Posted by Steve Price on March 10, 1999 at 06:31:40:
In Reply to: Re: Books vs. Internet posted by R. John Howe on March 10, 1999 at 05:36:35:
Dear John and Everyone,
My take on the subject is that the CD can certainly do as well as the printed page usually does in presenting pictures, and the best cyber images I've seen are as good as the best printed ones. In addition, as John points out, cost, storage space, and search facilities are (or can be) far better with a CD than with a bookshelf.
Ther real weakness of the CD-as-book, as John points our again, is browsing and dealing with text. Thumbing through, turning pages, and simply curling up with a book just don't work well with CD or internet presentations. Perhaps the answer is that the electronic media ought not to try to be books, but to play on the unique possibilities they offer. Hypertext links, for instance, and interactive features are things that books can't do at all. My opinion is that the electronic media won't replace print, but will create a very large niche that books can't fill.
Steve Price