<p>Or easier. I can’t wait 10 years from now (or sooner) when I can read any book I want from the palm of my hand. Anything from Marx to nutty Limbaugh would be just a click away.</p>
<p>rooster’s title is misleading. Textbook is just a side product of this project. Google will never be able to keep up with the new textbooks that come out every year. The publishers will have to make that available (most of the new textbooks are already compiled in digitalized format). Besides, the new textbooks are all copyrighted. You need to pay first before you can download. How many people are willing to pay to check out a book from the library?</p>
<p>This project will have significant impact on faculty, students and others doing research. To have the vast amount of reference materials online is a significant progress. And you don’t have to wait 10 years to get the benefit. As soon as Google and the universities work out the logistics, infrastructure and legal issues, they will start making the digitalized library available to the general public. Horray for technology!</p>
<p>I think they (someone affiliated with Google or the universities) should figure out a format for computerized books that’s easier on the eyes. When I have to read something long on the computer, I often highlight it so the majority of the screen is black and the words are white. this is easier on my eyes. anyone else notice this? One thing that might stand in the way of digitized textbooks specifically would be the publishers and the professors who write them. My grandfather wrote an anthropology text that I believe is still used today and the royalties are a very profitable business. Allowing people to get their previously hudred dollar text on Kazaa for nothing will upset a lot of people.</p>
<p>From above, which quoted from an article: “Some degree of access to the copyrighted material will also be possible, and will be done within the limitations of copyright law.” Most books will be subject to copyright laws. Google will not be able to provide general access to the full test of those absent getting approval of the copyright holder (meaning for most the author – imagine what it would take to find 6 million authors, or their heirs if deceased, much less get them to sign publication deals). What you will get with most publications is title, author and a snippet showing that a search tern you used is in the book and possibly how many times it appears. You will then either have to go to the library and check out the real book or buy it. Thus, don’t look at this as replacing real books anytime soon.</p>
<p>Yeah, after reading something for a long time online, my eyes start to hurt. I can’t imagine reading a textbook online. It would be helpful for quick research though, especially if you don’t have access to the library and just need to reference to a few books. But for long-term reading, I would prefer a book.</p>