Quote:
Originally Posted by Quexos
I believe we should not underestimate the appeal of a format that has been around for centuries, namely the paper books. I believe a lot of people will not easily give up on such a timeless classic because it is part of the fun as much as the story they read in it.
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Couple of things here:
First, what "fun" does paper add to the story? I mean, I get the smell factor (the smell of a musty old book you read as a child is a very powerful memory), and maybe even touch (the feel of dry, crackling pages as you eagerly anticipate the next page turn; the difference between the rough pages of a pulp novel and the glossy pages of your 3rd grade textbook; etc), but "fun"? I dunno about that. Part of the larger experience of reading a book, perhaps, but I'm not sure I'd really categorize it as "fun". Personally, I also don't consider it an essential part of the experience, though I get that a lot of people do.
Second, keeping something as-is because it's been that way for centuries isn't really a valid argument when there's a better alternative (you can argue if ebooks are a better alternative or not, but I believe they are). Things change. We don't carve runes into stones or use wax tablets or even papyrus anymore, and it's getting to the point where we don't even really need to use paper.
Paper books probably won't go away any time soon, but they will become niche products like music on vinyl records.