Drucker
Drucker’s article about virtual codex pretty much sums up what technology has done to the power of the book today. He talks about the ebook specifically and what is has done as far as being related to a book itself. Drucker also addresses what the book is and what is use to be; as well as how we got to where we are today.
The first point that really stood out to me when reading this is from the beginning. He points out that electronic forms of reading and books have an advantage. He is right for a number of reasons. First of all I believe it is the norm now for readers or society to pretty much have everything in electronic form. Our phones are actually smaller computers and we are constantly looking for the newest technological item or feature. So when Drucker points out the electronic books will have improvements that far exceed a regular book, why would anyone want to still use a normal physical being a of novel.
Secondly his point about how traditional books cannot keep up is an important one. Drucker explains how in electronic format everything that can be in traditional codex, can also be in electronic codex and more. Drucker talks about features on an etext that can lead the reader or user in another direction, sometimes even making a new tab. So he questions if that is really part of the text or does that take away from the literature itself. In today’s society people will just be attracted to the fancy device with all these capabilities instead of a book, that just has words and one reads from left to right. That is why the book cannot keep up these days and stay relevant is simply because it only offers one purpose.
Lastly Drucker talks within this piece about the format of electronic reading devices. They still come for a traditional book idea, and makers of these products want to get as close to traditional codex as possible. Drucker explain how a virtual book and its framing are still exactly like a traditional book. Both readings can still be analyzed and challenge the reader. The language of which both are written are the same they just appear differently. It is important that the reader feels as connected to a traditional book as possible but in a more advance way.
Two things I had trouble understanding were if media can directly take codex and turn it into a virtual reading, and the reading still be intended to have its original effect. Also I do not really understand what the different reading functions in history have to do with the ebooks, I thought they could still be read and broken down just like original text.
My question is do people really see a connection between the electronic text and original text? Besides the fact they can both be read, I really don’t see how they can go together and clearly in todays world do not co exist.