Books in the cloud will be here on the 4th of April - 1984 made manifest

[Kali Yuga]

Originally Posted by murraypaul

In all of those situations the content is also available through 'normal' means.
In this example, the content owner will restrict access so that this is the only means of access, that is distinctly different.

Where are you getting the idea that whoever is putting this out will have exclusive access? Not that you are wrong, but I didn't see anything in the article that says this web-based system will be the only possible way to get that content.

And AFAIK, the Google Books project is going to be fully browser-based. To function offline, it uses a cached copy, but not one that you download and store like a typical ebook.

[Richey79]

Yes it's convenient, but...

I don't think the companies who are pushing these concepts of 'cloud computing' have any clue of how much public negative feeling there is about the idea of files being centrally stored and controlled.

Microsoft advertise 'join the cloud,' as if that is something that people in general will find an exciting proposal. Businesses maybe, but other than having my diary synched by Google (hypocricy, I know), the falling price of storage media means that owning your own files is still a pretty appealing proposition.

[kennyc]

Doubled edged sword as are most things. It's great to have books easily available (depending on pricing etc. ) but not so great to have them located somewhere other than your computer/ebook reader. If it's free, the cloud is great. If I pay for it, then I expect to be able to copy it to my device.

Originally Posted by kaleissin

The publishers in my country (Norway) are skipping over the entire "problem" of downloadable ebooks by hosting ebooks in the cloud and supplying apps to access them. Pricing per book will start from USD 50 or so, same as hardcover. Article in local paper (translated)

Now, this scares me more than I can properly express. If you thought Amazon was evil for deleting "1984" from Kindles... with apps like these they'll know what you read, when you read it, and where you read it (it phones home). The only way to share is to lend someone the device the app is on. Here comes the big one:

They can edit the content of the files any time they want to. And they see this as a good thing.

I should mention that the big publishers in Norway own all the big bookstore chains, so they already have a cartel on books. They have used this in the past to prevent others from selling and publishing books. I don't understand why the "gummint" allows them to do this but they always look the other way. Books are so precious that corruption is OK, apparently.

[murraypaul]

Originally Posted by Kali Yuga

And AFAIK, the Google Books project is going to be fully browser-based. To function offline, it uses a cached copy, but not one that you download and store like a typical ebook.

But as long as sanity remains in the Google/AG case, Google Books is no more important than any other store.

[AndrewH]

Originally Posted by kaleissin

... with apps like these they'll know what you read, when you read it, and where you read it (it phones home).

So?

[Barty]

Originally Posted by HarryT

That is a good thing. It's a very, VERY good thing. How often have you bought ebooks full of errors? This way, correct one central copy, and everyone gets the corrections automatically. That's wonderful!

If the book is full of errors, it's because the publisher doesn't care in the first place, not because they lack the technical mean to put out a decent copy.

On the other hand, if the publisher gets pressure from the Chinese govt, or US govt for that matter, or religious group, or private individuals in countries with lax libel laws, the publisher will be somewhat better motivated.

It won't be 1984, because the future is rarely dystopian in the way writers imagine, just perniciously creepy in a way accepted by most people.

[kaleissin]

Originally Posted by Kali Yuga

Where are you getting the idea that whoever is putting this out will have exclusive access? Not that you are wrong, but I didn't see anything in the article that says this web-based system will be the only possible way to get that content.

There will be paper-versions but no other way of getting them electronically.

[kaleissin]

Originally Posted by cfrizz

In your case I would say the darknet is a wonderful alternative!

Why would a pirate bother with books written in a language used by less than five million people?

[kaleissin]

Originally Posted by karunaji

Probably, these are rare technical books with small target audience that can bear with these little inconveniences.

No, it's just about all books written in the language Norwegian. Already, Norwegians who read a lot usually read mostly English because the book prices are insane. There's a sale every other year, to empty the warehouses. Outside the sale, books may not be sold to reduced prices. Mass market paperbacks start at about USD 25.

The three big publishers own the entire chain except for the paper mills. Bookstores, distributors, the lot.

[Kali Yuga]

Originally Posted by kaleissin

There will be paper-versions but no other way of getting them electronically.

What is your source for this claim?

Again, not that you're wrong, but the translated version of the article doesn't indicate it is an exclusive deal, and I'm not turning up anything else in the news on this.

[bZkindle]

chocolate rations just keep going up.

[JSWolf]

So this cloud is going to host the eBooks and then the app will allow you to download them so you can read off-line? I don't see this as a problem if that's what it is. ADE is like that. I download from some server someplace and thn the eBook is on the system for me to read off-line.

[karunaji]

Originally Posted by kaleissin

No, it's just about all books written in the language Norwegian. Already, Norwegians who read a lot usually read mostly English because the book prices are insane.

That is the price of cultural and linguistic exclusivity of a small nation. If more people start reading English, publishers will have to rise prices even more to break even.

Why would a pirate bother with books written in a language used by less than five million people?

Ha, there are less than 1.5 Latvian speakers and yet availability of pirated books are quite significant. Prices in bookstores vary but in general translations are cheaper than original English editions.

[tilia]

Originally Posted by kaleissin

There will be paper-versions but no other way of getting them electronically.

@kaleissin, this is just not true. You should really read this:

http://www.bokbasen.no/ebok/11025282.0

Example of the process of e-books with DRM technology and the Sony Reader:

2. Install Adobe Digital Editions
3. Create Adobe ID

7. Download e-book

It's going to work just like ADE works everywhere else. The only difference is that you don't download your books from the different bookstores, but from one single site.

“Actors behind the Norwegian Book Database (DnBB) have combined to develop a platform for deploying e-books. This is to ensure a channel that will fulfill the local needs of the Norwegian market. The solution will give Norwegian bookstore chance to share the infrastructure costs associated with marketing and sales of e-books. DnBB is no e-book store, but technical distributor.”

http://blogg.bokskya.no

The price of the books is a whole different story...

[tompe]

Originally Posted by HarryT

That is a good thing. It's a very, VERY good thing. How often have you bought ebooks full of errors? This way, correct one central copy, and everyone gets the corrections automatically. That's wonderful!

It is not a good thing because then you do not have a stable version that you can make references to. If they make a new version with a new version number and make all versions available then it is a good thing.