Who started this ebook thing anyway?

Ebooks are here to stay apparently. Each time I have taken a college class for 7 years, we have to get ebooks. Arg! Sure they cost less but the savings aren't worth it in my opinion. Real textbooks have residual value. They can be carried around and referenced for years before they become obsolete. And you don't need a computer and internet connection to access them. What do you think about ebooks? There is an ebook forum where their value and drawbacks can be discussed. Remember when our parents and grandparents would spend large amounts of money on printed encyclopedia sets? The value of the knowledge contained in any textbook is worth a lot of money. I love being able to access the information so conveniently online, but any ebook should automatically include a real printed, bound copy of the information.