future-proof Fictionwise multiformat choice ?

Eddie · 10-22-2009, 02:54 PM

I own a Rocket eBook and I finally took the plunge and subscribed to all the magazines that interest me on Fictionwise.
My question is: which format should I use as backup? I usually download the .rb files (which I read on my trusty old Rocket) and the .pdf files as a second option for the future. Is there a better future-proof format than PDF ?
Thanks !

Superlucky · 10-22-2009, 02:57 PM

I'm betting that epub will win the format wars.

Eddie · 10-22-2009, 02:59 PM

Can epub be converted to something else easily ?

TallMomof2 · 10-22-2009, 03:38 PM

Yes! Put Calibre on your PC and you can convert to most of the major formats.

ahi · 10-22-2009, 03:44 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Superlucky

I'm betting that epub will win the format wars.

Despite ePub being the best of all the bad choices, the day it "wins the format wars" is the day eBooks lose any chance of ever replacing paper books.

- Ahi

JSWolf · 10-22-2009, 03:45 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by ahi

Despite ePub being the best of all the bad choices, the day it "wins the format wars" is the day eBooks lose any chance of ever replacing paper books.

- Ahi

ePub has already won.

Superlucky · 10-22-2009, 04:17 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by ahi

Despite ePub being the best of all the bad choices, the day it "wins the format wars" is the day eBooks lose any chance of ever replacing paper books.

- Ahi

Do you mind explaining your opinion?

ahi · 10-22-2009, 05:27 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by JSWolf

ePub has already won.

You're as funny as ever, Jon.

A format that is incapable of professionally typesetting (a process that includes layout work, since professional typesetting is a bit of a dirty phrase around here) all (or at least the vast majority of) books is not a viable alternative to paper books.

Even reflow-enthusiasts rarely argue that reflow is viable for typographically complex books, and such books do make up a considerable percentage (if not downright the majority) of existent books.

eBooks today, with ePub and similar formats at least, are primarily novel readers... worse yet, primarily amateur fiction and romance novel readers.

Not everyone is willing to lay out hundreds of dollars for a computer whose associated commercial offerings cannot even match, never mind exceed, the quality of raggy $2.00 used paperbacks from the local used book store.

New functionality like variable font sizes, in-book links to facilitate sensible jumping about, et cetera are great... but they do not make the product viable if it fails to meet the bare minimum quality standards set by paper books for the last several centuries.

- Ahi

fugazied · 10-22-2009, 05:42 PM

PDF isn't even safe 'really', any proprietary technology which a private company holds can always end up in dire straights, not a really suitable format for archiving. I convert to epub and store on my mac (with time machine backups and Amazon S3 remote backups).

Hellmark · 10-22-2009, 05:46 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by fugazied

PDF isn't even safe 'really', any proprietary technology which a private company holds can always end up in dire straights, not a really suitable format for archiving. I convert to epub and store on my mac (with time machine backups and Amazon S3 remote backups).

PDF is an open format, NOT a proprietary one.

Donnageddon · 10-22-2009, 05:52 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Hellmark

PDF is an open format, NOT a proprietary one.

Yes, but it is still a completely useless crappy ebook format.

Shaggy · 10-22-2009, 05:55 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Eddie

I own a Rocket eBook and I finally took the plunge and subscribed to all the magazines that interest me on Fictionwise.
My question is: which format should I use as backup? I usually download the .rb files (which I read on my trusty old Rocket) and the .pdf files as a second option for the future. Is there a better future-proof format than PDF ?
Thanks !

Any format which will let you easily convert it to something else down the road if you have to, which is most of them. The biggest concern is getting rid of the DRM, but you've already taken care of that problem with their multiformat option.

DawnFalcon · 10-22-2009, 06:03 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by ahi

Despite ePub being the best of all the bad choices, the day it "wins the format wars" is the day eBooks lose any chance of ever replacing paper books.

In that case, it's allready lost. I hope you'll be leaving us.

An XML based format which is entirely capeable of displaying anything a webpage does...

Anyway... Eddie, I strongly recomend non-DRM'ed ePub where avaliable. It's an open standard.

Superlucky · 10-22-2009, 06:06 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by ahi

eBooks today, with ePub and similar formats at least, are primarily novel readers... worse yet, primarily amateur fiction and romance novel readers.

I think tons of people read PD works (i.e. "classics") and non-fiction. The ones I've read look every bit as good as cheap paperback versions of the same books.

Shaggy · 10-22-2009, 06:10 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by ahi

A format that is incapable of professionally typesetting (a process that includes layout work, since professional typesetting is a bit of a dirty phrase around here) all (or at least the vast majority of) books is not a viable alternative to paper books.

Is professional typesetting something that the average reader cares about?

10-22-2009, 02:54 PM	#1
Eddie Enthusiast Posts: 28 Karma: 338 Join Date: Apr 2008 Location: Bucharest, Romania Device: PocketBook 360, Kobo, Rocket eBook	future-proof Fictionwise multiformat choice ? I own a Rocket eBook and I finally took the plunge and subscribed to all the magazines that interest me on Fictionwise. My question is: which format should I use as backup? I usually download the .rb files (which I read on my trusty old Rocket) and the .pdf files as a second option for the future. Is there a better future-proof format than PDF ? Thanks !

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10-22-2009, 02:57 PM	#2
Superlucky Fanatic Posts: 581 Karma: 5952 Join Date: Aug 2009 Device: PRS-505, PRS-350	I'm betting that epub will win the format wars.

10-22-2009, 02:59 PM	#3
Eddie Enthusiast Posts: 28 Karma: 338 Join Date: Apr 2008 Location: Bucharest, Romania Device: PocketBook 360, Kobo, Rocket eBook	Can epub be converted to something else easily ?

10-22-2009, 03:38 PM	#4
TallMomof2 Kindlephilia Posts: 2,017 Karma: 1139255 Join Date: Nov 2007 Location: Snowpacolypse 2010 Device: Too many to count	Yes! Put Calibre on your PC and you can convert to most of the major formats.

10-22-2009, 05:42 PM	#9
fugazied Wizard Posts: 1,305 Karma: 1958 Join Date: Jan 2009 Device: iPod Touch	PDF isn't even safe 'really', any proprietary technology which a private company holds can always end up in dire straights, not a really suitable format for archiving. I convert to epub and store on my mac (with time machine backups and Amazon S3 remote backups).