If you think that pdf is the really, really bad format for an e-book wait till you see this:
http://www.harpercollins.ca/invisiblearmies/
HarperCollin has published a new fast-paced thriller by
Jon Evans "Invisible Armies" and is making it available online for your
... aehm ... Pleasure.
Yes. There *IS* a catch.
You will not be able to read this book on any portable ebook reader. Forget about your PRS, Kindle, cybook, Illiad and position yourself in front of your big monitor.
You wil not be able to read this book offline.
You will not be able to read this book on systems without the latest flash installed.
The book is displayed using an incredibly *awfull* flash reading application.
In single pages. You have to click on a stupid navigation button to see the next page. The page can not be reformated, the font size can not be adjusted.
... and for those that grumble about the page turning experience on e-ink readers, just try this little gem. You click on the "next page" button and the text "Loading" and a kind of progressbar appers and you just patiently wait until the next page sloooooowly downloades to the reader flash application.
Sigh.
I very much hope that this is NOT how the future digital publishing is going to work.