Does anyone browse the darknet library before buying an ebook?

[GeoffC]

Originally Posted by Sweetpea

There are so many books I already own the paperback/hardcover (or both) but that I don't read anymore, even though I'd love to. Right now, I can't even reach them (and I expect that condition to last for a few years longer), and even if I could, I'm starting to dislike reading paperbooks...

interesting, me too !

[lente]

Originally Posted by GeoffC

interesting, me too !

Me three.

My ereader is so much more comfortable to hold. I don't have books cluttering the house. Ebooks are immediately available. (when I can buy them). Many advantages.

[PKFFW]

Originally Posted by MovieBird

I'm curious if this attitude extends to the hungry and food. What, you can't afford cheese? Live on rice!

Doesn't it already?

There are plenty of foods I'd like to eat that I can't afford. I simply choose to eat something else instead.

If you mean does the attitude extend to those who can't afford any food at all, then I would say that it probably would if there was a huge pile of never ending food that anyone could eat at any time for free and that no person could ever eat enough to even taste everything in the pile. Sort of like there is with books. It's known as the public domain.

Originally Posted by lente

.....This is pretty much how it's been for most of our history.......

There is much in history that has changed. Just because it was one way for much of history doesn't mean it should continue that way in perpetuity.

As for the original question, I have sourced books from the darknet on the rare occasion. I'm willing to live with the karmic consequences of my actions and feel no need to make myself feel better about my decision with some excuse as to why I don't think it is "wrong"(for want of a better word).

Cheers,
PKFFW

[lente]

Originally Posted by PKFFW

Doesn't it already?
There is much in history that has changed. Just because it was one way for much of history doesn't mean it should continue that way in perpetuity.

But not all change is good.

[Sweetpea]

Originally Posted by lente

But not all change is good.

True, but sometimes the lack of change is reversal. And that's what I see happening with ebooks (and other digital media). Take Geographical Restrictions, for instance. We're living in a world, where borders are disappearing. Yet, because publishers don't want to look beyond their borders, they are actually created in the digital world. It is a strange world, indeed, if I can buy whatever I want, from wherever I want, as long as it's not digital.

[GeoffC]

Looking beyond GR, for the publishers it would increase their sales to have an International audience - don't they see that ?

[Sweetpea]

Originally Posted by GeoffC

Looking beyond GR, for the publishers it would increase their sales to have an International audience - don't they see that ?

You would think that, yes... Maybe they think because they don't speak one word over the border (as we say ), nobody does?

[Mercury]

I too, find that I often don't read the paper books that I buy or get from the library. They just don't feel right anymore.

Today I have the dilemma of whether or not to buy the paperback copies of the first 8 Charlaine Harris Sookie Stackhouse novels for £8.99 from the book people. No matter how cheap amazons uk ebook store is going to be it is not going to beat that price.

[GeoffC]

To their damnable loss !

I shall continue to favour those who are quite happy with the colour of my credit card !

[sabredog]

Originally Posted by GeoffC

Looking beyond GR, for the publishers it would increase their sales to have an International audience - don't they see that ?

They do seem to have their head in the ground ostrich style...

[Sweetpea]

ground and ostriches?

[Blue Tyson]

Originally Posted by sabredog

Same here.

I am not really worried about DRM or price as they do not mean a jot if I cannot actually even buy the ebook due to geographic restrictions.

Geographic restrictions force me to make the choice of obtaining a desired ebook from the darknet. I would be quite happy to buy the ebook if I could.

Australia: the country where you have to get your books for free.

[Sydney's Mom]

I used to if the book wasn't available (windowing). But after reading about lawsuits predicated on downloading from a piracy site, I am scared to go there anymore. (BTW, I have 4000 songs on my ipod, and didn't illegally download a single one.)

[EricDP]

My understanding is it is still legal (in Canada at least) to format shift. I have a lot of paper books... and I don't think it's fair dealing to pay full price (again) to get the electronic copies. Especially since the electronic copies with DRM etc. will probably stop working after a few generations of devices and my paper books will still work forever. So to temporarily format shift, I sometimes browse the Internet to see if anybody else has an electronic copy before I scan it.

[sakura-panda]

I'm in the Wouldn't-Know-How-To-Find-The-"Darknet"-Even-With-A-Map crowd. (Maybe it's just me. )

I've never felt that compelled to get ... anything ... that way. I have always been satisfied with the resources readily available to me.