[Web4lib] Amazon's Kindle e-book reader

[Kyle Felker]

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Kyle Felker
Technology Coordinator
Washington and Lee University Library
Phone: 540-458-8653
Email: felkerk at wlu.edu 
Chat: geeklibrary (aol) techbookgeek (yahoo)
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>>> "Jessica Hess" <jessica.hess at gmail.com> 11/20/2007 3:27 PM >>>
On Nov 20, 2007 2:57 PM, Kyle Felker <FelkerK at wlu.edu> wrote:
>
>>  What the consumer ebook market needs is an ebook
>> version of the MP3 file format: something that's supported by the
>> majority of the ebook reader hardware, and in which most content can
be
>> obtained or easily converted to.

>If only there were a mailing list full of librarians, many of whom
>knew how to program ...

>;)
Actually, there are already perfectly good formats designed for or
readily adaptable to ebooks that are open, easy to parse, and DRM free. 
RTF, for example.  Or IDPF.  The reason publishers come up with their
own is not because there aren't good, freely available formats, it's
that they want complete control over how and where and on what their
content gets used and viewed, and that means a format that incorporates
DRM and can only be read on one platform.  They are designing this
incompatability in *on purpose*.

>I understand that that's not the only hurdle.  But, you know, just
>sayin':  librarians could make this idea take off.
I so wish this were true, but it comes down to the fact that the
content is legally and practically in control of the publishers and
authors.  Creating a universal, open e-book format is *easy*, in fact
it's *already been done*, but getting publishers and distributors to
*all use* it...that's the hurdle.  We'd need the clout of, for example,
Apple in the digital music marketplace, and I don't think we have that.
 
Or, we could change the business model, as someone else suggested. 
Make ebooks a fun extra that you get with the printed book.  Then it's
not a replacement for the physical volume, and it's okay that the use is
restricted.

-Kyle