Re: [school-discuss] Digital textbooks

[Bill Kendrick <nbs@xxxxxxxxx>]

On Sun, Jul 12, 2009 at 11:33:43AM -0400, Evan Leibovitch wrote:
>    The Kindle is technologically a good step forward, but it is should not
>    and cannot be used for a number of reasons:
> 
>    1) It's a proprietary format
>    2) DRM is mandatory
>    3) Only available in the US
>    4) All book distribution must flow through Amazon

This is true of content sold via the Amazon store, and accessible over
their 'whisper net'.  However, you can use non-DRM MobiPocket format
(Amazon's format is apparently just MOBI with a DRM wrapper), and you
can use a USB cable to upload books to the Kindle, regardless of where
you got them and what country you're in.


>    I have been working for many months on the "epub" format, which is an open
>    standards-based alternative to the Kindle that is supported by a number of
>    companies including Sony, Google, Adobe and others. The most popular
>    Kindle alternative is the Sony ebook reader but there are alternatives.

I agree.  EPUB certainly sounds like the way to go.  If you haven't seen it,
look at the open source 'Calibre' set of tools for generating EPUB (as well
as some other ebook formats).

-bill!
(Maintaining and development the website that allows ebook self-publishing
is my day job ;) )