What Will You Do?

[Andanzas]

In my case, sometimes it takes me years to read a book I've purchased: I probably buy more books than I can read (and I also use the public library very often). When I bought the Reader, I thought I would never buy from Connect, but I was wrong; it simply changed my habits a little bit: When it comes to DRM-ed books, I only buy a book if I am going to read it right away. I am not really worried about the future of those books, partially because I agree with Liviu_5 and partially because I don't usually reread either.

PS: Why is this thread in this forum?

[NatCh]

Originally Posted by Andanzas

PS: Why is this thread in this forum?

Most likely a matter of a new user (welcome, by the way, Colt. ) not knowing the forum as well as the old hands, but you're right, the Lounge is probably a better fit for this discussion (some topics don't really fit anywhere, and we just kinda deal with that, but this one seems like it would be more comfortable in the Lounge). I'll go ahead an move it there.

To answer Colt's question, I'm buying the things I want long term access to in non-DRM formats (Baen is my fu-weeeeend!), or DRM formats that I can easily de-DRM, so that I'll have a much better shot at keeping access. However, stuff that I don't think I'm likely to want to read again, I don't mind buying in DRMed formats ... if the price is good enough, anyway. My 2¢ worth.

[HarryT]

Originally Posted by Kilarney

One other thought...

Technology is always changing. The file you have now, while readable in the future, won't be terribly appealing in the future.

For example, in today's world, what good is a bunch of TXT documents? Do you really want to go through the hassle of converting them all? Even if you do, they won't look as good as documents created specifically for LRF, PDF, etc.

My point is that technology will change. Better e-book formats will be created. You'll just want to get that new format down the road. So don't worry about archiving today's content. Treat an e-reader as a "here and now" device - nothing more.

The benefit of text (or HTML, or RTF) as an archival format is precisely that technology does indeed change. I don't know what I'll be reading my eBooks on in 10 years time, but whatever it is, it's a pretty safe bet that I'll be able to either read txt/html/rtf directly on it, or else easily convert them to whatever format my unknown future device does use.

LRF/PRC etc are good reading formats, but as closed, proprietory formats they aren't a good choice for long-term archival.

[Colt]

I apologize for the incorrect forum, I actually looked at each subject line before choosing the Which Should I Buy area... Since this does pertain to which you might want to buy (format wise). That and the Lounge specifically says unrelated ebook topics. :P Thanks for the welcome, Natch! Your review of the Reader is actually what lead me to this site in the first place.

I see the point about being able to convert from some DRM formats and making the choice to go that route if so. My real issue is that right now I don't have that much money so if I'm paying nearly the same price for these books as print, and something were to happen to them... Well, that'd be damn annoying. But really, after hearing various opinions I don't think it's as much of an issue. Plus the Sony CONNECT store seems to have a lot of "fluff" books anyway that I wouldn't be buying. - Colt

[DMcCunney]

Originally Posted by JSWolf

What I am doing is purchasing content I can remove the DRM from and then convert to some other format so when things change, I'm not left out in the cold. It's possib;e this may be legal in the USA. But even if not, I don't find it unethical at all.

Technically, it may be illegal. In practice, who cares? You don't, and neither does the content provider, as long as all you are doing is creating unprotected archival copies for yourself. If you break the DRM and then start merrily sharing the unprotected copy with the known internet, it's a different matter.
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Dennis

[JSWolf]

Originally Posted by DMcCunney

Technically, it may be illegal. In practice, who cares? You don't, and neither does the content provider, as long as all you are doing is creating unprotected archival copies for yourself. If you break the DRM and then start merrily sharing the unprotected copy with the known internet, it's a different matter.
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Dennis

The only sharing I'd do is with anyone who's connected to my Connect account. That being my wife and if I can get a reader via the CC offer, then my mother-in-law. Other then that, I do not share with others.

[Nate the great]

I would try to raise the funds to hire one of the developers here to port FBReader and/or Mobipocket to the Sony Reader.

I know it sounds crazy, but it's not entirely outside the realm of possibility.

[DMcCunney]

Originally Posted by Colt

I'd like this to not turn into a giant debate on DRM vs. non-DRM content but simply... What will you do? Buy all of those books again? Go back to paper? What? Needless to say, I think this is the biggest issue making me wary of buying an ebook reader at this point. - Colt

Personally, I don't buy DRMed ebooks. I want to download content once, and read it on whatever device I happen to have available. Since there isn't an agreed upon standard format that everyone supports and all ebook viewers display, I sidestep the matter by getting content in HTML and converting for Plucker, a free, open source offline HTML viewer for my PalmOS PDA.

