Slightly off topic - Ebooks

[jay-R5TnC2l8y5lBDgjK7y7TUQ at public.gmane.org]

The question of drm is not the major consideration right now. Its going to be around, atleast for the near future, as it has been on nearly every emerging digital media.  The important part of choosing a reader is the format support and available content.  I would recomend finding content that is open,  and there is certainly enough good open content out there.  But either way if the format is popular then DRM will ultimately prove useless.

Finally if your really like the book and want to be able to read it again in 20 years buy the hard copy too.  Even drm free media may not work in 20 years.  And if you like the work that much then support it or similar works may not be around in 20 years.  Again this is best done with those authors who really know the issues and go out of their way to provide open options.

------Original Message------
From: Edward Ned Harvey
Sender: discuss-bounces-mNDKBlG2WHs at public.gmane.org
To: 'Dan Ritter'
To: David Kramer
Cc: BLU
Subject: RE: Slightly off topic - Ebooks
Sent: Feb 8, 2010 8:43 AM

> Jane Average is going to be more upset than you are.
> 
> Why? Because she buys a Kindle, has two years of happiness
> during which she purchases 2 books a month from Amazon at $10
> apiece, gets a couple of Gutenberg etexts (_Pride and Prejudice_
> is still popular) and then...
> 
> And then she sees her friend has just bought a Sony SuperBook,
> which has a color video-capable screen and a dozen games on it
> as well. So she orders a SuperBook from Amazon, it's delivered,
> and...
> 
> Only the Gutenberg books will transfer over.

I also predict that Amazon will always remain backward compatible, capable
of reading their own books from past purchases.  They know they would anger
their own customers if they didn't support their own past purchases.  The
two weaknesses here that I acknowledge are:

(a) What if amazon collapses or something?  Then your past amazon purchases
may be at risk.
and
(b) What if you want to switch to something other than Kindle?  If amazon
doesn't allow others to read their format, they may have created a lock-in.
It's yet to be seen, if amazon will ever open up their format.  They may
open it up voluntarily someday, or they may be legally required to someday
by antitrust legislation.


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