Remember eBooks?

Beyond Numbers, Feb/Mar 2004 by Mikusch, Rita

In an electronic book (eBook), the words are represented electronically instead of by ink on paper. just a few short years ago, the arrival of eBooks was seen as a death knell for the traditional publishing industry, as many envisioned electronic-book readers taking the place of paperbacks and hardcovers. But this transition hasn't come to pass, and todays technology news is full of stories about the demise of yet another eBook company, as well as articles analysing the flaws inherent in the eBook concept.

How do eBooks work?

To read an eBook, you need both a software application and computer hardware. The software application required to read an eBook depends on the electronic format that was used to create the eBook. The available software applications include Adobe Acrobat Reader, IBM BookManager, and Microsoft Reader (Adobe Acrobat Reader is also used to read the PDFs many websites make available for visitors.)

The computer hardware can consist of a hand-held computer, such as a palm pilot, or your desktop computer. The appropriateness of the hardware again depends on the format that was used to create the eBook, and also on the software "readers" that are available for that particular hardware platform. (A number of hand-held electronic-book readers designed solely for reading ebooks used to be available, but many are no longer manufactured due to lack of sales.)

Proprietary standards are prevalent in the eBook industry. Specific hardware will require specific eBook software applications, which, in turn, will only read eBooks designed for that particular hardware/software combination. One organization that's trying to solve this problem and create a common standard for the creation and distribution of eBooks is the Open eBook (OEB) Forum (www.open ebook.com). As a trade and standards organization, the OEB's mission is to promote the development of eBook standards that will benefit content creators, reading-system manufacturers, and consumers alike.

Are eBooks practical?

Well, it all depends on your needs. Unlike a paperback or hardcover, you can't use your desktop computer, laptop, or probably even your hand-held reader whilst having a bath (Oops! Drop it in the tub and there goes a few hundred dollars, not to mention a shock!). And paper versions are much easier on the eyes. We all know that staring at a computer screen can cause eye fatigue, and the displays on electronic-book readers are no better-these displays are low in quality compared to paper. Also, the batteries run out too quickly, many of them can be rather bulky, and they're expensive.

You can, however, fit a few dozen large textbooks into a book reader the size of one paperback-a boon for medical students, for instance. Travellers could also benefit by carrying their own personal libraries around with them in a small lightweight device. In addition, print-on-demand books can be a convenient way to distribute books that have low readerships, or to create custom readings for university students. Similarly, downloadable audio files could be a great replacement for books-on-tape: manufacturers wouldn't have to worry about pre-recording audio tapes-audio files could simply be paid for online and downloaded as required.

In summary, eBooks are useful for specific audiences, but aren't practical enough to cause the disappearance of print books anytime soon.

Resources

Want to learn more about eBooks? Here are a few Internet links:

Project Gutenberg:

www.gutenberg.net/index.shtml.

The Internet's oldest producer of free electronic books, Project Gutenberg is responsible for digitizing old, out-of-copyright books and making them available to the public for free. The aim of the project is to make these books readable by just about any simple text editor on every computer in the world in the foreseeable future. The project's teams of volunteers are building an archive to last for centuries.

University of Pennsylvania:

http://onlinebooks.library.upenn.edu/lists. html.

UPenn has created on online index of 20,000 English works that are available free online for personal, non-commercial use. You can search by author and title or browse through the listings by author, title, or subject.

University of Texas at Austin (UT):

www.lib.utexas.edu/books/etext.html. This page at UT's website contains a huge list of links to online eBook resources. Many of these links offer books you can read online or download for free. You could spend all day exploring the links on this page alone.

WEBSITE FEATURES

Is there anything you'd like to see added to the ICABC website? Email your suggestions and ideas to me at mikusch@ica.bc.ca.

buying an eBook?

just don't drop it in the tub!

By Rita Mikusch, Webmaster