Quote:
Originally Posted by Justy
I agree with this statement. I have a hard enough time talking to people about eBook readers indicating the different formats that can be used on the different devices as it is. I would never be able to explain to my Mother, for example, that her brand new eBook reading device will read any ePub file, as long as she only buys the ones that say "Xxx" and not the ones that say "Xyz."
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drm is *already* a nightmare for a lot of people uncomfortable with technology, as is the current "e-babel" multiplication of formats. i can't even count how many times i've seen someone posting that they've lost access to all the books they bought because of the drm, and then of course there is the ongoing "don't call it an ereader, eReader is a format !" polemic, with sony owners buying eReader files because Fictionwise "recommends" that format, and then being dismayed that they can't do anything with them.
epub as a standard format is a HUGE step in the right direction to fixing this problem. the other part of the solution of course is the complete and definitive abolition of drm. i am convinced that this will eventually happen ; it's already begun (see PanMacMillan's drm-free epub files, among others), and the industries who have dematerialised their media previously have all gone down the drm road only to (finally) abandon it (mp3s...). i just hope that the publishing industry don't take 10 years to figure it out (again, since they've already started moving in that direction, i think there is a good chance they will get there sooner).
while multiple forms of drm on epub is a problem, of course, it would seem to me that it's nonetheless a less grave problem than the current situation
already is. also, as others have mentioned, epub with ereader drm is actually good news overall since ereader drm is apparently easy to crack, so people will have a good archivable file that they are sure to be able to to access in the future, and will be able to read on *any* liseuse with epub support.
the real issue we should be concerned about is getting rid of drm so that well-meaning, honest customers don't find themselves locked out of their libraries through no fault of their own, as continues to happen practically on a daily basis.