Quote:
Originally Posted by BeccaPrice
I don't say that my mom is representative of the market overall, but I do think she's representative of a segment of it.
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The question being, how significant a segment.
Quote:
Originally Posted by BeccaPrice
On a kindle oriented list, I read complaints about how hard calibre is to use all the time. I don't understand that myself (how hard is "add book?" "Send to device?") but there is a certain class of users who love their kindles, use them all the time, and don't back up their books because they can't figure out how, and who find the calibre interface overwhelming.
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Since the subject is maintaining a digital library over a long period of time, vs. doing so with a paper library, how many of those people do you imagine have any clue how to properly store paper books?
The necessary skill set to back up and convert ebook files is fairly common, and getting more so. The necessary skill set to maintain, and repair and restore old paper books is not, and getting less so.
Most books being printed right now, today, will not exist in 20 years, because they're printed on crappy, non-acid free paper, with crappier glue bindings and crappier yet covers.
Meanwhile, even people who have a hard time turning a computer on and off will, more often than not, have a friend who can "help me move stuff over to the new computer."
More people will be preserving their digital library
without even realizing it than who are preserving a paper library
on purpose.
Quote:
Originally Posted by BeccaPrice
anecdotes aren't data, of course, but they can indicate a trend.
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No, they really can't. They can indicate a perception of a trend, but it's pretty much always the perception that's expected (or desired). And that's not at all the same thing.