On 12 October 2010 21:01, mick mbm@rlogin.net wrote:
I actually /like/ books. I like the fact that I can lend them to people, I like the fact that I can read them in the bath, drop them when I nod off, and know that they are still (just) readable afterwards. I like the fact that I can scribble in the margins. I like way they are actually objects of beauty in their own right (can you imagine a bookshelf full of kindles?). I like the fact that the words remain the same between me putting the book down and picking it up again (that may not always be the case for electronic words). I like the fact that when I have bought a book, I can be sure that the words will still actually /be/ there when I next pick it up and won't have been remotely erased by the publisher.
There is also the issue that most libraries that operate some form of e-book borrowing scheme rely on the a format that neither the Kindle or iPad/iBooks system can understand due to DRM (Adobe Digital Editions). Thus you're then really limited to reading it on a Windows, Mac or Sony E-Reader.
On the plus side, the Kindle price of most books is very reasonable and the number of titles is rather impressive.
Martyn (who is hoping to get a Kindle soon)