Quote:
Originally Posted by ProfCrash
Whether we like it or not, cloud computing is being sold to the public and most people are buying into it hook, line, and sinker. They didn't back up their hard drives on their computer 5 years ago and they are not backing up their stuff on the cloud. If Pottermore were to crash and people could not get to their e-books there will be headlines talking about how poorly the system works and many folks will draw the conclusion that e-books are not safe.
We know it is a silly argument but do you really think what we say and the few comments we are going to post are going to make a world of difference?
|
Those headlines would be the work of bad journalism then.
The cloud is not and should never be considered as a sole backup method. Ask the people who were using megaupload to store legal content and are now having to await the outcome of legal action taken by the hosting company to regain access to their data.
Pottermore has done the best it can do to ensure you will have access to your book for as long as possible. They've provided a way to re-download it a limited number of times (may even reset it on request in years to come), a way to link to stores that allow unlimited downloads and a way to download direct and backup to any device you want.
Regardless of how much outcry people may try to create if pottermore shuts next year, there's _nothing_ more they could do.
The only thing I can see as an issue is one of convenience, you have to sign up for another account just to buy HP and that is a fair and valid point. The risk of the store shutting though isn't an issue imo unlike stores that use DRM would be.
People will learn the hard way to backup their data. I've told countless friends and family members about the importance of backing up, but it's not until they've lost several years of documents and digital photos that they take it seriously. However, that doesn't mean online companies should take the responsibility for acting as a lifetime backup.