Good Bye MOBI - Page 3

Sweetpea · 07-11-2009, 03:14 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Ralph Sir Edward

Can you please explain to me, why proprietary e-book formats are better that HTML anyway? E-books, especially on E-ink readers aren't multimedia events anyway...

For me, the most important reason to not use HTML is because you can't insert images in it (as in so that you only have one file). ePub is a good option as you do have the HTML + extra files (such as images and stylesheet information), all nicely zipped up. The ePubs I make are nothing but the plain HTML, CSS and image files.

Hellmark · 07-16-2009, 02:18 AM

You have to remember that not all ebook formats are proprietary. The ePub for instance is a open standard. You have your text information in a basic XML file, and that is put into a basic zip archive. Nothing proprietary about that. It's just that they can drop DRM ontop of that, because well, nothing can be impossible to put DRM on, especially when it is just a container format.

orwell2k · 07-17-2009, 08:08 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Hellmark

Yeah, epub is NOT propietary. Everything about it is based on common, and open, existing setups (XHTML, and Zip compression), and that which is new is an open standard. It also has it's roots in the Open eBook standard (it supercedes it).

It is the furtherest thing from propietary you can get. However, that doesn't mean it can't have DRM thrown on top of it, since it is a container format.

That makes ePub a good thing (minus the DRM, of course, but that's a given).

I personnally use FB2 (Fiction Book 2) as my preferred format, which is also an XML format making it open and very portable across devices/readers and able to be easily extracted, etc. ePub probably has some more up-to-date XML options to use, but FB2 does everything I need (incl. tables, images, etc.).

If anyone want to see how your ePub is "wrapped" up, just change the file extension from .epub to .zip, extract the archive and you will see the basic files/folders contained therein.

Cheers.

JSWolf · 07-17-2009, 08:58 AM

The one thing epub has that no other eBook format has is that without DRM, you can modified the source of the ePub without having to decompile, make the changes and recompile. ePub can be handled with the tools most people already have on their computer without having to add more.

HarryT · 07-17-2009, 09:08 AM

PDF is an open standard, too. Standard ISO 32000-1, to be specific.

JSWolf · 07-17-2009, 09:09 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by HarryT

PDF is an open standard, too. Standard ISO 32000-1, to be specific.

PDF is not open. Can you edit a PDF using a text editor?

HarryT · 07-17-2009, 09:11 AM

Whether or not one can edit it has absolutely nothing to do with whether or not it's an "open standard", Jon

. An open standard is one that is defined and controlled by a standards organization, such as ISO, BSI, or ANSI, rather than being the commercial property of a company.

Lbooker · 07-17-2009, 09:48 AM

What a mess! I just tried the Webster dictionary in epub format with the latest beta Lbook firmware which offers ADE but dropped mobi support.
The epub version is much less convenient: no virtual keyboard! Impossible to find a word conveniently!
Several other mobi dictionaries and Wikipedia are now unusable or very inconvenient to use.
That is a major regression!

kovidgoyal · 07-17-2009, 12:28 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by HarryT

PDF is an open standard, too. Standard ISO 32000-1, to be specific.

While it is true that PDF is an open standard, now, it wasn't always open. In fact the ecosystem around PDF is a lot like the eco system around other closed formats. It's impossible to even find a portable non commercial library to read and write PDF metadata that works with all PDF files!

From the perspective of someone that has to write software to support PDF, it is God's own mess. The fact that the format is nominally "open" now means nothing.

HarryT · 07-17-2009, 12:31 PM

Given that the PDF format has only relatively recently become an open standard, one can reasonably hope that good libraries for handling the format will become available in due course.

kovidgoyal · 07-17-2009, 12:36 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by HarryT

Given that the PDF format has only relatively recently become an open standard, one can reasonably hope that good libraries for handling the format will become available in due course.

I'm keeping my fingers crossed, but in my experience, just "opening" a format and then expecting third party developers to do all the hard work for you rarely works.

tompe · 07-17-2009, 01:14 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by HarryT

Given that the PDF format has only relatively recently become an open standard, one can reasonably hope that good libraries for handling the format will become available in due course.

That will probably not happen. To get an open working eco system you cannot start with a closed format since the growth of the eco system influences the development of the format.

Opening the format in principle just add a tag to it so that tool providers can use it in their promotion. Therefore in spite of pdf being now an open standard it feels wrong to call it an open format.

HarryT · 07-18-2009, 04:19 AM

It's a damned complex format, that's for sure.

Lbooker · 07-19-2009, 12:06 PM

Good news: a beta tester of the next BeBook firmware says that mobi support (obviously non-DRM) is included along with ADE!

