[Steven Lyle Jordan]

Originally Posted by balok

Here's a short list, off the top of my head, of such technologies that still work well for their specific purpose: telephones, fax machines, am radio, fm radio, analogue television, typewriters (for filling out forms).

Faxes are actually an interesting study in how older technology hangs on. E-mail is essentially superior to faxing in almost every way (with the exception of sending hard copies that you simply cannot scan into a computer). Yet, Faxing is still regularly and constantly used... it is often even preferred, despite its lesser quality. It is linked to the same tendency some people have to printing out e-mails.

So, even when a superior tech exists, old tech can hang on just by sheer force of will...

Originally Posted by balok

Paper books and magazines not only work well, they have not yet been matched by a better technology. When someone comes up with a technology that matches the contrast, resolution, portability, price, and durability of paper, only then could we expect it to displace paper.

When you look at paper vs technology on a one-to-one basis, I'd agree. But there are other qualities to consider, and as the link I posted earlier indicates, an economy of scale can render technology as superior to paper in the eyes of many. In other words, I would willingly sacrifice some of the qualities of paper to gain in other areas (such as carrying an entire library in a laptop).