3 ms·

When I'm 85 I'll still be able to open a book I bought in 2012 and read it. Text on paper ain't never changing file format.

36erhefg 11y ago
You make an excellent point. With the prevalence of DRM and ownership, someday you might not be able to read your book, either due to old unsupported device or a format, or even the company going bankrupt. Even if neither of this happens, at some point the standards will change. If you don't use the "cloud" and risk the lockout, you will probably need to backup you information. The hardware changes, physical books don't. This is a worry for some.
Turing_Machine 11y ago
EPUB is HTML, and that's not going anywhere, either.
- 36erhefg 11y ago
  Op is talking about time-spans longer than we've had the internet. Don't flatter yourself by thinking you can predict the future. ( Ironically, neither Firefox nor Opera opened a .epub file out-of-the-box. So much for compatibility. )
  - JupiterMoon 11y ago
    True but html has the advantage of being a text based markup. The chances are that a text editor in 2050 will open an epub are fairly high. I don't know what the odds of being able to view a 2015 .mobi file at all in 2050 is.
    - JupiterMoon 11y ago
      I'm wondering if the downvoters really think that plain text will be unreadable in 35 years? Seems strange. I can open asci files from the 1970's just fine today...
  - Turing_Machine 11y ago
    HTML still isn't going anywhere. Not with trillions of pages, it isn't. We can still read cuneiform writing, and that's been around considerably longer. "Ironically, neither Firefox nor Opera opened a .epub file out-of-the-box. So much for compatibility. " An EPUB is a collection of ZIPed HTML files. Change the extension to .ZIP, unzip, open. ZIP isn't going anywhere, either.
    - 36erhefg 11y ago
      You are taking a strawman position. Take a look at the bigger picture, my other comment, and reevaluate.
xbmcuser 11y ago
You wont be able to read it without using a magnifying glass or maybe even hold it up with your hands because of its weight if its a big heavy book. http://kindle-demographics.blogspot.sg/

36erhefg 11y ago

You make an excellent point. With the prevalence of DRM and ownership, someday you might not be able to read your book, either due to old unsupported device or a format, or even the company going bankrupt. Even if neither of this happens, at some point the standards will change. If you don't use the "cloud" and risk the lockout, you will probably need to backup you information. The hardware changes, physical books don't. This is a worry for some.

Turing_Machine 11y ago

EPUB is HTML, and that's not going anywhere, either.

36erhefg 11y ago
Op is talking about time-spans longer than we've had the internet. Don't flatter yourself by thinking you can predict the future. ( Ironically, neither Firefox nor Opera opened a .epub file out-of-the-box. So much for compatibility. )
- JupiterMoon 11y ago
  True but html has the advantage of being a text based markup. The chances are that a text editor in 2050 will open an epub are fairly high. I don't know what the odds of being able to view a 2015 .mobi file at all in 2050 is.
  - JupiterMoon 11y ago
    I'm wondering if the downvoters really think that plain text will be unreadable in 35 years? Seems strange. I can open asci files from the 1970's just fine today...
- Turing_Machine 11y ago
  HTML still isn't going anywhere. Not with trillions of pages, it isn't. We can still read cuneiform writing, and that's been around considerably longer. "Ironically, neither Firefox nor Opera opened a .epub file out-of-the-box. So much for compatibility. " An EPUB is a collection of ZIPed HTML files. Change the extension to .ZIP, unzip, open. ZIP isn't going anywhere, either.
  - 36erhefg 11y ago
    You are taking a strawman position. Take a look at the bigger picture, my other comment, and reevaluate.

xbmcuser 11y ago

You wont be able to read it without using a magnifying glass or maybe even hold it up with your hands because of its weight if its a big heavy book. http://kindle-demographics.blogspot.sg/