[WEB4LIB] Re: "As TV didn't destroy radio, eBooks can exist with

[Larry Campbell]

As someone who both loves the printed book, but believes we're likely at
the end of its era, I'm sometimes unable to resist the temptation to
respond to these kinds of dismissals. The simple fact of the matter is
that these are early days. It may be, of course, that my hunch is wrong,
and the appropriate analogy for the ebook as a device IS the 8-track tape;
or, it may be that a better analogy would be the horseless carriage around
the turn of the century. Then too many people no doubt felt there was
nothing it could do that a horse couldn't do better. And they would have
had justification -- just not foresight.

Larry Campbell              email:      larrycam at interchange.ubc.ca
Information Services        telephone:  (604) 822-2076
Koerner Library
University of British Columbia
http://www.library.ubc.ca

On Wed, 26 Sep 2001, Daniel Messer wrote:

>     Nice analogy. :) But I wonder if they will even get that far. I'm just
> old enough to remember the fading of 8 tracks from the scene and the thing
> is that they were extremely popular for a time. Most everyone either had
> or wanted an 8 track player and a decent collection of 8 track tapes. Cars
> were made with 8 track players and decent stereos came with the player as
> well.
>     That's just not happening with e-books. From the people I've talked to
> a about them, the overwhelming consensus is that they could go the rest of
> their lives never owning an e-book and be perfectly happy with that. They
> just don't see the point. Most feel that there's really nothing better
> than a regular book that an e-book has to offer. You have to purchase the
> device itself, which runs over US$100 most of the time, and then you pay
> pretty much the same price for the e-book itself that you would for the
> regular print work. Where's the advantage? And to carry back to the
> analogy of cars and 8 tracks... Many fine computers are produced today
> where the topic of e-book software never came up a the designers meeting.
> If there's no interest in providing the devices as a part of a computer
> package, then the prospect is greatly limited. Heck you can get most
> anything with a new computer: MP3 players, digital cameras, scanners, film
> scanners, digital video studios, etc. I've yet to see one major computer
> manufacturer offer e-book devices as part of a package for a new system.
> 
> Dan
> 
> Dan Lester wrote:
> 
> > Ebooks on the web, maybe.  Quick printing of hardcopy books, possibly,
> > even probably.
> >
> > Ebooks as devices (at least any of the devices yet produced) will
> > quickly become the 8 track players of the early 21st century.
> >
> > dan
> >
> > Monday, September 24, 2001, 11:15:09 AM, you wrote:
> >
> > CPH> "The post-Internet publishing world is going through many
> > CPH> changes; one of them is the emergence of the electronic book
> > CPH> or eBook."
> >
> > CPH> http://www.newspress.com/business/0924logan.htm
> >
> > --
> > Dan Lester, Data Wrangler  dan at RiverOfData.com
> > 3577 East Pecan, Boise, Idaho  83716-7115 USA
> > www.riverofdata.com  www.gailndan.com  Stop Global Whining!
> 
> --
> Mondai wa
> The subject in question...
> -------
> Daniel Messer, Technologies Instructor
> Yakima Valley Regional Library
> 102 N 3rd St Yakima, WA 98901
> (509) 452-8541 x712
> dmesser at yvrls.lib.wa.us
> -------
> When the going gets weird, the weird turn pro.
>                      -Hunter S. Thompson
> 
> 
>