Future of CDROM, DVD, etc.

[Richard Jensen]

On Thu, 27 Apr 2000, Brendan Haley wrote:

> I love books as much as the next person, but not because of their
> incredible versatility: I love them because they are quaint and comforting.
> But if it comes to storing data or finding an article or quote I am looking
> for I will take a computer with a CDROM or a database or an etext any day.
>

Let's see - my harddrive just crashed so I can't access anything on my
computer until it gets repaired.  Darn, I wanted to read that article this
afternoon.

Or - my CDROM drive is jammed.  Now I can't access that citation I needed
to verify.

Or - my CD got fried and warped when I left it on the windowsill and now
I'll have to purchase another.

Or - my ISP is down for the day and I can't access any of the online
texts.

And so on....

On the other hand, my books don't crash, they don't jam, and they don't
get fried, and the provider (the library) is less subject to sudden
slowdowns or work stoppages.  Of course, hardcopies are subject to loss in
a fire or flood, but then so are all on my electronic media.

All media are subject to loss, damage, etc., and each type has its
merits.  I just hope I don't have to put all of my eggs in one basket.

Dick

Richard J. Jensen      |   E-MAIL: rjensen at saintmarys.edu
Dept. of Biology       |   TELEPHONE: 219-284-4674
Saint Mary's College   |   FAX: 219-284-4716
Notre Dame, IN  46556  |