Your right to read…
It had to happen, didn’t it? Today in the news I’m seeing the release of University text books – with an expiration date. Princeton University (and others) are offering students 33% off text books if they opt to buy a digital eBook version, that will expire in a five months time. The eBooks come with a limit of being readable only on one computer and also, well… being readable only on a computer (unless your eyesight is really good.)
Personally, I think that’s pretty odd but I guess the market will be the true judge.
When I did uni, I personally liked having my texts books portable and always ready to “help” (by help I of course mean “be totally frikkin useless”). Then when I finished that unit I could shelf my trusty Companion to Calculus or Anecdotes of the Great Statisticians and let them gather dust for eternity, like a textbook should. I’ve actually still got them all in this very room but I can honestly say the last time I touched one was because we moved house.
So what do you reckon? Good or a bad thing? Should we call it an environmental step forward (think of the trees, man!) or do we call it another attack at our civil liberties?
Till next time,
Rodney
on August 10th, 2005 at 10:18 pm
I think it’s a terrible idea! What if you want to look something up next year or next semester?
on November 28th, 2005 at 10:02 pm
Exactly. I’m sure it’s possible to reference the material again in some fashion and I have to admit that I’ve never pulled most of my old text books out of storage but there’s something comfortable in knowing they’re there… somewhere.