Comments on: Beyond the POD grab: The IDPF should fight Amazon’s new eBabel, look for anti-trust violations, and reach out to Google http://www.teleread.org/blog/2008/03/28/the-idpf-should-stop-being-polite-remember-toys-r-us-give-amazon-hell-for-its-new-ebabel-look-for-anti-trust-violations-and-reach-out-to-google/ News & views on e-books, libraries, publishing and related topics Sat, 19 Jul 2008 15:24:09 +0000 http://wordpress.org/?v=2.5.1 By: Deborah Woehr » Backlash Over Amazon Monopoly Tactics http://www.teleread.org/blog/2008/03/28/the-idpf-should-stop-being-polite-remember-toys-r-us-give-amazon-hell-for-its-new-ebabel-look-for-anti-trust-violations-and-reach-out-to-google/#comment-747213 Deborah Woehr » Backlash Over Amazon Monopoly Tactics Sun, 30 Mar 2008 17:53:12 +0000 http://www.teleread.org/blog/2008/03/28/the-idpf-should-stop-being-polite-remember-toys-r-us-give-amazon-hell-for-its-new-ebabel-look-for-anti-trust-violations-and-reach-out-to-google/#comment-747213 [...] Beyond the POD grab: The IDPF should fight Amazon’s new eBabel, look for anti-trust violations, an... by David Rothman, TeleRead [...] [...] Beyond the POD grab: The IDPF should fight Amazon’s new eBabel, look for anti-trust violations, an… by David Rothman, TeleRead [...]

]]> By: Dear Amazon, What are You Thinking? http://www.teleread.org/blog/2008/03/28/the-idpf-should-stop-being-polite-remember-toys-r-us-give-amazon-hell-for-its-new-ebabel-look-for-anti-trust-violations-and-reach-out-to-google/#comment-747155 Dear Amazon, What are You Thinking? Sun, 30 Mar 2008 15:55:18 +0000 http://www.teleread.org/blog/2008/03/28/the-idpf-should-stop-being-polite-remember-toys-r-us-give-amazon-hell-for-its-new-ebabel-look-for-anti-trust-violations-and-reach-out-to-google/#comment-747155 [...] Beyond the POD grab: The IDPF should fight Amazon’s new eBabel, look for anti-trust violations, an... by David Rothman, TeleRead [...] [...] Beyond the POD grab: The IDPF should fight Amazon’s new eBabel, look for anti-trust violations, an… by David Rothman, TeleRead [...]

]]> By: David Rothman http://www.teleread.org/blog/2008/03/28/the-idpf-should-stop-being-polite-remember-toys-r-us-give-amazon-hell-for-its-new-ebabel-look-for-anti-trust-violations-and-reach-out-to-google/#comment-746413 David Rothman Sat, 29 Mar 2008 20:28:55 +0000 http://www.teleread.org/blog/2008/03/28/the-idpf-should-stop-being-polite-remember-toys-r-us-give-amazon-hell-for-its-new-ebabel-look-for-anti-trust-violations-and-reach-out-to-google/#comment-746413 Alan and Hadrien: Thanks. I think it would be great if one or both of you laid out exactly what Mobi needs to do to have full import capability, beyond what you've mentioned. Anything else? Thanks for pointing out yet other details of the current, confusing mess. People can see why I'd like the Kindle itself to have full, no-gotcha native rendering of .epub--and ideally without DRM, just the way Jeff is distributing his MP3s. The files could still have customers' names, digital watermarking, etc. If Amazon can fall into line on .epub, no small part of the rest of the world will follow. It is Jeff B's crime against e-bookdom that so far he and his people have refused to do this. Jeff is a detail guy. I doubt this is just a mid-management decision. Big thanks, David Alan and Hadrien: Thanks. I think it would be great if one or both of you laid out exactly what Mobi needs to do to have full import capability, beyond what you’ve mentioned. Anything else?

Thanks for pointing out yet other details of the current, confusing mess. People can see why I’d like the Kindle itself to have full, no-gotcha native rendering of .epub–and ideally without DRM, just the way Jeff is distributing his MP3s. The files could still have customers’ names, digital watermarking, etc.

If Amazon can fall into line on .epub, no small part of the rest of the world will follow. It is Jeff B’s crime against e-bookdom that so far he and his people have refused to do this.

Jeff is a detail guy. I doubt this is just a mid-management decision.

Big thanks,
David

]]> By: Hadrien http://www.teleread.org/blog/2008/03/28/the-idpf-should-stop-being-polite-remember-toys-r-us-give-amazon-hell-for-its-new-ebabel-look-for-anti-trust-violations-and-reach-out-to-google/#comment-746349 Hadrien Sat, 29 Mar 2008 19:07:38 +0000 http://www.teleread.org/blog/2008/03/28/the-idpf-should-stop-being-polite-remember-toys-r-us-give-amazon-hell-for-its-new-ebabel-look-for-anti-trust-violations-and-reach-out-to-google/#comment-746349 Yeah their import feature is limited. It's similar to what they already supported: they read the OPF file and parse every flow in it. The Main0-x items that you can see are the different flows that we use to produce a book (take a look at the EPUB Best Practice Guide, it's recommended to use multiple flows). They should at least parse the NCX file to create a proper TOC... Yeah their import feature is limited. It’s similar to what they already supported: they read the OPF file and parse every flow in it.
The Main0-x items that you can see are the different flows that we use to produce a book (take a look at the EPUB Best Practice Guide, it’s recommended to use multiple flows).
They should at least parse the NCX file to create a proper TOC…

