Back issues: paper vs. DVD

[Neil Brooks]

A current thread got me thinking.....

Can anybody who -- like me -- didn't grow up in the iPod/digital era -- chime in, here ?

I'm very tech savvy, but ... for me ... browsing (like old WW mags) is still MUCH easier with old-school paper copies.

Anybody find that's not the case, and can "flip through" the DVDs as easily, and picking up as much along the way ?

I'm not resistant to change, but ... how steep is THIS learning curve, and ... is there gold at the end of this rainbow ??

I know the searchability is a big deal, but ... what about just "browsing ?"

TIA,
nb

[frank shic]

always hated storing those old magazines...

[Mike Henderson]

always hated storing those old magazines...
I agree with Frank - storage is a real problem. I had a complete set of Fine Woodworking but when they came out with the DVD, I converted immediately and got rid of the magazines. Recovered a lot of space.

There's a trade off between the two. It's MUCH easier to find things in the DVD. I can search on a keyword and find articles that relate to what I'm interested in. But reading is easier on paper. Sometime I print out the article(s) I'm interested in so that I can read them in bed, or take them to the shop when I'm working.

For me, the best trade off is the DVD - by far.

Mike

[Joe Angrisani]

Sorry Frank (and Mike sorta). Gotta play the other side of the coin.

There is something different and better about actual printed-on-paper reading material. It's just not the same experience reading a page on a screen, and I don't believe the uptake is the same. I don't know about the other mags, but FWW has an online index for searching articles. And I do have a Fine Woodworking DVD from 2005 or so, so I have tried. It's just different (in a bad way).

And it's not just woodworking. My wife's Nook is neat and all, but I'd much rather curl up with a book.

As far as space goes, I say, "pooey". I go back to my FWW mags FAR MORE OFTEN then I go back to any books on our bookshelves. Need space? Lose the Tom Clancy books you'll never read again. A hardcover Red October is about 2-1/2 years of Fine Woodworking wide. :)

[Paul Symchych]

I'm with Joe. While I do a lot of on screen reading I prefer print.

Let me ask a question. How many of you stored data on 5 1/4" floppies or on video tape and how accessible is that now? In a couple of years DVD could be old history. The discs would then be useful only to hang in fruit trees to scare birds.

[Mike Henderson]

I'm with Joe. While I do a lot of on screen reading I prefer print.

Let me ask a question. How many of you stored data on 5 1/4" floppies or on video tape and how accessible is that now? In a couple of years DVD could be old history. The discs would then be useful only to hang in fruit trees to scare birds.
Each year FWW send out a new DVD with the latest year's magazines on it. Without that update, the system is not of much use - what you have would be only a part of the total set of magazines.

FWW also makes those articles available on their web site - for a fee, of course.

So as technology changes, I'm confident the back issues will be available on whatever new medium comes about.

Mike

[Brian Fennell]

I actually like both. I have a ton of magazines, but I also pick up the dvd's. I like to read where ever I'm at, but lugging around the paper versions is a pain when traveling. I can honestly say, that my reading is probably 65% digital now for books. I'm sure magazines will be the same way as more and more go to digital formats as well.

[Joe Angrisani]

One of the things I like to do with the printed magazines is to check the online index for the topic I want, then grab the issues that hold those articles. I can then settle into my comfy chair and have each article open at the same time. Cross-referencing and reaping from multiple issues is sooooo much easier with the actual magazines.

[Kerry Wright]

Sorry Frank (and Mike sorta). Gotta play the other side of the coin.

There is something different and better about actual printed-on-paper reading material. It's just not the same experience reading a page on a screen, and I don't believe the uptake is the same. I don't know about the other mags, but FWW has an online index for searching articles. And I do have a Fine Woodworking DVD from 2005 or so, so I have tried. It's just different (in a bad way).

And it's not just woodworking. My wife's Nook is neat and all, but I'd much rather curl up with a book.

As far as space goes, I say, "pooey". I go back to my FWW mags FAR MORE OFTEN then I go back to any books on our bookshelves. Need space? Lose the Tom Clancy books you'll never read again. A hardcover Red October is about 2-1/2 years of Fine Woodworking wide. :)

+1 I'm am very tech oriented but I'd much rather browse through a magazine than any softcopy. Now that being said, if I'm searching (or researching) for something in particular, hand over the PC!

Joe, if you still have that hard copy of Red October, I'd be glad to help you make space for more FWW ;)

[Mike Henderson]

Another couple of reasons I like the electronic versions:

1. Unless you were a subscriber from day one, you have to buy (and store) all the back issues. And usually, the early issues are expensive because there weren't that many printed.

2. Paper copies wind up going missing. Either I misplace a copy, or my wife throws one away thinking it's trash, or I lend a copy to a friend and don't get it back, etc. Then I have to go buy another copy of that issue - and I don't discover it missing until I need it. With the electronic library all copies are always there.

Mike

[Dan Rude]

I still like the paper copy and subscribe to FWW online. I look at my subscriptions by if I see it in the store and buy more than 2 copies a year I usually subscribe for a year or so. I still thumb through the old issues all the time and rotate them out of the big boxes in storage. One of these days I'll make those magazine file boxes so at least I can find them all.

Dan

[Van Huskey]

For browsing I prefer the paper, for searching the DVD is much better. I say much better since the FWW is, the Wood DVD isn't nearly as easy to search and manipulate or it isn;t for me. Currently, I am still keeping both but I will likely cull a lot of the paper soon. I just wish Shop Notes had a DVD, it isn't something I usually browse except once and the ability to print off plans etc would be cool.