Paper-based publishing is an intellectual and commercial activity of long tradition: it is now undergoing an important mutation by using media other than paper. Will research use of information be deeply affected? Is this a metamorphosis implying deep changes, or will it be just an additional avatar, with new uses added to the previous long list of modifications to our traditional culture? Will there be disruption or adaptation in terms of scientific and technical information communication? We shall try to examine these questions below.