Comments on: ‘Tower of E-Babel’ a GOOD thing? http://www.teleread.com/chris-meadows/tower-of-e-babel-a-good-thing/ News & views on e-books, libraries, publishing and related topics Tue, 14 Feb 2012 18:09:50 +0000 hourly 1 http://wordpress.org/?v=3.2.1 By: Greg M. http://www.teleread.com/chris-meadows/tower-of-e-babel-a-good-thing/comment-page-1/#comment-1072764 Greg M. Fri, 05 Jun 2009 01:02:06 +0000 http://www.teleread.org/2009/06/04/tower-of-e-babel-a-good-thing/#comment-1072764 "Google plans to sell its Google Books as cloud-only: you access them on-line via browser rather than saving them to disk." Who actually reads whole, full length books this way? I suppose there are some people somewhere that do, but I find it hard to believe most readers finishing a 500 page plus book in an eformat on a browser while connected to the Internet. Or what about books like "The Reality Dysfunction" at 1120 pages? Who would try that with cloud-only access? But on a Kindle (or other eInk device) you can read long works. “Google plans to sell its Google Books as cloud-only: you access them on-line via browser rather than saving them to disk.”

Who actually reads whole, full length books this way? I suppose there are some people somewhere that do, but I find it hard to believe most readers finishing a 500 page plus book in an eformat on a browser while connected to the Internet. Or what about books like “The Reality Dysfunction” at 1120 pages? Who would try that with cloud-only access? But on a Kindle (or other eInk device) you can read long works.

]]> By: Steve Jordan http://www.teleread.com/chris-meadows/tower-of-e-babel-a-good-thing/comment-page-1/#comment-1072598 Steve Jordan Thu, 04 Jun 2009 17:34:14 +0000 http://www.teleread.org/2009/06/04/tower-of-e-babel-a-good-thing/#comment-1072598 Publishers... they're so silly! Imagine thinking they could be saved by "an ebook world so complicated that only the savviest players will be able to cover every corner of it," that would somehow protect them from Amazon. When Amazon IS the most savvy electronic distributor out there. Certainly more savvy than those publishers are. Who honestly believes more complexity makes it easier for the smaller players to play? It's exactly the opposite: Make things simpler to make it better for the smaller players. And in terms of simpler, fewer formats goes a long way. (Easier pricing models, no DRM, etc, help.) (Sigh) Sometimes you feel like you're signing to a blind man... Publishers… they’re so silly!

Imagine thinking they could be saved by “an ebook world so complicated that only the savviest players will be able to cover every corner of it,” that would somehow protect them from Amazon.

When Amazon IS the most savvy electronic distributor out there. Certainly more savvy than those publishers are.

Who honestly believes more complexity makes it easier for the smaller players to play? It’s exactly the opposite: Make things simpler to make it better for the smaller players. And in terms of simpler, fewer formats goes a long way. (Easier pricing models, no DRM, etc, help.)

(Sigh) Sometimes you feel like you’re signing to a blind man…

]]> By: Richard Askenase http://www.teleread.com/chris-meadows/tower-of-e-babel-a-good-thing/comment-page-1/#comment-1072560 Richard Askenase Thu, 04 Jun 2009 16:19:00 +0000 http://www.teleread.org/2009/06/04/tower-of-e-babel-a-good-thing/#comment-1072560 I can't see this replacing ebook readers. Sometimes (often) I just want to sit in a chair and read, NOT looking at my laptop. I can’t see this replacing ebook readers. Sometimes (often) I just want to sit in a chair and read, NOT looking at my laptop.

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