Lbooker · 07-20-2009, 12:39 PM

This firmware does exactly that:
ftp://lbook:v3@195.149.108.143/Levch...2-20090624.rar

Similar Threads
Thread	Thread Starter	Forum	Replies	Last Post
Other Fiction Hilton, James: Good-bye, Mr. Chips. V1. 22 Dec 2008	crutledge	BBeB/LRF Books (offline)	1	12-24-2008 04:47 PM
Other Fiction Hilton, James: Good-bye, Mr. Chips. V1. 22 Dec 2008	crutledge	Kindle Books (offline)	0	12-22-2008 07:38 PM
Borders rakes in fresh cash (and says good-bye to Australasia)	Alexander Turcic	News	14	06-08-2008 01:08 AM
Hilton, James: Good-bye, Mr. Chips, v.1, 13 Feb 2008.	hn_88	IMP Books (offline)	5	02-20-2008 12:06 PM
Hilton, James: Good-bye, Mr. Chips. v1. 19 May 07	HarryT	BBeB/LRF Books (offline)	5	05-19-2007 11:22 AM

07-16-2009, 02:18 AM	#32
Hellmark Wizard Posts: 2,549 Karma: 3799999 Join Date: Jun 2009 Location: O'Fallon, Missouri, USA Device: Nokia N800, PRS-505, Nook STR Glowlight, Kindle 3	You have to remember that not all ebook formats are proprietary. The ePub for instance is a open standard. You have your text information in a basic XML file, and that is put into a basic zip archive. Nothing proprietary about that. It's just that they can drop DRM ontop of that, because well, nothing can be impossible to put DRM on, especially when it is just a container format.

07-17-2009, 08:58 AM	#34
JSWolf Resident Curmudgeon Posts: 73,887 Karma: 128597114 Join Date: Nov 2006 Location: Roslindale, Massachusetts Device: Kobo Libra 2, Kobo Aura H2O, PRS-650, PRS-T1, nook STR, PW3	The one thing epub has that no other eBook format has is that without DRM, you can modified the source of the ePub without having to decompile, make the changes and recompile. ePub can be handled with the tools most people already have on their computer without having to add more.

07-17-2009, 09:08 AM	#35
HarryT eBook Enthusiast Posts: 85,544 Karma: 93383043 Join Date: Nov 2006 Location: UK Device: Kindle Oasis 2, iPad Pro 10.5", iPhone 6	PDF is an open standard, too. Standard ISO 32000-1, to be specific.

07-17-2009, 09:11 AM	#37
HarryT eBook Enthusiast Posts: 85,544 Karma: 93383043 Join Date: Nov 2006 Location: UK Device: Kindle Oasis 2, iPad Pro 10.5", iPhone 6	Whether or not one can edit it has absolutely nothing to do with whether or not it's an "open standard", Jon . An open standard is one that is defined and controlled by a standards organization, such as ISO, BSI, or ANSI, rather than being the commercial property of a company.

07-17-2009, 09:48 AM	#38
Lbooker Addict Posts: 316 Karma: 1021312 Join Date: Jun 2009 Device: Sony PRS-T1	What a mess! I just tried the Webster dictionary in epub format with the latest beta Lbook firmware which offers ADE but dropped mobi support. The epub version is much less convenient: no virtual keyboard! Impossible to find a word conveniently! Several other mobi dictionaries and Wikipedia are now unusable or very inconvenient to use. That is a major regression!

07-17-2009, 12:31 PM	#40
HarryT eBook Enthusiast Posts: 85,544 Karma: 93383043 Join Date: Nov 2006 Location: UK Device: Kindle Oasis 2, iPad Pro 10.5", iPhone 6	Given that the PDF format has only relatively recently become an open standard, one can reasonably hope that good libraries for handling the format will become available in due course.

07-18-2009, 04:19 AM	#43
HarryT eBook Enthusiast Posts: 85,544 Karma: 93383043 Join Date: Nov 2006 Location: UK Device: Kindle Oasis 2, iPad Pro 10.5", iPhone 6	It's a damned complex format, that's for sure.

07-19-2009, 12:06 PM	#44
Lbooker Addict Posts: 316 Karma: 1021312 Join Date: Jun 2009 Device: Sony PRS-T1	Good news: a beta tester of the next BeBook firmware says that mobi support (obviously non-DRM) is included along with ADE!

07-20-2009, 12:39 PM	#45
Lbooker Addict Posts: 316 Karma: 1021312 Join Date: Jun 2009 Device: Sony PRS-T1	This firmware does exactly that: ftp://lbook:v3@195.149.108.143/Levch...2-20090624.rar

Advert

Advert