In which e-book formats do you have books that you'd still like to be able to read?

[igorsk]

PDF format is open. There is a public spec available and you don't need to pay any fees to read or write it. It's even been adopted for a couple of ISO standards. The fact that it's not suitable for ebook readers is beside the point.
However, secure PDF (PDF eBook) is a closed format with DRM, and probably needs to be added as a choice.

[JSWolf]

Why not put PDF in it's own category?

[NatCh]

See post #15.

[Steven Lyle Jordan]

Originally Posted by JSWolf

Why is PDF lumped in with other formats such as text, html, rtf? I don't consider PDF an open format and would vote for open formats if PDF was not among them.

Remember, the point isn't to vote for what you want, but what formats the books you want to be able to re-read are in now.

This poll will be useful for any group hoping to concoct a multi-format converter for a single reader or piece of hardware... it will at least inform them which formats are most heavily used, and therefore, which ones to concentrate their converting efforts.

[Steven Lyle Jordan]

Originally Posted by igorsk

PDF format is open. There is a public spec available and you don't need to pay any fees to read or write it. It's even been adopted for a couple of ISO standards. The fact that it's not suitable for ebook readers is beside the point.

Let's say, "not optimized for most e-book readers."

[kovidgoyal]

Originally Posted by Steve Jordan

Remember, the point isn't to vote for what you want, but what formats the books you want to be able to re-read are in now.

This poll will be useful for any group hoping to concoct a multi-format converter for a single reader or piece of hardware... it will at least inform them which formats are most heavily used, and therefore, which ones to concentrate their converting efforts.

But since this poll is about DRMed formats and breaking DRM is illegal, at least for the immediate future, I'm not quite sure that is the point of this poll.

[NatCh]

Originally Posted by kovidgoyal

But since this poll is about DRMed formats and breaking DRM is illegal, at least for the immediate future, I'm not quite sure that is the point of this poll.

My intent was more or less just what Steve is suggesting: to figure out what DRM formats ought to, ideally, be supported by a notional multi-format device.

To put it into real world terms: Sony has claimed on a couple of occasions that they want to support other encrypted formats on the PRS line -- what formats do we (this community) already have that we'd like them to support.

Of course, in an ideal world they'd support a single, "standard" format, and all of our old books would be re-downloadable in that single, "standard" format, but I was dreaming a slightly smaller dream at the time I put the poll together.

Also I was curious as to what dedicated e-book formats MobileReaders use or have used in the past. That's probably the "mainer" point of the poll, if I'm totally forthcoming about it.

[kovidgoyal]

Ah ok

[bspline]

Breaking DRM is Illegal in the US. Some other countries have no such restrictions...

[kovidgoyal]

Yeah but for how long

[Steven Lyle Jordan]

Originally Posted by bspline

Breaking DRM is Illegal in the US. Some other countries have no such restrictions...

...maybe that's why those countries haven't seen Sony Readers or Amazon Kindles made available to them...

[DMcCunney]

Originally Posted by Steve Jordan

...maybe that's why those countries haven't seen Sony Readers or Amazon Kindles made available to them...

Maybe Sony and Amazon don't have the readers to introduce.

Amazon isn't a manufacturer. They contracted with someone else to actually make the Kindle for them, and ordered a run of X units, where X was apparently way too few.

Sony is a manufacturer, but they are having problems with supply, too.

Not much point in introducing things in other countries if you don't have product to ship...
______
Dennis

[Steven Lyle Jordan]

Originally Posted by DMcCunney

Sony is a manufacturer, but they are having problems with supply, too.

Not much point in introducing things in other countries if you don't have product to ship...
______
Dennis

Sony's having problems with supply, just serving the U.S. Maybe they should've introduced their reader in New York state only...

I really don't think supply was the issue. Other countries' different handling of copyrights and DRM is most likely the reason Kindle and PRS-505 are limited to one country.

[DMcCunney]

Originally Posted by Steve Jordan

Sony's having problems with supply, just serving the U.S. Maybe they should've introduced their reader in New York state only...

I really don't think supply was the issue. Other countries' different handling of copyrights and DRM is most likely the reason Kindle and PRS-505 are limited to one country.

Supply can be a problem, regardless of who you are. Note that Nintendo is still having problems turning out the Wii fast enough to meet demand.

All of these devices are made from components from a variety of manufacturers, and a shortage of components can affect you as much as insufficient capacity on the plant where you assemble.

It's in Sony's interest to sell readers. DRMed stuff from Sony Connect isn't all the Sony Reader can display, so not being able to use a DRM model elsewhere isn't necessarily a hold up. If Sony were using the Reader as a loss-leader to get people to buy content from their store, it might be different, but Sony wants to make money on the hardware, too.
______
Dennis

[DaleDe]

Originally Posted by NatCh

My intent was more or less just what Steve is suggesting: to figure out what DRM formats ought to, ideally, be supported by a notional multi-format device.

To put it into real world terms: Sony has claimed on a couple of occasions that they want to support other encrypted formats on the PRS line -- what formats do we (this community) already have that we'd like them to support.

Of course, in an ideal world they'd support a single, "standard" format, and all of our old books would be re-downloadable in that single, "standard" format, but I was dreaming a slightly smaller dream at the time I put the poll together.

Also I was curious as to what dedicated e-book formats MobileReaders use or have used in the past. That's probably the "mainer" point of the poll, if I'm totally forthcoming about it.

I did not see this poll as a DRM question at all but rather what format of eBooks need to be supported. Why does everything have to degenerate into a DRM question. The support for mulitple formats is not just a DRM question since even non-DRM eBooks need to be read by something!

Dale