Has anyone tried purchasing downloaded Ebooks from Amazon (esp. any Latin or Greek texbooks)? There are isn’t a lot to choose from at the moment but the idea has definite appeal - cheaper, faster etc. Especially as I am now used to reading the Textkit books on my laptop.
I would be very interested to hear some feedback on this - I think the idea of Ebooks will revolutionise reading as much as the invention of printing (which took quite a few years to “catch on” as people were a bit unsure of reading a book printed by a machine!). It also means that obscure textbooks, poetry and other non-bestselling items can be published without worrying about print over-runs - a sort of “publish to order” system.
I hate reading from a screen. I think it’s because I spend so much time working at a computer that I get tired of staring at it… I have to force myself to read articles and things that people send me, and only once have I read an entire book online. It’s hard on the eyes (even with an lcd, though less) and you can’t pack it around the house and in the car and everywhere else–unless you have a pda, in which case it’s so tiny that it’s still irritating to read.
I don’t see it catching on as well as books, at least until they create a device specifically for that purpose and solve the lighting problems. The device would have to be book-sized… smaller than a laptop (and lighter!) and bigger than a pda. And it’d have to have a killer battery, since laptop batteries die so quickly. Only then do I see myself going for it…
Sure, everyone hates reading from current computer screens, but I’ll bet that in 10 years time you’ll be doing it. There are some new innovations in screens (flexible etc) that will transform screen reading. I have a flat liquid crystal screen at work and the eyestrain difference between this and an old “TV” type screen is very marked.
Of course, the answer is cost - printing a book on paper is risky (if they don’t sell you’re stuck with them) and expensive. See what’s happening to the recording industry these days and you will see the future of book publishing.
Hi Carola - Yes, I agree with you that ebooks are a great publishing choice for low demand books - you could say that Textkit is an example of this too. There’s also nice for promotional techniques like, “read the first 3 chapters” I see that a lot of technical books.
I do think that paper printed books will be here to stay for anything popular. I like to read on paper and I actually print any Textkit material rather than reading it on a monitor.
Perhaps some very inventive person could produce a true double sided cheap printer (ie - not just turning over the paper!) for those who like printed books. I also saw somewhere (New Scientist?) that a flexible screen material is now in the development stage - it is a computer screen on a flexible plastic sheet which can be bent and and is very light. I think the electronic “book”, about the size and weight of a paperback is only a few years away. A backlit screen that plugs into a power source wouldn’t really be a problem (unless you are on a camping trip when you would need batteries) as I usually take a little clip on “booklight” with me when travelling and even use it at home if I want to read when partner Brian wants to sleep. Existing CE technology could easily power a little book computer and the storage space could be those little data storage chips like the one in our digital camera.
My own feelings on ebooks are a little bit mixed. Certainly, I wouldn’t buy one. If I’m going to spend the money, I’m going to buy a “real” book.
At the same time, I can’t count the number of out-of-copyright books I’ve read for free online…right now I’m reading through Bullfinch’s Mythology online, and I couldn’t have afforded it if I had to buy it (my list of books-to–buy would take two weeks just to read!). At the same time, if I had a choice between free ebooks and free print books…no contest!
I think a lot of people share that feeling (myself included) but I also think it will disappear over time, with new generations. It is already happening with music… it used to be that a person had to have the physical object, for the inherent value of the cd/cassette/lp itself and its jacket. but now the object has no value aside from the actual music and more people are turning to purely electronic forms (and not just pirates ;). So I imagine that the same will happen with books over time.
Sure, but you and I only think that because we’re coming at it from this end… objectively, what’s the problem? Music is just music, books are just books, and the format in which they come really isn’t inherently important… Every new technology involves some loss, some gain, and much resistance, but in the end the problem is simply that we like to keep what’s old and comfortable (and we can’t ;).
Have you ever tried washing the computer screen (I use vinegar instead of window spray) then sitting in front of it and writing for an hour? The results are…interesting. I wrote some strange things that day.
Klewlis, I’m sure you’re right. I just don’t agree with you. I believe books are important, although I can’t say why. I can’t think of an objective problem with the disappearance of books; I just feel that there is one. And I hope if they do disappear, it won’t be in my lifetime or my children’s.
One of the problems I see is file format. You don’t want to find out that in ten years when you go through the books you burned on CD’s today, that you can’t read half of them anymore, because they aren’t compatible with win 2013. Also I think the magnetism on the CD’s might wear off faster than the print in books (although paper doesn’t seem to keep as long as it used to because of new paper making techniques or materials.)
Yes, this is a problem and printed books are good for this. Of course even books won’t last forever - don’t we wish a lot of the Greek and Roman authors had had taken the trouble to have their works carved on stone or baked clay tablets! However, the film archives of old celluloide (spelling?) film have now mostly been transferred to a more permanent medium, so it’s possible to keep updating as years go by. The .TXT format is probably the best for preserving texts on a CD. Many years ago I remember having to transfer data from my old 5 1/4" disks to the smaller floppies, and now I have transferred everything to CD ROM. I guess in 10 years time I’ll be doing the same job and moving everything to some sort of crystal storage or whatever.
yes, there will always be people like jeff who take the time to convert books into useful formats. in the end we will lose much less than we have already lost to paper and the passage of time.
I think part of the problem was that the technology for reading the texts is still in its development stage. Don’t worry, I can remember a guy I used to work with saying that computers will never take on - too complex to learn, too bulky, very limited in their application. This was about 1967 and I hope he’s still around to eat his words! I can also remember buying a new computer in the early 1980’s and being asked “why do you want a 40mb hard drive, you’ll never fill it up?”. That’s no misprint - 40mb not 40gig! In my lifetime we have seen changes in technology that no-one could even dream of 50 years ago.
The results are…interesting. I wrote some strange things that day.