For reading free books

[tompe]

Originally Posted by HarryT

I'm sure you'll get over your disappointment in time.

Which company is sponsoring you or which company do you support?

[pdurrant]

You seem to be confusing 'supports the eBook industry' with 'supported by the eBook industry'

And 'supports the eBook industry' means only that Mobileread does not condone copyright infringement.

Originally Posted by tompe

Is this an official policy statement? I did not know that and I am reluctant to support any industry. If this is an industry sponsored forum maybe that should be more visible.

[tompe]

Originally Posted by pdurrant

And 'supports the eBook industry' means only that Mobileread does not condone copyright infringement.

For me it does not mean that and I think this is a strange reading. But maybe I am misunderstanding the word "industry". I would not say that my MobiPerl belong to the eBook industry. Would you? And why should MobileRead support companies more than other efforts to stimulate eBook reading?

[tompe]

Originally Posted by pdurrant

And 'supports the eBook industry' means only that Mobileread does not condone copyright infringement.

Is encouraging people not to buy DRM:en material allowed if the policy is "supporting the ebook industry"?

[lilac_jive]

Originally Posted by tompe

Is encouraging people not to buy DRM:en material allowed if the policy is "supporting the ebook industry"?

You can buy non DRM books legally and still support the ebook industry.

I don't know about you, but I like my authors to get paid for their hard work.

[bigmoney]

The music industry finally learned that DRM only served to punish honest consumers: people that will pirate music will never have problems with DRM, but OTOH honest people like you and me that go there and pay 99 cents for a song get really disappointed when they find out (usually much later when a computer breaks or something) that they never really _owned_ those files, they just had the temporary right to use them in a specific device or set of devices. Apple will remove all DRM from their files in iTunes in the coming weeks, Amazon sells DRM-free songs for a while now, and guess what, they are making millions.

I am new to the ebook scene but I had a really bad taste in my mouth when BooksOnBoard asked me to enter my device ID so I could have the privilege of give them some of my money. I just hope they will let me re-download those files the day I get a new device (can anyone confirm that?)

There are lots of studies out there showing that if you remove DRM the piracy levels don't go up (why should they, there are ways to remove DRM anyway) and at the same time honest buyers will buy even more. So I think it would be great if more and more people here from MobileRead (no matter what the "official" position is) would start asking their favorite ebooks sites to sell DRM-free titles, ask the authors to put some pressure as well, and if DRM-free stores are created show their support by buying lots of their stuff. That doesn't have to mean "boycotting" sites that sell DRM'ed stuff, but just get yourself heard if you don't like DRM (and believe me, one day it will bite you) and educate people that don't know what DRM is (that is, most people out there).

BTW I don't think it's very nice to call the guy a pirate just because he mentioned P2P: there are tons of legal content in P2P networks. Just like there is lots of piracy going on through USB keys, email etc, and no-one assumes that someone is a pirate just because he or she got a USB key in their pockets.

Rant aside, for the original question, I would recommend the BeBook because it is the device that supports most formats, and locks you less into a specific vendor. But be warned that reading PDFs in ebook readers, especially the ones formatted for large page sizes like A4, is not that good. I prefer to read txt and rtf files in it.

[Dr. Drib]

It is my right - and one that I exercise - to download DRM'd books from Sony and/or Fictionwise, or any other place that I choose to purchase DRM'd books and from authors whom I admire and wish to read.

If this is read as supporting DRM, then so be it.

This is my opinion. I have read your opinion (and anyone else who decides to post on this issue who disagrees with my opinion).

In conclusion: I agree to disagree with anyone on this subject.

Remember: Have Fun!

Don

[lilac_jive]

Originally Posted by Dr. Drib

It is my right - and one that I exercise - to download DRM'd books from Sony and/or Fictionwise, or any other place that I choose to purchase DRM's books and from authors whom I admire and wish to read.

If this is read as supporting DRM, then so be it.

This is my opinion. I have read your opinion (anyone else who decides to post on this issue).

In conclusion: I agree to disagree with anyone on this subject.

