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Subject:Re: Re[3]: value of books From:Tom Tadfor Little <tlittle -at- LANL -dot- GOV> Date:Fri, 17 Nov 1995 11:50:26 -0700
Matthew B. Hicks wrote:
> On Fri, 17 Nov 1995, Arlen P. Walker wrote:
> > (Further note to those unfamiliar with Michael Hart and Project Gutenberg:
Go
> > vist ftp://uiarchive.cso.uiuc.edu/pub/etext/gutenberg now. Do not delay,
drop
> > everything and do it now. It is the charter of Project Gutenberg to publish
> > electronic versions of books, to create an electronic library which is
freely
> > available to all.
> This is a noble endeavor, but I can't help thinking that if I can't lay
> my hands on a copy of _Moby Dick_, what are the chances that I have a
> computer, a Web browser, and a connection to the Internet, or even
> access to one?
While I agree that electronic books are unlikely to replace the printed
ones any time soon, I think that a great need is served by online books.
_If_ you're one of the people who have an internet connection (and millions
do), then you potentially have access to a vast library of books you could
not possibly keep in your house or office. Even your local library cannot
get you a book instantly, at any hour, without your leaving your desk.
Just as being able to call directory assistance has distinct advantages over
owning (or borrowing) a current copy of every phone directory in the world, so
having books online has tremendous advantages over relying strictly on print
copies.
--
Tom Tadfor Little tlittle -at- lanl -dot- gov -or- telp -at- Rt66 -dot- com
technical writer/editor Los Alamos National Laboratory
