Quote:
Originally Posted by leebase
Of course, DRM schemes all have abundant problems -- but until a digital file can be successfully bound, it can never be treated the same as a physical object.
Lee
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I agree, in part. A digital file cannot be treated as a physical object, even though in a sense it is, the bits and bytes of the file itself, the energy required in transmission of the file from one place to another. These are physical things and come with physical costs.
A truly physically free book does not and perhaps never will exist. The question we all must ask ourselves when reading is, who shall we send payment to? The author of a well written narrative? The organization described in the article? Our ISP's? The electric company?
Historically, in a less networked world, the reader might not have even contemplated the idea of sending monies through the book itself directly into the authors bank account, the technology for this exists now though. And is in a sense already in place, purchasing a book from within the Kindle, deducts monies from my Amazon account and adds it to the authors.
Opening up the full text of all books to be freely shared, and then paid for after reading, would encourage an explosion of reading, far greater than any the world has seen before, this might indeed lead to the enlightenment we all seek.
We only have to rely on the faith of our fellow human beings.
"For the Encouragement of Learning, by vesting the Copies of Printed Books in the Authors or purchasers of such Copies, during the Times therein mentioned"
