[Textbook-l] linearity

[Jimmy Wales]

Magnus Manske wrote:
> I think one important point of the textbook project is that we can 
> actually *print* it as a textbook. That doesn't mean it should not take 
> advantage of the dead-easy wiki hyperlinks, just that there should be a 
> way to run a script and get a PDF, RTF, or something, that actually 
> handles like a book.

I agree with this.  In the distant future, perhaps online hypertext
will be the default for all textbooks.

But one of my interests is that knowledge be shared far beyond the
wealthy nations where Internet access is ubiquitous.  The UN estimates
that 1 billion people do not have access to safe drinking water.
Those same people have very limited access to the Internet, even at
their Universities.

What I want to see is easy distribution of printed text, undertaken by
competitive firms who compete based on how cheaply they can print the
books, rather than competing on the basis of proprietary content.

I want this for the encyclopedia, but it seems as important or perhaps
even moreso for the textbooks.

--Jimbo