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Originally Posted by Ramen
Having said that, I'd like to ask why we are still only focusing on DRM and surveillance rather than on other ways to maximize profits. Again, the connection between illegal and legal downloads isn't known so focusing solely on that is misguided. It's quite possible that there is a very profitable solution without any DRM or other control measures (watermarking, surveillance, etc) at all and it's also possible that there exists no equally profitable solution with DRM. We simply don't know.
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As this thread on TM might suggest, DRM is only one thing this site focuses on. It's just that DRM is so loud and clumsy that it continually draws attention to itself in the room (not quite an 800-pound gorilla, but a 300-pound drunken lout, I guess).
We do discuss other methods around here, though. I am presently using a different model entirely (low price, multiple formats, no DRM), to see how well it works... sort of an ongoing experiment in e-book workability. Others are using other models, and you could say we're all experimenting to see what works best. The field is so new, that no one method has proven itself yet, and other methods remain to be discovered or tried.
And while we're all working on that, the lout stumbles over a coffee table and draws everyone's attention back to it,
ad infinitum.
Quote:
Originally Posted by Ramen
The biggest problems I see for ebooks are volume, exposure and usability.
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Few here would disagree with that assessment. Though volume is easily enough dealt with in electronic files, exposure and usability are tough nuts to crack.
Quote:
Originally Posted by Ramen
One of the things I don't understand is why piracy is never a deciding factor other than with DRM? You said (or implied) that piracy is rampant.
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I would probably use the term "significant," other than "rampant"... e-books are not quite that popular yet.
Quote:
Originally Posted by Ramen
At the moment, you are only harassing paying customers.
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Pricing and security are alike in this way: Both of them
always harass customers. A smart customer understands why some of both are necessary, and can deal with a little harassment. A smart seller needs to understand how much of both causes too much harassment. We're all in a constant battle to find the happy medium. That's what these discussions are about.
Quote:
Originally Posted by Ramen
As for increasing exposure? Dunno really. I regularly have problems finding something to read because I just don't know what's out there.
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Me, too. Of course, I have the same problem with printed books. A better method of finding what you want to read would help everybody, including the publishing industry.