just remembered that i did buy a book. its a workshop manual for a car. does that count? <img src="/ubbthreads/images/graemlins/question.gif" alt="" /> <img src="/ubbthreads/images/graemlins/smile.gif" alt="" />
Absolutely! <img src="/ubbthreads/images/graemlins/up.gif" alt="" /> You might call it a reference book too, so Hakea should be impressed. <img src="/ubbthreads/images/graemlins/delight.gif" alt="" />
Actually, it's a pretty good example of an area in which traditional books are being replaced. The workshop manual for the car I have is now supplied to the dealer network either online or on a CDrom. No more grubby oil-stained paper manual to thumb through, and it also has the advantage of being able to easily search for what you want.
I suppose if the mechanic needs a particular section or diagram they can always print a page out.
I can see quite a few traditional book functions being taken over by electronic versions in that way. We have a nice set of old encyclopaedias in the lounge room, but they've dated fairly quickly. Even the information about country borders and names is out of date now. So I use the internet and CDs for much of my info these days. Of course you need to be careful about the sources you believe, but books aren't always 100% accurate either. <img src="/ubbthreads/images/graemlins/smile.gif" alt="" />
