What "freedoms" do you value in relation to your ebooks? - Page 3

pwalker8 · 10-24-2014, 06:18 PM

My biggest is the ability to buy a book and be able to format shift it however I want. The first several on the list are basically variations on the same theme. As long as I have the tools to de-DRM and then shift between formats and devices, then I'm fine.

JSWolf · 10-24-2014, 09:13 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Katsunami

LOL

It's not even an ereader optimized font. I wonder why so many publishers insist on including it. Just don't set a font, and use small images for special headers.

For plain out-of-the-box fonts, Charis SIL is not bad. But because it was pretty well made and supports most things you'll need in eBooks, I was able to make an optimized version that looks even better. I do look forward to seeing how the normal Charis SIL looks on an H2O because the new Carta screen is supposed to show the fonts a little bit darker then pearl did.

The problem is that a lot of Readers use a lousy default font and the publishers want to make the eBook look better and Charis SIL does look better then most default fonts. Sometimes it's because they need charters that they cannot rely on being in a default font or whatever font the user chooses. So if it's in Charis SIL and the user overrides it and doesn't get all the characters, it's not the publisher's fault.

DiapDealer · 10-24-2014, 09:35 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by JSWolf

The problem is that a lot of Readers use a lousy default font and the publishers want to make the eBook look better and Charis SIL does look better then most default fonts.

Quite simply put: no it doesn't. It renders thin and jagged and cheesy. But the worst strike against it--by far--is the fact that I just don't want it. If the BPH's are going to shove a font down my throat, the least they could do is spring for one specifically optimized for ereaders, instead of digging around in the old "hey look this one's free!" barrel.

JSWolf · 10-24-2014, 09:48 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by DiapDealer

Quite simply put: no it doesn't. It renders thin and jagged and cheesy. But the worst strike against it--by far--is the fact that I just don't want it. If the BPH's are going to shove a font down my throat, the least they could do is spring for one specifically optimized for ereaders, instead of digging around in the old "hey look this one's free!" barrel.

I've seen a lot worse used when the publisher is trying to achieve the same look as the pBook. A popular font for that is Adobe Garamond. It just comes out way too thin. I don't mind Charis SIL. In fact, that's why I chose it to modify. I wanted to try to fix it so I could have a font that works well with ePub and KF8. And it does just that. But the regular Charis SIL is better then the default font used on most eInk Readers and this includes the Kindles. If you think Charis SIL is bad, Cecelia is a lot worse. It's like taking Courier and making it variable width.

SteveEisenberg · 10-24-2014, 10:05 PM

Obviously, it's the same as with paper books. The freedom to read without content being censored.

It's nice to be able to get eBooks from public libraries, but I'm not personally going to use the word freedom when it comes to pricing or terms of service.

I could see adding to the OP survey something like this:

To be able to borrow AZW eBooks from the library without Amazon computers storing my reading list.

Am I equating this slight privacy issue with the serious eBook censorship practiced in many non-democratic countries? No.

View Poll Results: What freedoms are very important to you in relation to your ebooks?
To be able to backup my ebooks in a format readable even if the Vendor is no longer around.	102	94.44%
To be able to read my ebooks on any device I choose.	97	89.81%
To be able to read my ebooks in any application I choose.	73	67.59%
To be able to easily convert my ebooks between formats.	83	76.85%
To be able to purchase ebooks at prices significantly lower than the same paper title.	54	50.00%
To be able to opt-out of monitoring of your reading habits and collecting of data about your reading.	65	60.19%
To be able to purchase ebooks without geographical restrictions.	60	55.56%
To be able to borrow ebooks from libraries.	63	58.33%
To be able to purchase ebooks free of DRM.	71	65.74%
To be able to lend ebooks to family and/or friends.	44	40.74%
To be able to re-sell your ebooks.	19	17.59%
Other. (Please post details).	5	4.63%
Multiple Choice Poll. Voters: 108. You may not vote on this poll

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10-24-2014, 06:18 PM	#31
pwalker8 Grand Sorcerer Posts: 7,196 Karma: 70314280 Join Date: Dec 2006 Location: Atlanta, GA Device: iPad Pro, iPad mini, Kobo Aura, Amazon paperwhite, Sony PRS-T2	My biggest is the ability to buy a book and be able to format shift it however I want. The first several on the list are basically variations on the same theme. As long as I have the tools to de-DRM and then shift between formats and devices, then I'm fine.

10-24-2014, 10:05 PM	#35
SteveEisenberg Grand Sorcerer Posts: 7,354 Karma: 42994616 Join Date: Jun 2008 Location: near Philadelphia USA Device: Kindle Kids Edition, Fire HD 10 (11th generation)	Obviously, it's the same as with paper books. The freedom to read without content being censored. It's nice to be able to get eBooks from public libraries, but I'm not personally going to use the word freedom when it comes to pricing or terms of service. I could see adding to the OP survey something like this: To be able to borrow AZW eBooks from the library without Amazon computers storing my reading list. Am I equating this slight privacy issue with the serious eBook censorship practiced in many non-democratic countries? No.