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I've remained out of these paper vs. electronic discussions, because I'm profoundly ambivalent. I'm an application developer, but spent almost my entire career in the printing industry. I'm also a published/ing poet, so have issues with copyright and compensation. It's a confusing world.
So here it is: paper is a renewable resource. No, this resource has not been managed properly, and a lot of evil has been brushed under that particular "renewable resource" rug. But changes have been made, and I don't find paper production itself evil. We're talking about books, I know, but what about other art forms that rely on paper production? What about artisanal paper production itself?
Many electronic devices are far more harmful to the environment than paper and ink.
I like both the convenience and the gadget-geekiness of dedicated e-book readers, and the technical aspects of a well-produced book. Trust me, as one who has written thousands of lines of PostScript code to attempt to match the effects of traditional typography, a well-produced book with good quality paper and fine typography adds a layer of pleasure beyond content.
I hope we're moving to a world where responsibly-produced paper books and responsibly-distributed electronic books coincide, and where we still have bookstores to browse, meet, converse about books... and ogle cute lit-chicks.
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