Quote:
Originally Posted by HarryT
Do you WANT to read PDFs? PDF is not an eBook format.
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Interesting you always bring this up - and yet, Mobilereads has an "Ebook Formats" forum titled "PDF".
I understand your point that PDFs were intended to duplicate and maintain the appearance of the printed document. I also agree that reading them on most electronic devices (except maybe a tablet PC) is clumsy because of the built-in formatting.
And personally, PDF is probably my
least preferred format for reading online.
But I wonder at your insistence that PDF is not an "eBook". What is an "eBook" by your definition? To the average user, an eBook is a book they have in an electronic format. PDF fits that. A bit saved in Microsoft Word fits that. Mobipocket PRC/MOBI and Sony LRF/LRX and Microsoft LIT and the rest fit that.
I've met a lot of people online who buy from "small publishers". I used to help moderate a list that discussed romance eBooks and had many online discussions with representatives and authors from those publishers. I was told - over and over - that PDF was the most popular format purchased at those sites, by a large margin.
And slowly, slowly, these women are starting to look at eInk options for reading all the books they've already purchased - and books they intend to purchase in the future. They're starting to research what's available, and what's coming.
So how do you think these people will feel if they come to a forum like this, ask legitimate questions about what's available to read the PDFs they already own, and get slapped back with "why do you
want to read PDFs - they're not
really ebooks"?
I thought the point of Mobilereads was to encourage the adoption of eBooks and eBook readers, to assist both new and experienced users to get the most from their new devices (or to choose a new device!), to encourage the creators of eBooks and eBook hardware to consider consumers' needs and opinions when offering books/devices.
How encouraged do you think these visitors will be when they come to ask their questions and find their questions mocked by moderators of that forum?