[choxi]

"you dropped a hundred and fifty grand on a fuckin education you coulda got for a dollah fifty in late chahges at the public library"

I really like that quote from Good Will Hunting. Unfortunately, most of us aren't savants and there's a lot more that goes into learning something than finding one free textbook on it.

I think we're starting to see a lot more free textbooks because we're learning that, when it comes to education, resources are not as important as practice, community, and engagement

[netcan]

Obviously the price of textbooks isn't the ultimate bottleneck for learning stuff. But, there are important difference between free & cheap. Easier access has all sorts of catalyzing effects.

For example, a free textbook can be referred to. "For a more detailed discussion of this read chapter 4 of Gaussian Processes for Machine Learning."

[SatvikBeri]

When I was a high school student trying to learn subjects outside what my school taught, free access to books was pretty much necessary.

[MaxGabriel]

I don't see how that follows. Except in a few cases where a paid online course is coupled with a free textbook, why would people realizing textbooks aren't as important mean they would release them as free ebooks?

[dkersten]

why would people realizing textbooks aren't as important mean they would release them as free ebooks?

Perhaps because they are realizing that people aren't buying them? I'm sure they don't have to be free though, but rather just not expensive.