Quote:
Originally Posted by taustin
Does the "developing world" still rely on hand copied manuscripts by monks in monasteries? Or does the "developing world" have mass printed books just like the "developed world"? No, the technology isn't there yet, but it's clearly headed that way. Cell phones are ubiquitious everywhere these days, even some very undeveloped parts of the world, becaus the technology is there, and it is now superior to old land-line technology - there's a lot less infrastructure to build.
|
To make a pbook, all you need is a printing press, a road, and some way to transport your books around while you're trying to sell them. That isn't much in the way of infrastructure. Ebooks need servers, reliable access to electricity and either wifi hotspots or cell phone towers, and whatever technology is needed to make the reader and compile the ebook. Huge difference in infrastructure.
Its also not like there's much profit to be made in setting up solar panel farms outside poor African villages, regardless of how much better their standard of living might be. The Almighty Dollar has replaced the god that once drove the concept of White Man's Burden, and I'm not always sure it was for the better.