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Originally Posted by S/V Willow
1/ What do you mean when you talk about Adobe, DRE, pdf bookmarks etc etc etc. Maybe someone here could set up a dictionary with all these and an explanation of what they all mean in simple terms?
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DRM = Digital Rights Management. There are many DRM schemes but they all have the same purpose. To prevent usage of a file by anyone other than the purchaser.
Adobe sells a DRM system for ebooks. They also make an application
Digital Editions that allows for managing and transferring files to supported ebook readers. Meaning you buy the book, put it in the software and it manages allowing which devices you can read the file on.
PDF is a format for holding text and images. It is not a good ebook format. It is a very good print format. This is because when you look at a PDF it is defined by actual pages. These pages correspond to physical pages and when printed the printed page will look the same as on the computer. An ebook format like EPUB does not define physical pages. Making the text size and layout able to adjust to the size of the screen. A PDF has a set size so a 8.5x11 PDF page will not look correct on a 5" ebook reader. While an EPUB file will because it can be reflowed (the ability for text and images to adjust to the size of the screen).
Quote:
Originally Posted by S/V Willow
2/ I live on a yacht so MONEY is our biggest problem so what should I be looking for when angling for the longest term usage and being able to move the books to another reader many years down the line?
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Anything without DRM that is supported by
calibre will work but EPUB is what most people say is best. DRM is really what stops long term storage because your books will only work as long as device support the DRM scheme. calibre is an ebook management application that also supports converting from various ebook formats to other formats. It however does not deal with DRMed ebooks. It can manage them in the library but it can not authorize devices to view them and it cannot convert them.
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Originally Posted by S/V Willow
3/ I want to be able to upload books anywhere in the world from probably public internet cafes. Does this influence the ereader I choose?
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Pretty much every reader is seen by the computer as an external storage disk. Like a thumb drive or external hard drive. The Sony PRS-500 is the only one I know of that doesn't work this way. However, you will have to consider how locked down the cafe's computers are. Will it allow external devices to be connected for instance.
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Originally Posted by S/V Willow
4/ What are the best, easiest, cheapest, user friendly ebook sites?
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Fictionwise is my favorite for pay content. This forum has an amazing selection of public domain works in a variety of formats.
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Originally Posted by S/V Willow
6/ I believe that I cannot access Amazon books because I won't be getting a Kindle. Is that right?
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Yep. kindle books only work on the kindle.