[Web4lib] ESBN?

[Jeremy Dunck]

On 1/11/06, B. Frazier <fraziebe at whitman.edu> wrote:
> It seems like they are trying to duplicate the DOI.  How does this differ
> and why is it better?

Well, for one thing, they're saying 1 ESBN per copy, not 1 ESBN per
digital work.

Also, from the FAQ:

Q: Do ESBNs support Digital Object Identifier (DOI)?
A: Yes; however, DOI Registration Agencies (RAs) can charge anything
that want for DOI registrations.  ESBN.ORG supports unlimited
"DOI-like" registrations at no cost once the ESBN has been generated.

I guess what I'm saying is, I have some faith that the DOI system will
be there (or have a forward-compatible successor) given the industry
support around it.  ESBN seems to be a less future-bound guaranteed
identifier.