Adobe books

[WhiteCrowNZ]

Dunno if this has been posted - but found this today which looks quite useful if you can stand reading stuff from a monitor

http://www.adobe.com/products/digitaleditions/library/

I'd personally love one of those electronic books! But they are SO expensive.

[SiHart]

I'll be sticking with my books thanks. I really don't like these new electronic book thingies.

Si xx

[Rob McCow]

I can see the practical advantages of having such a device, in terms of space-saving and the like. But why the heck should books be practical? They're lovely!

[SiHart]

Books are beautiful thinbgs with their lovely covers and spines and everything, it;s true. None of the readers are beautiful things! They're grey and functional and boring. Technology isn't the answer to everything. Certainly not to books.

Si xx

[Rob McCow]

There we go then, that's that idea thoroughly slagged off. Hurrah!

[WhiteCrowNZ]

I dunno - I know in one of the recent submarines they reduced a huge amount of weight on the boat by putting all docs onto media formats rather than have them in hard copy.

Those of us in offices - can you imagine your document registry in hard copy format over in an electronic registry?

I know on the train I now find it easier to read news on my mobile than get a paper ... except when we go through a tunnel.

I think Si is right, the book is here to stay. It'll always be worth keeping a copy of your favourite. I bought a book the other day as much for the feel of it (love hardbacks) as the words inside (which are excellent too).

However making books is a bit environmentally unfriendly, so there is potential for more use of electronic copies of things, and I really like the idea of these eBooks,



HHGTTG anyone?

But maybe as a kind of "read it on there, if you love it buy a copy".

Although right about now I feel a lecture from Si coming on about how there is an institute you can borrow a book from if you don't want to buy it. But I don't think it'll take off!

[SiHart]

However making books is a bit environmentally unfriendly, so there is potential for more use of electronic copies of things, and I really like the idea of these eBooks

But is making an e-reader any more environmentally friendly? You've got the plastics and stuff needed for the electronic components as well as the cost to the environment of the electricity to recharge the thing all the time.

I think the point about getting office stuff on an electronic digital registry is a very good one though and wil save time, resources and cost, but as a leisure tool, I really don't like them!

It also strikes me that this is an elitist thing- you need to be able to afford one, need to have a pc to download the books, an internet connection... whereas books are available to all.
Si xx

[Jon Masters]

Like most technology I'd view this as a luxury rather than a replacement for physical books - I can think of a couple of advantages

• if they lit up so you could read in the dark
• for those philistines who take books away on long distance treks and then tear the pages out as they read them to save weight (animals !!)

I don't think I'd risk using one to read in the bath though

[WhiteCrowNZ]

I think I heard of a school which is going to try to use these instead of buying books, as it's going to be much cheaper for them.

http://www.wired.com/science/discove.../2005/08/68578

http://www.dallasnews.com/sharedcont...s.3c71f04.html

[Stuart Wallis]

But is making an e-reader any more environmentally friendly? You've got the plastics and stuff needed for the electronic components as well as the cost to the environment of the electricity to recharge the thing all the time.

I think the point about getting office stuff on an electronic digital registry is a very good one though and wil save time, resources and cost, but as a leisure tool, I really don't like them!

It also strikes me that this is an elitist thing- you need to be able to afford one, need to have a pc to download the books, an internet connection... whereas books are available to all.

I was going to say half-jokingly that I was pleased that there's several Luddites about the place other than me, but Turlough speaks the truth. On top of which, how much will it cost to replace one of these things if it goes wrong? Just the hardware, nevermind the effort of getting the books back?