A silly question: what is the advantage of ePub for a reader?

[Terisa de morgan]

Hi,

I've listened so wonderful words about words that I would like to know which is the real advantage for a common reader person. I'm not talking about standard (I know html history and other standard, and I work with theoretical standards, so please, don't go there). No DRM is not a real reason, because it doesn't depend on format. So, which is its advantage over other formats? For a reader, remember, not a techie.

[JSWolf]

Originally Posted by Terisa de morgan

Hi,

I've listened so wonderful words about words that I would like to know which is the real advantage for a common reader person. I'm not talking about standard (I know html history and other standard, and I work with theoretical standards, so please, don't go there). No DRM is not a real reason, because it doesn't depend on format. So, which is its advantage over other formats? For a reader, remember, not a techie.

One really big advantage for the reader is that because a number of readers support or will support ePub, it means that you can take your ePub books across devices. Lets say you installed the ePub firmware for your Gen3 when it eventually comes out and then convert your eBooks to ePub. If say Sony comes out with a large screen reader and you decide you want one, you can keep your ePub eBooks and read them without having to convert to some other format. Also, if your reader supports ADE (Adobe Digital Editions) and your local public library supports ePub eBooks, you can borrow them from your local library.

[luqmaninbmore]

One big advantage is the ability to have larger images. Both Mobipocket and EReader formats impose limits on the size of images as a legacy of their PDA origins. This can be annoying if you have an image requiring detail, such as a map (why did I buy Tolkien in Ereader and not Epub?).

Another advantage is the ability to edit Epub directly without having to pull it apart and then recompile it. So if you notice typos or formatting problems, you can correct them yourself.

[Nate the great]

Originally Posted by luqmaninbmore

One big advantage is the ability to have larger images. Both Mobipocket and EReader formats impose limits on the size of images as a legacy of their PDA origins. This can be annoying if you have an image requiring detail, such as a map (why did I buy Tolkien in Ereader and not Epub?).

That's no longer true for Mobipocket. There is no effective limit for image size.

[JSWolf]

Originally Posted by Nate the great

That's no longer true for Mobipocket. There is no effective limit for image size.

It can still be a limit depending on which software is viewing the file. And even if there is no limit, publishers stick to the old limit.

[Barcey]

Until DRM is removed from the equation there isn't a real advantage to the end user. It's just another proprietary format.

I give credit to Amazon for at least being honest about using a proprietary format. Adobe is behaving worse by pretending to be using an open standard but they're just using DRM to make it proprietary. If reading ePub means that I'm stuck reading on Adobe Digital Editions there's no advantage. When the end user is able to select the reader software with the features of their choice then ePub will matter.

[K-Thom]

That's no longer true for Mobipocket. There is no effective limit for image size.

If you use the official Minipocket Creator (as I do), 64K for an image still is the limit. So, right, larger image files really are an advantage of epub. Just waiting for the first eInk color screen ...

Another advantage is the ability to edit Epub directly without having to pull it apart and then recompile it. So if you notice typos or formatting problems, you can correct them yourself.

True, but will an average reader actually open a file or even know how to open an epub file to correct typos? I doubt so. But it is an advantage for sure.

[wallflower75]

Originally Posted by luqmaninbmore

One big advantage is the ability to have larger images. Both Mobipocket and EReader formats impose limits on the size of images as a legacy of their PDA origins. This can be annoying if you have an image requiring detail, such as a map (why did I buy Tolkien in Ereader and not Epub?).

Another advantage is the ability to edit Epub directly without having to pull it apart and then recompile it. So if you notice typos or formatting problems, you can correct them yourself.

How exactly can you do that? Is it something that's fairly easy, or is it something that should be left to those who are more tech savvy?

[susan_cassidy]

It is easy to me, to run mobi2html on a Mobipocket file and then edit the HTML part, then run mobigen or Mobipocket Creator to put it back together.

[Sonist]

IMO, EPUB is a little more than just another format, which will only serve to further confuse the average consumer.

Yes, it does a few things better than mobi, etc., but ultimately it is still inadequate to faithfully represent complex layouts.

I tried to be more open-minded, but after due consideration, I now wish all of these formats would die a quiet death, before they totally turn off the public from ebooks.

PDF is by far the most popular current format, on screen, as well as web, and it can represent the most complex layout faithfully. If I have, say a Vogue Magazine file, I can read it today on something like an iRex (in grayscale), on my Mac laptop, on my Windows HTPC, or on my iMac.

Oh, and when full color, large screen e-readers show up a couple of years from now, that PDF file most likely will still be readable, in its full color glory, on them.

P.S. For the "plain-text" subscribers, text PDFs can now reflow on miniature screens, or if unhappy with that, why not just use plain old text...?

[K-Thom]

IMO, EPUB is a little more than just another format, which will only serve to further confuse the average consumer.

Yes, it does a few things better than mobi, etc., but ultimately it is still inadequate to faithfully represent complex layouts.

I tried to be more open-minded, but after due consideration, I now wish all of these formats would die a quiet death, before they totally turn off the public from ebooks.

PDF is by far the most popular current format, on screen, as well as web, and it can represent the most complex layout faithfully. If I have, say a Vogue Magazine file, I can read it today on something like an iRex (in grayscale), on my Mac laptop, on my Windows HTPC, or on my iMac.

Oh, and when full color, large screen e-readers show up a couple of years from now, that PDF file most likely will still be readable, in its full color glory, on them.

P.S. For the "plain-text" subscribers, text PDFs can now reflow on miniature screens, or if unhappy with that, why not just use plain old text...?

No, it can't. Ever tried it? Don't. It's not a pretty sight. And don't let me get into multi-column text pdfs ...

I still favor txt files. They're all an ebook file should be. Universal, open, non-proprietary, flexible, easily convertible, small. In short: they definitely ain't pdf ...

[Lilly]

For a person that use both, I prefer Mobi software. I'm having problems right now with Epud; when I open a book I can read it but it's not in my library, so when I maneuver away from the book, it's no longer there. I have to download it again. I never have that problem with the Mobi software.

[Elfwreck]

I'd prefer text if it allowed minimal markup: Bold, italic, page breaks, centered text. (I love eReader. I wish the dedicated ebook devices supported it.)

ePub's real advantage for the non-techie is its transferability--it's readable on many devices, and because it's an open-source format (a techie plus), it's likely to continue to be supported in the future.

Its editability is rather a techie plus, but it's a different kind of techie plus than most of the other ones; there are plenty of people who can edit HTML files but are lost in the morass of ebook format types and device compatibility issues.

[ahi]

It's a reasonably clean format that makes it suitable for conversion into a PDF that is actually typographically stomachable. Albeit mobipocket is better for that...

- Ahi

[Andybaby]

Originally Posted by luqmaninbmore

Another advantage is the ability to edit Epub directly without having to pull it apart and then recompile it. So if you notice typos or formatting problems, you can correct them yourself.

How? what program?