SERVICE: Easily Convert Documents To ePub Format

Sunday, January 29, 2012

http://www.makeuseof.com/dir/2epub-convert-document-files-popular-epub-format/

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2epub is an free to use website that will be useful for anybody who owns an eBook reading device. The site lets you convert popular document file formats to the ePub format. You can provide the site with the URL of your documents or upload them straight from your hard drive – up to 5 files can be provided to the site in a single conversion.

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Here you can make anything into an ebook for your reader.

You’d think that businesses would be adopting this BIG TIME.

They can’t even handle email.

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TECHNOLOGY: Push back against Apple, IBOOKS2, and IBOOKS2_AUTHOR

Tuesday, January 24, 2012

http://www.zdnet.com/blog/open-source/the-poor-get-poorer-and-the-rich-get-richer-with-apples-ipad-based-textbooks/10186

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Here’s the strike back against Apple’s IBOOKS2.

Apple had the opportunity to break the marketplace open and whiffed.

(1) It’s IOS only and doesn’t support EPUB. In fact Apple’s format is reportedly a broken form of EPUB. Like what Microsoft does, take an open format and break it by extension.

(2) It crony capitalism as Apple enlists the Big Textbooks in locking things up by DRM.

(3) The restrictions on IBOOKS2_AUTHOR are onerous and expensive for authors.

(4) I’m no fan of Gooferment diktats, but this sure looks like an illegal tie in and restraint of trade.

What it does do is to popularize the questioning of expensive text books!

With Open Courseware and Open Text Books?

Look at all the classics in the public domain. Despite bookstores, Apple, and Amazon trying to sell them. Project Guttenberg for me.

And, with the ability to “publish” ebooks and print books cheaply, it will encourage folks to “roll their own”. Lulu print volumes under 25$ a copy and the ebook versions are basically free with no restrictions. Amazon’s Create Space is cheap; although I just saw a hint they were “revising” their offering.

It’s going to collapse the market, imho.

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Posted by reinkefj