Quote:
Originally Posted by notimp
With .kfx we practically lost all of this. The statement "kfx in itself is unfit (or less fit) for archival purposes" is telling, because it is a breach of the ebook standard - at least conceptually.
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I understand the author/publisher/seller viewpoint of wanting to restrict access to prevent theft and maximize income. They have incentive to use DRM, proprietary data formats, and walled-garden distribution infrastructure to assure this. Not all sellers do, but Amazon does.
From a customer/reader viewpoint I would like unfettered access to the books I purchase so that I can assure their readability in the long term. The existing de-DRM and e-book conversion software provides this despite the seller's attempts to prevent it.
The existing situation appears to be working pretty well. Control is exerted over most customers as the sellers wish, but those customers with a strong desire can break that control. KFX won't change this. I don't see the balance of power shifting any time soon.
Quote:
Originally Posted by notimp
And then hope for the made up "market competitor" with a heart of gold, that gives away product creation rights for free - because *yolo* or because of ethical considerations, or because he hasn't mirrored the Amazon model - yet...  |
E-book creation has nothing to do with any of your other discussion. Authors and publishers use non-Amazon tools and formats when creating e-books. They are not being harmed by Amazon's follow-on conversion of their works to its own formats. (Other than possibly when this conversion adds undesired artifacts.)
This brings to mind an area where Amazon
is actually trying to exert this control. There are two tools that Amazon provides, Kindle Textbook Creator and Kindle Comic Creator, that work entirely in Amazon's proprietary formats. They add interactive features to what would otherwise be static books. Anyone creating books using these tools should be aware that the results will be usable only within the Amazon ecosystem.
This is a better example of your original argument of Amazon trying to control the creation of e-books. To me it seems a minor issue.