaper, have more character and are better to lend to others (my friends have a hard time returning things). Plus, there's nothing more satisfying then finding a used book for a fraction of the price it would cost to buy new.
That's interesting; I prefer the smell of a seasoned book. Not one that has a funk, but one that has witnessed the ages.
Newer releases of books, to me, seem far more oversized and overpriced then they used to/need to be.
12 Aug 08
1 edit
Originally posted by NemesioThere are e-book readers that are more portable than books (especially considering how much text you can fit on them), you can use them when you read in bed, in the car etc., you can annotate the text (and I for one would be more comfortable doing that in an e-book than in a real book because it's completely reversible), and they use e-paper which isn't backlit. I predict those will become a lot more common over time. I would still miss the smell and feel of real books, but the advantages like portability and searchability are likely to convince me at some point, at least for some books (e.g. scientific literature because of the searchability) / occasions (e.g. travelling). I don't think I'll ever stop reading real books, though.
I suspect that, like all things, it will be market driven. There will always
be a subset (perhaps increasingly small...) of the population like you and
me who prefer a book to a computer. I have prolific marginalia in many
of my favorite books, so reading online is really quite useless for me
(unless it's to search a specific reference). Plus I read in o drop as production costs are limited (no more plates to
get worn and replaced).
Nemesio
12 Aug 08
Originally posted by darvlayI can't read paperbacks any more -- the type's too small. I agree that new books cost a lot, however, over the years, I've bought plenty of expensive new books off the clearance rack of my favorite used bookstore for $1 to $3. Lastly, Border's Books has an online shopper's club where they mail a coupon to you every week for between 20%-40% off one item. I just found out that you can use the coupon once per day until it expires. This weekend was a 40% off coupon and I used it Friday to purchase Gary Kasparov's Best Games, Volume 2 for about $20; Saturday, I went back and bought Gary Kasparov's My Great Predecessors, Vol. 5, for around $25. That's real close to Amazon's prices, minus shipping.
As do I. I prefer to buy all my books used and in compact paperback form. They are cheaper, have more character and are better to lend to others (my friends have a hard time returning things). Plus, there's nothing more satisfying then finding a used book for a fraction of the price it would cost to buy new.
Newer releases of books, to me, seem far more oversized and overpriced then they used to/need to be.