Quote:
Originally Posted by JSWolf
And the thing is, are we really wanting a device that has built-in obsolescence with nothing on it for the future? Yes, Mobipocket/AZW is eventually going to become obsolete.
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I agree with you that the MOBI/AZW format will eventually become obsolete. The ebook (at least, hardware-wise) is really just starting out. What's going to be important, I think, is what the transition to the next format looks like. Ideally, Amazon (or some other vendor) would be able to provide a device with support for both AZW and the Next Big Thing (whether that's epub or something else). But vendors won't do that unless they feel like they don't have a choice. For that to happen, someone is going to have to do an epub reader right -- in marketing, price, and features -- to compete with the Kindle. Sony is probably the closest to Kindle, in terms of users, but they've got a fair distance to go in terms of visibility and "mindshare". I think if Barnes & Noble come out with a good epub device, and sell it in stores, along with a good ad campaign and promotions,
that could end up being a big deal.
The very nature of file formats mean that no format is necessarily immortal. There's no more reason to think that MOBI or AZW will die out than that PDF will. Look how long the DOC format has been around for. Epub does stand more of a chance since it's XML underneath, but changes in which tags are used, how the information is formatted, etc., could occur over time.
Acid-free paper is probably your best bet, if you're looking for longevity above all else.