Ebooks vs paper books

[MisterLove]

I recently found out about ebooks and I think they're great.

Ebooks are cheap, they don't take up any space and, unlike paper books, they don't harm the environment.

2 questions:

1) Are paper books doomed?

2) Any websites with ebooks that you'd like to recommend?

[pellaz]

yes
paper books are dead


ck out applications like Calibre

[megumidesu]

i like paper books ...

[Kenny221]

I like paper books if I'm reading something appropriate for public....ebook for more..Uhm....naughty things

[OrphanPip]

I use ebooks for commercially published novels these days. I still prefer paper for working with academic texts and research (I print out articles from databases because I like to write on stuff, and single out particular pages).

[MisterLove]

The internet killed music cds and I'm pretty sure paper books will become extinct too. I'm totally against piracy but paying 20 euros or more for a regular paper book is obscene. Why would you do it when you can get the ebook version for free on the web?

[Tyrion]

Paper books ALL the way. I use ebooks for school, because most of what I do is on the computer.. but aside from that, I can't stand reading a "book" from an electronic device. There's just something about physically holding a book and turning the pages that makes all the difference for me..

[SolemnBoy]

It depends. I know it's silly but it'd feel wrong to read something by Poe for example as an e-book...

[Tim18]

Even though I like to reading paper books, I still think the time of paper books is coming to an end and, that they will be replaced completely by ebooks.

[Bowyn Aerrow]

Books don't harm the environment, people harm the environment.

There is something about a paper book that a PAAD/Kindle (contrary to their name they are lousy at starting fires) and other electronic devices lack.

True, ebooks don't take up much space... however I had a wall of books in my bedroom which I called the 'insulating wall' - An ebook cannot give the same atmosphere as a wall of books. Nor act like a wall of insulation either

I have many volumes of books that were printed and bound in the middle to late 1800's... They have survived 100+ years more than a few I have read several times over and since they were printed slightly before my time, others had a chance to enjoy them.

I seriously doubt ebooks will last decades let alone a century. Some new format or program will come up to make your data obsolete. Just like all the video games from the 1980's and early 1990's are now pretty hard to play without supporting software.

Beta max died, VHS died (I have a largish library of VHS which is essentially useless without a decent player), 8-track is gone, Cassette tapes are gone... Each time a new technology comes in the old stuff becomes useless and if you want a library you can use you have to expend thousands of dollars to 'rebuild'.

I assure you, 15-20 years from now the publishing companies will formulate a new venue to make you have to rebuy all your favorite books. All because you and millions of others didn't want to be bothered with a technology that actually worked, and worked so well it was around for centuries.