Remember: Have Fun!

Don

Woohoo! I'm not alone! I buy my books from Sony.

[bigmoney]

Originally Posted by lilac_jive

You can buy non DRM books legally and still support the ebook industry.

I don't know about you, but I like my authors to get paid for their hard work.

Which DRM-free sites do you recommend? I would love to spend my hard-earned money there instead, even for a small premium.

[Nate the great]

Originally Posted by bigmoney

Which DRM-free sites do you recommend? I would love to spend my hard-earned money there instead, even for a small premium.

www.fictionwise.com (look for the multiformat)

www.webscriptions.net

[pdurrant]

It's interesting how people can interpret the same words differently.

To me it was a clear statement that Mobileread encourage people to read free out-of-copyright ebooks, and to buyand read in-copyright ebooks, but not to downloaded and read in-copyright ebooks without paying for them (except with the copyright holder's permission).

I'd say your MobiPerl was part of the ebook community, since you provide it, and the considerable amount of time you spend on it for free.

I'd say the eBook industry was made up of the companies that edit, publish, distribute and sell eBooks, in the process paying the authors.

I like having authors write stories for me to read. But I like having someone winnow the wheat from the chaff for me. So I support the ebook industry and ebook authors, by buying the in-copyright ebooks I read.

Originally Posted by tompe

For me it does not mean that and I think this is a strange reading. But maybe I am misunderstanding the word "industry". I would not say that my MobiPerl belong to the eBook industry. Would you? And why should MobileRead support companies more than other efforts to stimulate eBook reading?

[kacir]

Originally Posted by bigmoney

Which DRM-free sites do you recommend? I would love to spend my hard-earned money there instead, even for a small premium.

www.baen.com

Also check http://craphound.com/
Free (as in Freedom) books by Cory Doctorow

[bigmoney]

Thanks for the tips, lots of interesting DRM-free stuff on these 2 sites. Will pick something from Larry Niven at Fictionwise soon.

[Elfwreck]

Originally Posted by pdurrant

I'd say the eBook industry was made up of the companies that edit, publish, distribute and sell eBooks, in the process paying the authors.

I'd define "the eBook industry" as much larger than that--to me, it includes self-published authors and people & groups reformatting eBooks for different devices, the companies that make eBook software (including PDF software), people who do proofreading for projects like Gutenberg, and people who do link-roundups or maintain wikis that relate to ebooks.

The "eBook industry" is new (less than 20 years old), changes often, and doesn't yet have firm boundaries. I'd rather be inclusive about who's involved.

I suppose the eBook industry might include people distributing copyright-infringing torrents, but I took the original statement to mean, "MR supports the legitimate eBook industry." (Supporting the auto industry can include supporting those who sell pine-scented air fresheners that hang from rear-view mirrors. Sort of. It does not legitimately include those who steal hubcaps for a living.)

[tompe]

Originally Posted by pdurrant

It's interesting how people can interpret the same words differently.

To me it was a clear statement that Mobileread encourage people to read free out-of-copyright ebooks, and to buyand read in-copyright ebooks, but not to downloaded and read in-copyright ebooks without paying for them (except with the copyright holder's permission).

I'd say your MobiPerl was part of the ebook community, since you provide it, and the considerable amount of time you spend on it for free.

I'd say the eBook industry was made up of the companies that edit, publish, distribute and sell eBooks, in the process paying the authors.

I like having authors write stories for me to read. But I like having someone winnow the wheat from the chaff for me. So I support the ebook industry and ebook authors, by buying the in-copyright ebooks I read.

If you say you support the eBook industry you have made a choice of business model. If the best business model for eBooks is to pay authors directly then it seems strange to me not to support that. And if perfectly legal programs come into conflicts with companies interests in maintaining there market I am surprised that MobilRead would support the company.

To me it is obvious the MobileRead is about promoting mobile reading. And it is then an empirical questions how to do that best. Saying that a primary goal is supporting the eBook industry seems to me wrong but it would explain why some people here seems to support companies in issues even if evidence does not point in the direction of support for companies.