Books
- take up a lot of space
- are not free & not necessarily cheap
- are not searchable
- take a lot of effort to index
- are heavy, prone to damage & loss
- cannot be accessed by multiple users simultaneously
- need physical copy to back up
Most of these points are true for computer media as well if separated from some degree of computer power, especially "not necessarily cheap".
> ... need physical copy to back up
Certainly true for computer storage, which, if left to the whims of nature and given time, will self-destruct.
Years ago I got a call from Tom Clancy, who was writing "Hunt for Red October" using my word processor "Apple Writer." He said a diskette had become unreadable and asked how to recover its contents. I delivered the bad news and recommended that he use his backup diskette. I'm sure you can guess how that turned out.
Yes ! And at very low cost! It doesn't require a network, a power connection or high technology! It prepares its users for adult life!
How can people read this article and not think, "Wait ... don't we already have books?"