I have cheap paperbacks from the 1960’s and 70’s I bought at a second hand bookstore in the 90’s on my shelf.
They are fragile and yellow but still sticking together on my shelves and for when I want to reread them. It helps that I live in a region with low humidity.
Hell I gave a few books I inherited from my great-grandmother from 1910-1920. They were on decent paper but not the best quality.
Most of my cookbooks are 40-50 years old now and they are pretty beat up but still in reasonable condition.
But obviously that’s not every book. The more it’s read and the thicker it is the faster the spine falls apart. Obviously a hardback threaded together with heavy paper is better than pulp and cheap glue. But there’s a lot in between the extremes.
I could buy a cheap paperback, throw it on a shelf, and it will look perfect.
That doesn’t mean the glue didn’t magically degrade and it will hold together thru a normal reading tho
The point is that the publisher isn’t going to revoke your access to the physical book at any time. It’s a durable good, and whether the materials last one year or five hundred years is irrelevant to the fact that you (and all subsequent owners) have the legal right to the unimpeded use and enjoyment of the book for as long as it lasts.
When you PURCHASE/BUY/OWN a copy of software, it is reasonable to believe that you have the legal right to the unimpeded use and enjoyment of that copy for as long as it lasts. That means no “always-online” requirements that make ongoing communication with the publisher mandatory, no chance of access to the software being remotely revoked, and no restrictions on gifting or reselling the copy.
I have cheap paperbacks from the 1960’s and 70’s I bought at a second hand bookstore in the 90’s on my shelf.
They are fragile and yellow but still sticking together on my shelves and for when I want to reread them. It helps that I live in a region with low humidity.
Hell I gave a few books I inherited from my great-grandmother from 1910-1920. They were on decent paper but not the best quality.
Most of my cookbooks are 40-50 years old now and they are pretty beat up but still in reasonable condition.
I searched to check…
Paperbacks average 10-20, hardbacks 40-60.
But obviously that’s not every book. The more it’s read and the thicker it is the faster the spine falls apart. Obviously a hardback threaded together with heavy paper is better than pulp and cheap glue. But there’s a lot in between the extremes.
I could buy a cheap paperback, throw it on a shelf, and it will look perfect.
That doesn’t mean the glue didn’t magically degrade and it will hold together thru a normal reading tho
The point is that the publisher isn’t going to revoke your access to the physical book at any time. It’s a durable good, and whether the materials last one year or five hundred years is irrelevant to the fact that you (and all subsequent owners) have the legal right to the unimpeded use and enjoyment of the book for as long as it lasts.
When you PURCHASE/BUY/OWN a copy of software, it is reasonable to believe that you have the legal right to the unimpeded use and enjoyment of that copy for as long as it lasts. That means no “always-online” requirements that make ongoing communication with the publisher mandatory, no chance of access to the software being remotely revoked, and no restrictions on gifting or reselling the copy.