There's a lot of material out there in that format, from Project Gutenberg, the Baen Free Library, and other sources. More that I want to read than I have time for, in fact. I figure if I can learn to read a book with each eye, I might have a chance of catching up.

For stuff I want that is only available in unconvertible DRMed ebook form, I buy the paper edition. I happen to like paper books, and have several thousand.

I'm not enthused by current ebook viewer devices because I need a device that does other things besides display ebooks, hence my use of a PDA for the purpose.
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Dennis

[DMcCunney]

Originally Posted by JSWolf

The only sharing I'd do is with anyone who's connected to my Connect account. That being my wife and if I can get a reader via the CC offer, then my mother-in-law. Other then that, I do not share with others.

Which means the content provider doesn't care. Way more time and expense than it's worth to come after you for something like that.

There's a chap on a list I'm on whose was going on about comic books, and the fact that every comic book issued was scanned and available through file sharing within 24 hours after release, and who did he talk to at Marvel or DC to help stop it? The blunt answer was no one, because they didn't care. They didn't make their money from the comics -- they made it from licensing the works for films (Spiderman 1, 2, and 3, anyone?). They weren't about to waste the time and money going after the folks sharing the scanned files in what would ultimately be a futile effort.
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Dennis

[NatCh]

Originally Posted by Colt

I apologize for the incorrect forum, I actually looked at each subject line before choosing the Which Should I Buy area... Since this does pertain to which you might want to buy (format wise). That and the Lounge specifically says unrelated ebook topics. :P

No need to apologize, this is one of those things that could go more than one place, and doesn't really go any one place. In fact, just 'cause I moved it to the lounge isn't any indication that even I think that's where it "should" go, just that seemed a better fit.

Originally Posted by Colt

Thanks for the welcome, Natch! Your review of the Reader is actually what lead me to this site in the first place.

Shucks, that makes me feel all warm and fuzzy! Seriously, though, thanks for telling me that, Colt, it makes it worth the effort of writing it.

[RWood]

There are reference books that I have used over and over again throughout the years. There are also many more books that I have read and discarded. There is also a group of books I keep around because I feel better just knowing that I can read them again if I want to.

Of late I have been going through a lot of the books here and sending a bunch of them to the local library to do with as they please. Some they keep while most are consigned to book sales to raise money for the library to buy other things that they think they need more than the books I donate. (I gave them to the library to do as they please, it does not bother me if they dispose of them. After all, I disposed of them.)

Like Harry and Jon before, I am not one to buy a lot of DRM books for the Sony Reader. After the $50 credit ran out the few books I buy for the Reader are generally LIT format that I convert to LRF. Of late I have stumbled on Fictionwise and their eMagazines -- Analog, Asimov's, etc. They are not DRM'd but even so I have never been a magazine collector.

[Colt]

I'm sure at this point I want to buy the Reader unless something spectacular comes out of nowhere or Sony goes out of business. I've looked at the Bookeen CyBook 3 but for some reason it doesn't tickle my fancy, the controls or its supposed advantages... Plus it's too damn tall to fit in my vest pocket! And it cost more for what seems to be a lesser package.

I just wish the Alaska Permanent Fund Dividend were here now instead of October 3rd. It's projected at $1575 for this year so I could easily buy the reader, cradle, and a few books from the Connect store that I'm really interested in (like the Manifold series bundle by Stephen Baxter). It would be nice if I could qualify for the Sony offer here but I doubt with my credit rating or age they'd allow such a travesty. Ah well, I'll simply have to lurk around this forum and glean information about things until I can lay my actual hands on one.

Another question: Where should I actually buy a Sony PRS-500 Reader from? Best Buy's website seems to be the only reliable place they're selling them. The "manager" at the local Best Buy made all sorts of erroneous claims about it, why they didn't have it, and then proceeded to show me a small PDA and tell me it was just like it... Not that this really lessened my faith in Best Buy's actual knowledge of anything since it was pretty low to begin with. Directly from Sony itself? How does that work out? Thanks again. - Colt

[igorsk]

Originally Posted by Nate the great

I would try to raise the funds to hire one of the developers here to port FBReader and/or Mobipocket to the Sony Reader.
I know it sounds crazy, but it's not entirely outside the realm of possibility.

I was sort of planning to port FBReader but was bogged down by other projects recently. Maybe I'll have some time to look at it later...

[JSWolf]

Originally Posted by igorsk

I was sort of planning to port FBReader but was bogged down by other projects recently. Maybe I'll have some time to look at it later...

That would be awesome! I hope you can do it.

[Andanzas]

Originally Posted by Colt

I apologize for the incorrect forum

No need to apologize! You see, NatCh has more than 5,000 messages and still doesn't know where to put a thread. I would vote for Content myself.



Anyway, your question is very interesting and that's what matters.