E-Books in ePub format actually being sold (BooksOnBoard)

[JSWolf]

I've just noticed that at BooksOnBoard, some eBooks are being sold in Adobe ePub format.

Example: Link

Now - for the first time - in Adobe ePub Format. Requires Adobe Digital Editions. Automatically adjusts the page content to fit your preferred text size. Works on Windows and Mac computers. Not yet available for Palm OS, e-ink readers or other mobile solutions.

Update: Official press release is out.

[DaleDe]

Originally Posted by JSWolf

I've just noticed that at BooksOnBoard, some eBooks are being sold in Adobe ePub format.

http://www.booksonboard.com/index.ph...1397&v=details

ePub is not an Adobe format. It is an industry standard that Adobe happens to support.

Dale

[Hadrien]

Originally Posted by DaleDe

ePub is not an Adobe format. It is an industry standard that Adobe happens to support.

Dale

Correct, the DRM or some extensions to the ePub format might be from Adobe, but ePub itself is an industry standard.

[Jack B Nimble]

Originally Posted by Hadrien

Correct, the DRM or some extensions to the ePub format might be from Adobe, but ePub itself is an industry standard.

Since all the other books that BooksOnBoard sell are DRMed, I had assumed that Adobe ePub indicated ePub files with Adobe DRM. They do mention that it is only compatible with Digital Editions.

This is what a lot of people were concerned about when ePub came out with no DRM standard -- standard contents in the file don't help much if the DRM scheme(s) still splinter the market.

Jack

[Lemurion]

Yeah, one DRM scheme would be better than several. No DRM is preferable but so long as DRM-free ePub is an option I can live with a DRM scheme existing beside it.

[DMcCunney]

Originally Posted by DaleDe

ePub is not an Adobe format. It is an industry standard that Adobe happens to support.

Well, it's a format Adobe is pushing hard to make a standard, but I wouldn't call it an industry standard till a lot more of the industry actually adopts it.
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Dennis

[DaleDe]

Originally Posted by DMcCunney

Well, it's a format Adobe is pushing hard to make a standard, but I wouldn't call it an industry standard till a lot more of the industry actually adopts it.
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Dennis

Well, if you think a standard is only the one that dominates then it is certainly not a standard. But if you think a standard is one that has be adopted by a standards committee then it is a standard. Check the wiki for details. ePub is an open format defined by the Open eBook Forum of the International Digital Publishing Forum (<idpf>). It is based on XHTML and XML along with optional style sheets. Its predecessor was the OEB standard. Specifications are found at the idpf web site.

Dale

[DMcCunney]

Originally Posted by DaleDe

Well, if you think a standard is only the one that dominates then it is certainly not a standard. But if you think a standard is one that has be adopted by a standards committee then it is a standard. Check the wiki for details. ePub is an open format defined by the Open eBook Forum of the International Digital Publishing Forum (<idpf>). It is based on XHTML and XML along with optional style sheets. Its predecessor was the OEB standard. Specifications are found at the idpf web site.

I think any standard, whether officially blessed by an industry standards body or not, is meaningless until widely adopted.

Who actually issues books in ePub format now? What can be used to read them?

It may well become widely adopted, and become a standard in practice as well as in theory. It would be nice if something was adopted as a standard by everybody producing ebooks and gear to read them. But until that happens, whether a book is available in ePub format isn't a factor in my decisions.

(The biggest boost to ePub I can think of at the moment would be Adobe choosing to support the format on the Kindle. I don't see that happening near term.)
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Dennis

[JSWolf]

If Amazon ignores ePub, I think this will be a bad idea for Amazon. The 505 should have ePub sometime with the next firmware upgrade.

[DaleDe]

Originally Posted by DMcCunney

I think any standard, whether officially blessed by an industry standards body or not, is meaningless until widely adopted.

Who actually issues books in ePub format now? What can be used to read them?

It may well become widely adopted, and become a standard in practice as well as in theory. It would be nice if something was adopted as a standard by everybody producing ebooks and gear to read them. But until that happens, whether a book is available in ePub format isn't a factor in my decisions.

(The biggest boost to ePub I can think of at the moment would be Adobe choosing to support the format on the Kindle. I don't see that happening near term.)
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Dennis

It is a chicken and egg thing. one has to come first and I think the standard should come first with people using it as approved rather than waiting until something dominates because there happens to be nothing better at the moment and you are stuck with something only one company decided was best for whatever reason. YMMV

Dale

[DMcCunney]

Originally Posted by DaleDe

It is a chicken and egg thing. one has to come first and I think the standard should come first with people using it as approved rather than waiting until something dominates because there happens to be nothing better at the moment and you are stuck with something only one company decided was best for whatever reason. YMMV

Agreed, and the ePub eggs might hatch into a flock of chickens. If it becomes widely adopted, fine by me. It seems to have all the pieces required to support creation of good ebooks.

But right now, my basic question is "Is the book I want available as an ebook, and if it is, is it available in a widely supported format I can read on whatever I happen to have handy?" I want to download content once, and read it on whatever I have at hand, so anything that restricts what I can use to read it loses.

Right now, I like MobiPocket format, simply because I can read it on what I have. When there are ePub readers for a broad range of devices, and ePub format books to read on them, that will change.
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Dennis

[pilotbob]

Originally Posted by DMcCunney

Well, it's a format Adobe is pushing hard to make a standard, but I wouldn't call it an industry standard till a lot more of the industry actually adopts it.
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Dennis

Agreed. Sort of like OpenID. It's not "open" until I can log into every web site/service I visit using it.

BOb

[DaleDe]

By the way there are two purposes for the standard. One is for eBooks (end user) and the other is for publishing. The original publishing standard OEB is still in use by eBookwise, Mobipocket, and LIT. The new standard can also be used this way as evidenced by the fact that Mobipocket Reader on the PC can already import ePUB files and convert them to their proprietary format. By the way, Adobe is not the only one that can read books written in this standard although they currently seem to have the best support. Read the wiki for more details.

Dale

[astra]

Originally Posted by JSWolf

If Amazon ignores ePub, I think this will be a bad idea for Amazon. The 505 should have ePub sometime with the next firmware upgrade.

I don't think it(f/w upgrade) will happen. Maybe next generation will support it.

[JeffElkins]

Originally Posted by astra

I don't think it(f/w upgrade) will happen. Maybe next generation will support it.

I hope it's a long time before I buy another ebook, but if the above is true, it won't be a Sony