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The Specs of a Paper Book
From the post “Sorry, iBooks, paper books still win on specs,” the specs of a paper book:
- Readable with any form of light
- Very high contrast display Requires no battery power
- Depending on model, lasts anywhere from five to five thousand years or more
- Immersive and non-distracting user interface
- Offers a spatial layout for immediate access to random information
- Conforms to the standardized “page number” spec for easy reference
- Supports direct interaction via pen or highlighter DRM-free for easy lending and resale
- Standards-based system not controlled by any single corporation or entity
- Crash-proof and immune to viruses (though vulnerable to some worms)
- Easy to learn user-interface consistent across most manufacturers
- Supports very large number of colors and also black and white images
- Compatible with a wide variety of note taking systems
Cute and true, but the real point of the article is this:
Paper books can last a thousand years, aren’t encrypted with DRM, and don’t depend on the largess of corporations which are more focused on short term profits than long-term archives … We need to decide which paper book “specs” are important and ensure that they get recreated in our new digital world. We also need to ensure that these digital equivalents are at least as free and unfettered as paper books are now.
