You are here: silicon.com > Networks > WebWatch

WebWatch

Leader: Don't judge a Google book by its cover

Hidden problems and concerns...

Tags: google, books

By silicon.com

Published: 31 August 2006 16:45 BST

Google has made a large number of out-of-copyright books available for download as free PDFs.

It's a great idea, an excellent research tool and a service that brings web surfers into contact with many great novels from centuries past - and it further demonstrates Google's commitment to providing a rich mix of online content for its legion of users.

It also shows how the internet is continuing to challenge the old order and certainly it seems likely this announcement will stir an angry reaction among publishers who fear the impact this may have on their revenues.

There is an environmental worry here, with paper and power consumption likely to increase.

But there are other concerns.

Few people actually looking to read whole books will want to read them in PDF format, so this should raise concerns for businesses - which should consider the effect of employees printing off 500-page novels after work.

It sounds like an over-cautious, penny-pinching concern but Gartner reports that around three per cent of a company's total revenue is currently spent on print costs. It soon adds up.

It is also the case that there is an environmental worry here, with paper and power consumption likely to increase - again it seems a small concern but it's something else which adds up.

A responsible Chas Moloney, marketing director at Ricoh, was today warning his customers to watch what their printers are being used for - scotching any notion that more print-outs is great news for the printer industry irrespective of where they come from.

Moloney told silicon.com the average home printer isn't going to handle a 500-page print job too effectively and he added it stands to reason employees will therefore print books out at work.

And while use of the work printers and photocopiers for running off birthday invites, 'car for sale' ads or 'have you seen this cat?'-type print jobs is nothing new, the introduction of whole novels to that list dramatically raises the bar in terms of cost and environmental impact.

  1. Zones
  2. Management
  3. Networks
  4. Software
  5. IT Services
  6. Hardware
  1. Verticals
  2. Public Sector
  3. Financial Services
  4. Retail & Leisure
Read and write about internet access at the airports of the world at atlarge.com. Be the first to rate an airport, win champagne...


  • Jobs
Coal Consultants required - Energy Consultancy London - 35K - 55K

One area that they specialise in is market and supply economics in the international coal industry, covering the coal chain from resource evaluation ...

Energy Analyst Sought by Global Energy Consultancy Firm Surrey

Procure natural gas, oil and electricity for clients through a competitive process - Track and model wholesale electricity consumption - Track power ...

Technical Author

Job Description: The work of a technical author will vary between employers and sectors, but typical activities include: * keeping up to date with ...

CIO50 2008
The silicon.com CIO50 2008 profiles the most influential and innovative tech chiefs in the UK across all industries and organisation size, from the biggest FTSE100 companies to high growth dot-com start ups and the public sector. The list was voted on by the UK CIO community and a panel of experts. Find out more in our latest special report.





Quick Sitemap Links: