It's interesting how books have this almost religious aura to them, that it's morally wrong to throw them out. Like discarding a book on Windows 95 will somehow lead to book-burning and totalitarianism.
Is this a universal view, or are there people who have no trouble discarding unwanted books?
I have a ridiculous number of Sci-Fi and fantasy novels hanging about. I never get rid of them. I think it's because each one represents something like an entire year (often much more) of one human's efforts.
With movies, say, you know it was hundreds of people. So it's no big deal. But with books you are tossing someone's whole world.
It took me a long time to pitch old SF books but I never reread them. I feel that each time you read a great book you can get half the remaining insights so unless a book is awesome I will go for new ones.
I have gotten rid of a few books like that, but once they get old enough they seem to acquire a certain quaint charm. My books on DOS and BeOS, for instance, I'm stuck with now. Of course, Windows Game Programming with VC++ 6.0 was a goner.
Is this a universal view, or are there people who have no trouble discarding unwanted books?