]]> By: Alan Wallcraft http://www.teleread.org/blog/2008/03/28/the-idpf-should-stop-being-polite-remember-toys-r-us-give-amazon-hell-for-its-new-ebabel-look-for-anti-trust-violations-and-reach-out-to-google/#comment-746277 Alan Wallcraft Sat, 29 Mar 2008 16:54:34 +0000 http://www.teleread.org/blog/2008/03/28/the-idpf-should-stop-being-polite-remember-toys-r-us-give-amazon-hell-for-its-new-ebabel-look-for-anti-trust-violations-and-reach-out-to-google/#comment-746277 MobiPocket Reader does not import EPUB documents. For example, try importing Adobe's EPUB Best Practices Guide. It does import OEB 1.2 ebooks in an .epub container file. Feedbooks EPUB is OEB conforming, and you can tell that MobiPocket is not importing the EPUB parts of (say) A Raw Youth by looking at the TOC. In the EPUB this has parts and chapters and sections, but after converting to MOBI it has Main0 to Main34. MobiPocket Reader does not import EPUB documents. For example, try importing Adobe’s EPUB Best Practices Guide. It does import OEB 1.2 ebooks in an .epub container file. Feedbooks EPUB is OEB conforming, and you can tell that MobiPocket is not importing the EPUB parts of (say) A Raw Youth by looking at the TOC. In the EPUB this has parts and chapters and sections, but after converting to MOBI it has Main0 to Main34.

]]> By: David Rothman http://www.teleread.org/blog/2008/03/28/the-idpf-should-stop-being-polite-remember-toys-r-us-give-amazon-hell-for-its-new-ebabel-look-for-anti-trust-violations-and-reach-out-to-google/#comment-746136 David Rothman Sat, 29 Mar 2008 11:43:31 +0000 http://www.teleread.org/blog/2008/03/28/the-idpf-should-stop-being-polite-remember-toys-r-us-give-amazon-hell-for-its-new-ebabel-look-for-anti-trust-violations-and-reach-out-to-google/#comment-746136 Hi, Alan. As I see it, the big issue in the case of libraries isn't just the format, along with the DRM, but also the terms of service, which would seem to get in the way of loaning Kindles with library books on them. Of course, at the same time, I'm not particularly elated over the prospect of Amazon dominating library e-books, so perhaps that's a blessing. As for Mobi's .epub import capability, yes, it has existed for some months. I just now imported the .epub file of A Raw Youth (from Feedbooks) into Mobipocket Desktop. I don't know if .epub import is perfect and I'd agree that Mobi can't necessarily do full justice to .epub in various cases, but the capability is indeed there. People should try import in the "All files" mode. Thanks, David Hi, Alan. As I see it, the big issue in the case of libraries isn’t just the format, along with the DRM, but also the terms of service, which would seem to get in the way of loaning Kindles with library books on them.

Of course, at the same time, I’m not particularly elated over the prospect of Amazon dominating library e-books, so perhaps that’s a blessing.

As for Mobi’s .epub import capability, yes, it has existed for some months. I just now imported the .epub file of A Raw Youth (from Feedbooks) into Mobipocket Desktop.

I don’t know if .epub import is perfect and I’d agree that Mobi can’t necessarily do full justice to .epub in various cases, but the capability is indeed there. People should try import in the “All files” mode.

Thanks,
David

]]> By: Alan Wallcraft http://www.teleread.org/blog/2008/03/28/the-idpf-should-stop-being-polite-remember-toys-r-us-give-amazon-hell-for-its-new-ebabel-look-for-anti-trust-violations-and-reach-out-to-google/#comment-745922 Alan Wallcraft Sat, 29 Mar 2008 04:28:58 +0000 http://www.teleread.org/blog/2008/03/28/the-idpf-should-stop-being-polite-remember-toys-r-us-give-amazon-hell-for-its-new-ebabel-look-for-anti-trust-violations-and-reach-out-to-google/#comment-745922 We don't need yet another DRM-laden library ebook format (although I guess Adobe-only EPUB library ebooks are already exactly that). The is also no need for Kindle specific library ebooks, since the Kindle could today read MOBI library ebooks if Amazon allowed this. EPUB via conversion is still EPUB. Particularly given Amazon's conversion delivery service. However, the current MOBI (AZW) format may not be feature rich enough to display EPUB. MobiPocket has not released any EPUB import capability yet (except for the EPUB zip-based container). We don’t need yet another DRM-laden library ebook format (although I guess Adobe-only EPUB library ebooks are already exactly that). The is also no need for Kindle specific library ebooks, since the Kindle could today read MOBI library ebooks if Amazon allowed this.

EPUB via conversion is still EPUB. Particularly given Amazon’s conversion delivery service. However, the current MOBI (AZW) format may not be feature rich enough to display EPUB. MobiPocket has not released any EPUB import capability yet (except for the EPUB zip-based container).

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