Some people think that printed books are no longer necessary in this digital era as all writings can be stored electronically. Others think that printed books still play important roles. Discuss both these views and give your own opinion.

The advent of the computer has made it possible for people to store writings electronically. Some claim that traditional printed books are no longer necessary,

while

others argue that they are still irreplaceable. Personally, I agree with the latter view. On the one hand, digital writings have obvious advantages over paper books.

First,

digital writings are easier to store than printed publications which are made of paper and normally occupy a large space.

For instance

, libraries have to prepare many shelves to display them in each room.

By contrast

, e-books can readily be stored in small-sized electronic terminals

such

as cellphones and tablets.

Second,

electronic literature is more environmentally friendly, as opposed to physical texts whose production might cause deforestation.

On the other hand

, traditional texts cannot be replaced by e-books because they are more protective of the reader’s eyesight. To be precise, the light reflected by papers is generally much softer than the light radiated from the screen of electronic devices. If one stares at the screen of a cell phone to read online novels for more than two hours, he or she will experience eye fatigue.

This

is why virtual publication readers are prone to near-sightedness. Meanwhile, in my opinion, physical publications can better protect an author’s copyright than electronic literature.

This

is because e-texts can be easily accessed for free from websites, which severely violates the copyright of writers.

For example

, on some forum websites, a registered user can download the free digital copy of Harry Potter shared by other users without official authorization.

Thus

, in comparison with digital publications, printed books can better protect the legitimate rights and interests of the author. In conclusion, in spite of some shortcomings, paper literature is still important in our lives.