> I have yet to meet a software company whom would update software at no charge. Even if the software includes free updates, it would be for a time period, like one year, this would not following the student through graduation. Also, as technological advancements occur, there would be the charge of upgrading hardware components in order to support the growth of Technology.

> > A textbook is a static learning tool. If it has a misprint, or needs to be updated, I am offered an oppurtunity to buy the next edition.
> > A laptop, or some other type of electronic textbook, can be easily updated, often without additional cost. Sometimes the upgrade does cost something.
> > A student in the first grade can have "Dick and Jane" loaded onto the computer, and carry that with them until they need "Romeo and Juliet" loaded for high school.
> > Static vs. Dynamic

> As I mentioned in my posting, sometimes a company charges for software upgrades. In response to your first point, that you have yet to meet a software company that gives free updates, I guess that you must not have heard of Microsoft. Don't get me wrong, I am no fan of Bill Gates, but in the last year, they have upgraded both Windows Media Player and Dial-Up Networking at no additional cost. Almost all virus scan software comes with limited free updates to their virus data files, and some come with lifetime free updates.
As to your second point, I have two responses. One, if we are talking about replacing textbooks with laptops, a bare-bones machine can hold thousands of pages of text. Since there are no multimedia components to textbooks, we would not need to update the machine. If we are just going to update that text, there is no need for upgrading the machine. Second, as students go through school, they need new books (or ones passed down from previous students). This will cost money, as does upgrading a machine.
Thanks for your response.
Ron
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