Quote:
Originally Posted by rlauzon
I've asked you this several times:
1. Where is the open source version of mobigen?
2. Where are the complete specifications of the Mobipocket format so that an open source version of mobigen can be created?
You've never answered when I asked. I believe that the reason is that the answers are:
1. There is none.
2. They are not publicly available.
A format that relies on any single entity (even a company like Mobipocket that's been generous so far) forms a monopoly and monopolies are always bad for the consumer.
Remember that 10 years ago, Microsoft said it was OK to take your company's MS Office CDs home to install on your home computer. Very generous. That's certainly not Microsoft's policy today.
Companies can change their mind. The only way to protect yourself is simply not to rely on the generosity (or even the word of) a single company.
Until the Mobipocket format is open sourced, it's proprietary and should be avoided like the plague.
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Well, then that means using eReader's proprietary format, Amazon's proprietary format, Sony's proprietary format or Hanlin's proprietary format - if you want to read a CURRENT title and don't want to go through the bother of buying the dead-tree version and going through the process of scanning, editing and formatting for a non-proprietary ebook format. Unless, of course, you choose to limit the books you purchase to those offered by Baen through Webscriptions. I'm all for that, but Baen doesn't offer all the titles *I* want to read.
Yes, we could always download the 'free' files that have been scanned in by someone else, but that is illegal and is ripping off the author. Or, we can track down the tools which break the DRM and make 'free' versions of our friends DRM-protected ebooks, but that is also illegal and is ripping off the author.
And waiting around for the publishers to get a clue that DRM is bad means that WE suffer, not the publishers.
Oh, what to do? I know! Pick a DRM format that has the widest systems support and a reasonably large number of current titles and hope for the best. Which is what Bookeen has done by choosing to use the Mobipocket format.
As for the 'extra spaces as squares' problem, I've re-created it with a simple test file and you are absolutely correct. A basic palmdoc version or txt version of a simple document shows those nasty squares. However, I note the Mobipocket version created with BookDesigner, using the txt file does NOT show those nasty squares. However, BD *also* stripped out those extra spaces from the displayed file. I'll see what setting I need to have them display properly.
And, yes, I'm forwarding on these test files to Bookeen because this *IS* a problem.
Derek