Viewing Thread:
"Is the internet the end of the book?"

With publishing, illustrating and production costs extremely high, thus with little opportunity for individuals to print their book, the internet seems like the perfect medium to spread their writings.

Just like modern bands have utilised file sharing over the far harder task of trying to get played on a big radio station, maybe many writers will opt to publish their works online.

After all, it would benefit consumers as well, as you will never lose the book, it won't get damaged and prices for viewing will be far, far reduced. I've certainly thought twice about buying £20 hardback books...

So will 23 small forests around the world be miraculously saved as of tomorrow?

Also people can expand books into hypertext - it's a lot more fun clicking on a character name to get a bit more information on them than flicking to the back of a book to read an extra footnote.

Mouldy Cheese wrote:
> No.
>
> Can't read the internet in the bath, on the train etc.

That's what files downloaded to PDAs are for.

Personally I prefer to hold a book in my hands but I've used the internet to get texts I needed for university for free: [URL]http://www.promo.net/pg//[/URL]

Its an awful idea. Most people have access to the internet and could therefore "publish" their own book by uploading it to a website. The majority of them would be rubbish. There wouldn't be any publishers anymore to turn arround and say "your book sucks". And if you had to pay for these books I'd feel cheated seen as you dont actually physically get anything.

Gah, I hope not. Reading of a screen would damage your eyes awfully. I hate reading ebooks off a screen. A good book has some substance about it. Also the beauty of a book is its constant and you can take it everywhere, you don't have to worry about the batteries running down or someone stealing it off you.

RastaBillySkank wrote:
> Agreed. I can't stand the thought of reading 400+ pages off of a
> screen.

Yeah same here.

I know someone who downloads ebooks onto his mobile phone and reads them off that.

I prefer picking up a good book and thumbing through the pages, gives you a break from squinting at a screen all the time.

Black Glove wrote:
> A book/text version of an mp3 player would be good. About the size of
> a normal small book. It could store several downloaded books at any
> one time, and you could change the font style and size.
>
> Maybe they already exist...

They're called PDAs. Jive does that all the time...

I'm in agreement with whoever said the 'Iternet can't be read in the bath/travelling' (Mouldy Cheese?)

Although it's possible on train journeys not that many people will want to pack a bulky laptop case into their handluggage when they could just as easily read a book.

Anyway, they don't have comprehensive online versions of books just yet do they?

In terms of reading in the bath, it's hardly something that is feasible using a PC, whatever the specs or size of it. Books are just a relaxing way of passing time and great on things like plane journeys where there's nothing much else to do anyway.

It could be the end of the porn magazine, yes, but even then some people prefer to secrete the paper format in a hidden location in their room rather than look on a computer screen in direct view of a doorway.

There's a large market for books still.

FinalFantasyFanatic wrote:
> Meh, give me paper and print any day.

Agreed. I can't stand the thought of reading 400+ pages off of a screen.

Meh, give me paper and print any day.

A book/text version of an mp3 player would be good. About the size of a normal small book. It could store several downloaded books at any one time, and you could change the font style and size.

Maybe they already exist...