However, material on the web is very transient. It can literally be there one day and gone without a trace the next if someone closes the web site at which it was based. Despite these problems with electronic books, in some cases such as encyclopedias a web based version is a lot more convenient than the printed one. Also, web printed newspapers and magazines cut down on paper wastage. However, newspapers and magazines serve a different purpose to books - neither of them are expected to be permanent.
Books are far from dead - the are a living and vital part of our society.
In the future there will probably be many e-texts available on the web, although their main function will be to compiment, not replace printed books. Even in web based education, there is often a list of printed text books which need to be read. The only way in which e-texts would replace printed books would be if the price of paper became prohibitively expensive, due to the scarcity of trees. However, if there ever was a move to totally replace printed books with e-text there would be an outcry from book lovers everywhere. Imagine taking a laptop to bed, the toilet, the beach, or any other location at which books are read for relaxation.