Does the internet (especially dictionary.com and wikipedia.com) mean the end of paper copys of Dictionarys...?

Question

...and encyclopedias? Eventually, the internet will be as common as having a car. This could be our solution to saving more paper.

Answer 1

For dictionaries, most likely. For encyclopedias it's more tricky. But the internet is not the answer (at least not yet).

Since dictionary.com (or m-w.com) needs you to be online in order to use it, I think it's still a hassle to do so if you're reading somewhere away from your computer. Even a laptop is a bit bulky to carry around everywhere. Wikipedia is still not as accurate as a real encyclopedia, but even if encyclopedia publishers put their stuff online, you're back to the problem with dictionary.com that you need to be online in order to use it.

The next possibility is stand-alone electronic gadgets like PDAs. I think the paper dictionaries will be replaced easily by little electronic dictionaries that even have pronunciations.

There are also CDROM versions of encyclopedias (albeit abridged versions). If they can pack the whole thing uncut into a DVD. That would be a compelling offering. But again that requires a laptop at the very least. The problem with encyclopedia entries is that they are often lengthy and require illustrations to be really helpful, so to pack them into the little gadgets (even if it's possible with dense memory chips) have limited screen real estate to make it a pain to digest the entire entry.

Answer 2

You're right bout that, the internet provides a wealth of information and is fast replacing paper information. However, one thing you must note is that people in general still tend to question the reliability of the net. Because the internet is made accessible to many, anyone and everyone can post whatever information they want up, even if its not true or correct.

On the other hand, sites like you mentioned (wikipedia.com, dictionary.com) are recognised to be reliable sources of info.

However, While the internet is fast replacing hard copy info, I don't think it will ever fully replace hard copies.

And no, it won't mean the end of paper copy dictionaries because such dictionaries are still more portable than the internet.

Answer 3

I don't think so. Online dictionaries are different from paper version of dictionaries. They have different features and uses.

For eg. if you do not know the full spelling of the word, but you know what it begins with, this is possible only with a paper dictionary. You can look up the first few letters and then look through the pages, until you find the word and the meaning, that match each other. You cannot do this with the online internet dictionaries.

On the other hand, if you know the spelling of the word and you want the meaning, although paper dictionary can do it for you, you still have to have the dictionary that has that word, and moreover, you will have to search for that word, in the alphabetical order. Whereas, on the internet, it goes directly to the word and bingo, you get the meaning.

Similarly, you can think of several other differences.

Answer 4

Yes and No! Someone still has to do all the work to make the books, but instead of the information being printed on paper it will be published on the web. Unfortunately, with the exception of Wikipedia, the research for other Encyclopedia's, Dictionary's, Telephone Books, etc. is paid for with the profits from the paper version, so companies are going to have to come up with new ways to pay for the web versions.

Answer 5

Everyone thought that the computers would stop all the paper waste, but they have made it more! Because think about all the junk mail you get, how many times you print out a copy of your English reports, how often you print your research to review it, In the past, junk mail was harder to create, people were more careful typing papers (because you had to start completely over), and when you did research, yoiu used 3 x 5 cards, not printed whole articles. I think that the internet is a wonderful invention, and I am so grateful I can research things on my computer--I just don't see this ending paper copies of everyhing.

Answer 6

NO!

1. Because NOT all schools can afford computers.
2. What will computer illiterate old farts do!?
3. You cannot have braille on a computer screen.
4. Many online dictionaries and thesaurus require you to pay for the usage.
5. You are always going to have printers, and some moron who will print the entire dictionary from the internet. So why stop making and selling them?
6. People can't use spell-check on here! What makes you think they will be able to search for a word online!?

Answer 7

No - at least not for me. The computer with 24 hour internet is right in front of me and on a shelf immediately to my right is an encyclopaedia, 2 dictionaries and a thesaurus, all of which are in regular use.

Answer 8

Of course. But think about the third world countries.
Soon they'll have Internet connections, but until then, they're the main target for Encyclopedia Firms.

Answer 9

yes technology is the end of everything. It's sad. We live off of our cell phones, pcs, television. Think of how technology has changed since the 40's with washing machine pcs. Think of how people have changed mentally? (disorders) I think we are having a hard time evolving with technology. It's too much change, like the ecosystem for an animal. We need to have more human interaction, a book, less reliance, less stress.But...yea no more books soon.

Answer 10

The "meaning" of something is metaphysical. the reality that the definition of the observe looks in dictionaries shows it quite is had to describe its denotation. Denoting any observe is the 1st purpose of any typical dictionary; yet quite expert dictionaries might comprise basically "connotations", i.e., those meanings that pertain to a particular forte. So the observe "meaning" certainly has greater advantageous than one definition, and to seek for the single you like is not this way of unusual subject to do.