HGiles: Answered your first question in the post you quoted. I use my ereader for books that are reflowable text, not for ones that need a fixed layout.
Technically, the text should be reflowable (the epub format is), but some elements like pictures and tables inherently aren't (same is true for websites which tend to be the poster child of reflowable content when designed right) and textbooks tend to have more than their fare share of those.
I've had problems with those on documents where the rest of the text reflowed smoothly on a 9.7 inches ereader.
HGiles: Making a technical device is complex, and an audience of a few million really isn't enough to support a device with the kind of breakage problems that a large ereader would have. Since there's already multifunction tablets at that size I think we have to wait for improvements in LCD technology to decrease eyestrain.
Fair enough.
HGiles: Epub isn't nearly as generic as its supporters would like you think. There's several different flavors of epub engines, and the idea that epub books render the same everywhere is laughable. epub3 also poses its own intense security risks that no one on the design committee is willing to talk about, so I completely understand app developers being wary of adding epub3 features to their app. Adobe hasn't even released their epub3 renderer yet.
Well, pdf and epub were the two main formats I encountered in all the DRM-free bookstores I purchased from.
Either one or the other (usually both) have been included.
There is no security risk to speak of for DRM-free content from legitimate stores.
From the store's perspective, they don't need copy-protection because the content is DRM-free and from the costumer's perspective, he doesn't need to worry about the content doing something it shouldn't, because it was purchased at a legitimate end point.
Security comes into play once they want to put DRM or once you get content from untrusted sources, but for the purpose of buying DRM-free stuff from legitimate sell points, the security of the format is a non-issue.
HGiles: A book in basically any DRM-free format can be converted into another format. Epub isn't unique in that.
Please, no. The various formats are a nightmare to navigate with videos (what info is lost in the conversion, will it display properly on such and such a device, etc). You don't want the same story for ebooks.
No conversion, standard format only pls.
HGiles: If you're selling something, why should you support your competitor's store for that item?
Because customer needs comes first and it's the right thing to do for your customer?
In any places were there isn't a collusion of interest, that is what content distributors strive to do (strive because resources are a constraint and the various end-point platform don't always make it easy).
When you make a website, you don't want it to show properly only on a mobile device or on a desktop or on such and such a browser.
Similar line of thought when you release a desktop app.
You want to extend your coverage as much as possible.
That should ALWAYS be the case. As far as I'm concerned, the system is misbehaving when it stops being the case.
HGiles: Businesses exist to make money. There are certainly moral aspects to DRM-free, but businesses wouldn't stay in business if it didn't make business sense. Adobe keeps making their DRM scheme make less and less business sense.
That's where we disagree.
I think the #1 priority of business is to provide a sustainable service (which includes putting food on the table and a roof over those providing it).
After that, the priority of a business starts being a subjective concept.
