Quote:
Originally Posted by HarryT
Much as I respect Mr Stross's views, I strongly disagree with him about that. I don't think the typical punter is even aware of DRM. They buy from Amazon because of their great bookstore and customer service.
|
I'm somewhere in between. I think the average buyer is unaware of DRM, and remains only dimly aware of it when contemplating a new venue--but would have an easier time switching stores if they knew their books *could* be transfered. If people online said, "oh yeah, to transfer your Amazon buys to your Nook, do this: [download, install calibre, bulk upload, export to Nook]," that's still some steps, but it's a lot simpler than "um, it's *probably* legal to go visit App Alf's blog and then you install this program and these code snippets, and these other ones if you have K-for-PC in addition to the hardware, and...."
So: I think Stross is right; DRM locks are cutting into competitive diversity. I don't think eliminating DRM would be an insta-fix; I think it'll be a slow process of people gradually becoming aware they can change stores. And there's still plenty of reasons to stick with whatever store you're familiar with.
Quote:
Originally Posted by cjr72
At the bottom of the article it's stated that "As previously announced, Tor Books expects to offer all of their books DRM-free through all retailers by the end of the July."
|
Oooh, does that include the
Tor books at BaenEbooks? The ones they used to sell, and then got pulled when Macmillan freaked out about the lack of DRM? Mm, those PlanetBaen coupons would come in very handy.