Quote:
Originally Posted by gmw
ETA: By "computer" I mean any of the modern devices on which we read ebooks.
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Quote:
Originally Posted by Penforhire
Or maybe print on demand (POD) will rise. I see a bright temporary future for that technology. Why have a book store, even for physical books, when a kiosk will do?
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Lest we forget, there is one piece of technology, capable of reading ebooks, that is fast on the rise even in developing countries: Cellphones. And villages are learning the value of community computers and other devices, capable of sharing content with all.
I'm not saying things aren't harder in developing countries; just that technology manages to reach further into the poorest nations, becoming easier to get and maintain as it scales down and becomes less expensive. I daresay keeping a cellphone with ebooks on it would be easier than keeping an expensive POD printer running.
Oh, about the comment about print being backwards-compatible: How old is your copy of Macbeth? Print books of old stories are around because they are
reprinted. And some of the oldest stories couldn't be read in their original manuscripts by the average reader today, because of the differences in old languages and letters/spellings. Digital texts are much more easily updated with changes in language, spelling and translation.