Quote:
Originally Posted by taralon
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.
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I think we'll have to disagree on whether epub is intended for end-users as well as publishers. As I already pointed out, Adobe already supports epub for the end-user in DE. In case you don't know, Adobe is a member of IDPF and was a major player in the development of the specification.
Using Amazon as an example isn't very convincing, as far as I am concerned. Besides their heavy investment in the Mobipocket format, I think they also have other motives for staying proprietary (at least for now).
It would be helpful if someone from the IDPF would comment on this issue, to clear things up. If any IDPF members are reading this, please comment.