<p>"E-textbooks are the future of college campuses," [Physics Department Chair] Bennhold said. "There's no doubt about it." The "e-process" marches on.</p>
<p>I have a few extra readings in some of my courses that are electronic and I find it really annoying. I think studies have shown that you read more slowly off of a laptop/monitor and it can never compare to actually having the text in your hands.</p>
<p>NO! These are the reason I'm failing physics!</p>
<p>I use the Krugman/Wells Economics textbook online for AP Micro/Macro Economics and absolutely love it. It is superior to traditional texts - it is cheaper, better for the environment, and intuitive (you can click on terms to get definitions, click on graphs to enlarge them, etc.) For the social sciences, I highly approve of online textbooks. I am not sure, however, if the same can be said about quantitative books.</p>
<p>Actually, I mostly approve of electronic books, especially since computers can enhance the reading experience. The only issue I have is that, for some reason, I find it easier to read printed material. It is more a personal and psychological quirk rather than a flaw in electronic material in general. Maybe this would not be the case if I were exposed to electronic books more. </p>
<p>As for quantitative books, in my experience many students like to write in their books (to scribble units down to make sure equations are dimensionally consistent, manipulate equations, etc), so some might prefer hard copies for that reason.</p>
<p>is there a link to the full list of top e-book sales?</p>
<p>I hate online texts. It strains my eyes rather quickly, and I'd much rather read with text in hand. I find it's easier to annotate that way and take notes. I've just never been able to read a novel, text book, etc. online, and I would *hate *if one of my teachers used them.</p>
<p>It's good for those who can tolerate though, I'll admit.</p>
<p>waste of money, a book is better, and you can doodle on it without having to print the pages. Books should be left alone!</p>
<p>My policy is to always buy academic books in tangible copy. However, my optic comfort is rather a minor matter. The reason I insist on a paper book is that I will be able to read this five years, ten years, fifty years later and look back on what I have learned. Digital copies of media--MP3's, e-texts, JPG files--never seemed to last more than a year.</p>
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Digital copies of media--MP3's, e-texts, JPG files--never seemed to last more than a year.
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<p>What do you mean they don't last? If anything I would expect digital files to out last physical copies.</p>
<p>Another problem with e-textbooks is that you can't resell them, so you're forced to pay full price, and can't get any money back at the end of the year.</p>
<p>While e-textbooks appear to be something for the students' benefit, the fact is that these textbook publishers resent the huge textbook resale industry, because the resale of a textbook doesn't get them any money.</p>
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If anything I would expect digital files to out last physical copies.
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Do you have any MP3 file that's been around your hard disk for more than five years? If there's any do you think they'll last another ten years before you format your PC, erase the files, or buy a new PC and forget to do backup? If you somehow manage to do so I'd respect your effort. But after working in a Cafe with hundreds of LD's purchased decades ago, I'd definitely say physical copies endure. Same goes with books, pictures, and all kinds of media.</p>
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Do you have any MP3 file that's been around your hard disk for more than five years? If there's any do you think they'll last another ten years before you format your PC, erase the files, or buy a new PC and forget to do backup? If you somehow manage to do so I'd respect your effort. But after working in a Cafe with hundreds of LD's purchased decades ago, I'd definitely say physical copies endure. Same goes with books, pictures, and all kinds of media.
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um yes, and I make sure to keep all the files I want whenever I would mkae a change in computers. I think the people who wouldn't keep their files would be the same ones that wouldn't keep the textbook ta long anyways...</p>
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Do you have any MP3 file that's been around your hard disk for more than five years? If there's any do you think they'll last another ten years before you format your PC, erase the files, or buy a new PC and forget to do backup?
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<p>I was under the impression that most people took decent care of their files. Especially after spending a good amount of money on these files, I would expect people to take the time to back these up or make sure that they don't accidentally delete them.</p>
<p>Every person I've met who has bought the eBook regrets it. Sure, you can put a bunch on your laptop and you only have to carry the laptop. But sometimes the digital rights management doesn't work. The software is slow. It's not as intuitive to go through. If your notebook has no battery left, you can't read it. You can't sell it back to the bookstore.</p>
<p>Until we get a better system and dedicated ebook readers with ePaper, I'll stick with the paper versions.</p>