True the current format does not include any DRM. However that is not why publishers are currently backing the system. As with the original pdf format they are backing it because it allows them one filesystem that they can send to printing houses and or distributors. Most publishers adopted .pdf as the final file format they sent to the printers because it gave them a WYSWYG file format. They also did not have to deal with the multitude of propriety file formats that printers had been demanding up to that time. Pretty much exactly where they are now. Reflow, that nevertheless protects internal formating, is pretty much necessary in a digital publication format, especially one that may need to be converted into other formats. None of the .pdf -> other format converters I have ever tried deals with indented text such as inserted poems or music, or even instered pictures, figures, charts and grapsh, very well, and all of them require far too much fiddling by a human to get the output to look consistent across the conversion.
You are also reading to much into the standard. Specifications for containers to package all the necessary files, and specifying how that container and included files is parsed by
reading systems is a
necessary component of making a standarized filesystem in the publication industry. Look at the standard for .pdf sometime, you'll see
exactly the same things outlined in it, as you will for various chemical dispensers, fasteners and other things that also meet ISO compliance. Just because it is there, and
could be used by private parties does not mean it is intended for such use.
Moving to a single file system saves publishing houses money, which means increased profits from digital sales. That is why they are doing it. If they wanted a single format to distribute to the end user then you would have seen much more of an effort by Amazon to meet this need.
Quote:
Originally Posted by jbenny
I don't see anything in the specifications or on the IDPF web site that states that epub is not for use by the end-user. The fact that the standard also includes a specification for a container (Zip) to package all of the various files, as well as specifying how that container and included files are to be parsed by reading systems, tells me that the IDPF does indeed expect end-user devices to use epub. If epub was only for publishers, none of this would be necessary and the IDPF would not have wasted many hours on this part of the standard. Why should they care how publishers deal with multiple files internally? Having a standard format like epub does indeed make things easier for publishers, but that doesn't preclude the use of the format for end-use.
We already have three reading systems that directly support epub: Digital Editions, FBReader and Lector. A fourth, DotReader, claims support, but I haven't seen it work yet. Assuming that DotReader gets epub working, that makes two commercial entities (one very large one - Adobe) and two Open Source entities. I'd say that's not too bad for a standard that is only a few months old. And as we all know, Digital Editions is being ported to the Sony Reader. I would be very surprised if Adobe dropped epub support in the process.
And as for vivaldirules question about why he should care, I think we all should care. Pushing epub for the end-user and not just the publisher holds the promise of reducing the myriad of ebook formats that we have to deal with today. The more widespread epub becomes, the better for all of us. It certainly isn't a perfect standard, but it is a good start.
Another very good reason to want epub for the end-user is that the standard currently does not include DRM. This may be added to the standard later. If it does, at least it will be one standard way of doing it, and not the incompatible, different DRM schemes that each format has. Besides, if epub gets widely popular on reading systems before a standardized DRM method is approved, that would be one more nail in the DRM coffin.
We all bitch about having to deal with multiple ebook formats and DRM. These are the two primary reasons why everyone should care about epub use by the end-user. Sure, it doesn't do much for you as an end-user today, but what about tomorrow?
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