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Originally Posted by DMcCunney
The third is a problem because publishers aren't set up to sell directly to consumers and don't know how to do it. They may actually offer electronic versions, but ti can be a challenge navigating their website to find them, and a larger one to buy what you've found.
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I think this could be solved by standards too. There have been several formats that have been distributed by multiple websites. The much maligned PDF is one. Mobi is another. I don't see any reason publishers couldn't generate the files and pass them off to online sellers like Amazon. Getting electronic content into brick-and-mortar stores wouldn't be that hard either-- it would just take some imagination (in-store wireless networks, cheap smart cards with a deposit/return scheme, USB download... they all have strengths and weaknesses, but they're all doable.)
Quote:
Originally Posted by DMcCunney
The fourth will hopefully be addressed by standards. I want to buy electronic copy once, and read it on whatever I happen to have at hand. This means I need a format supported by viewers in PCs, PDAs, smart phones, and blackberries, and DRM that lets me read the book on more than one device.
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I don't trust any DRM for this. I have enough trouble reading files from old versions of word processors. I want my books in a completely open, public standard, with no encryption. And I don't think it's needed, in any case.