eBooks printable?
- Thread starter Tino
- Start date
I'd say just go to ereader.com, and they have a bunch of free eBooks (some old classics like The Time Machine). You can download one of those and the free eReader program, and use that to test whether reading an eBook will be physically acceptable to you. That's my suggestion. 
The lack of printing availability renders ebooks as only temporary medium, which makes it an illegitimate form for literature - it's just a preview as far as I'm concerned. Thankfully Pocket Books realizes this and, at least in the case of the SCE novelllas, releases print versions eventually, for which they should be congratulated. But as a consumer I have pledged never to intentionally support anything connected to DRM, whether MP3s, e-books or crippleware, and so far this policy hasn't affected my quality of life one bit.
Cheers
Alex
Cheers
Alex
Bloody hell. This old chestnut again?
Haven't we ground this argument into the dust enough times already? Or does everybody need their moment to bitch about a format they'll never read for whatever reason they've dreamt up?
"E-books suck!"
"You're a technophobe!"
"(Fill in the blank standard anti-eBook argument)"
"(Fill in the blank standard pro-eBook argument)"
Lord and lady, can't we just bury this tiresome hatchet in some computer somewhere and be done with it?
Haven't we ground this argument into the dust enough times already? Or does everybody need their moment to bitch about a format they'll never read for whatever reason they've dreamt up?
"E-books suck!"
"You're a technophobe!"
"(Fill in the blank standard anti-eBook argument)"
"(Fill in the blank standard pro-eBook argument)"
Lord and lady, can't we just bury this tiresome hatchet in some computer somewhere and be done with it?
The only complaining I'm seeing here is you, Terri. Tino expressed his opinion (an opinion I share), which is completely within his rights, without any ill will towards anyone or anything. So please don't stir the pot. Thank you.
Let's play a game, shall we?
"The lack of ability to put them in your pocket renders hardcovers as only temporary medium, which makes it an illegitimate form for literature - it's just a preview as far as I'm concerned. Thankfully Pocket Books realizes this and, at least in the case of the Star Trek hardcovers, releases paperback versions eventually, for which they should be congratulated."
The implication that not being in print somehow makes eBooks illegitimate is as ridiculous as saying that, by having a web presence, the journalism in newspapers is illegitimate.
The notion that being in print is the only thing that conveys legitimacy is, frankly, insulting to everyone who's written an original eBook. I know, as the editor of a line of same and a writer of many, I'm insulted.
As for the original question, I am once again amused by the notion of complaining about reading on a screen in a forum that requires its users to read on a screen.
The Trek eBooks are novellas, a quarter of the length of a Trek novel, and there's no law that says you have to read it all in one sitting. When you download an eBook, spend a half hour that you'd normally spend here or elsewhere on the 'net and spend it reading the eBook. It's no different.
Anyhow, it'll be several years before we see Slings and Arrows in print form, if at all. If you want to read the stories, I suggest giving them a shot.
That's the second-most nonsensical thing I've read online today. Countless paper books over the past several centuries have been printed on acidic paper that decays over time, making them a temporary medium. Countless works of short fiction over the past several centuries have been printed in magazines, which are generally considered a disposable medium. Does that mean that all those novels and stories have been "illegitimate forms of literature" just because they weren't carved in granite? For that matter, granite can erode or be shattered. All printing media are temporary; it's just a question of how long it takes for them to wear out.
For that matter, what about live theater or live concerts? Are those performances illegitimate because they aren't recorded in any lasting form at all? When in the history of human civilization has permanence ever been a precondition for legitimacy of a creative work?
^ Probably that thing about the McDonalds worker getting arrested for making a hamburger that's too salty...
I was thinking in terms of the pre-printing press days, when the Bible had to be hand-written laboriously in order to share copies.
And warehouse fires, such as the one at Nostalgiaworld, which destroyed all copies of several collections of the Star Trek newspaper strip and the original artwork.
Or the first "Marvel Masterworks" volume of "Fantastic Four", for which actual, acid-saturated, rare FF #1-12 comics had to be forfeited to recreate the production plates!
And, as Christopher said, live concerts and plays where no one thought to record them for posterity.
Star Trek eBooks will outlast most of the above. Temporary? Illegitimate?
Fair enough. Even though reading a book takes much longer than reading a few paragraphs and thus is more stressing for the eyes. So it comes down to people having no problem with that and peole having a problem with that. For the latter, c'est la vie. You can't have everything.
If it's alright with you, I'd say let's put an end to this thread as my original question has been answered. :-)
ETA: boy howdy is this edited.
Okay, let's try mellowing this one out a little.
This was not one of those topics that are supposed to be about the content of an ebook and turn into a debate about the format; it was started to ask about the format. Pointing out the weaknesses of the format is entirely relevant.
I think SCE is great, I love that Pocket is doing some interesting experiments in storytelling using the format. A lot of good people and good writers are contributing to the Star Trek universe through the ebook format. But the format is a problem for some people.
ETA: reading a forum and reading a book are not the same thing.
Okay, let's try mellowing this one out a little.
This was not one of those topics that are supposed to be about the content of an ebook and turn into a debate about the format; it was started to ask about the format. Pointing out the weaknesses of the format is entirely relevant.
I think SCE is great, I love that Pocket is doing some interesting experiments in storytelling using the format. A lot of good people and good writers are contributing to the Star Trek universe through the ebook format. But the format is a problem for some people.
ETA: reading a forum and reading a book are not the same thing.
I have my moments.
I may be a trifle cranky because my wife is out on strike and where I work we're waiting to find out who's going to get laid off in the next month or so. I am not brimming with good cheer, and I apologize if I've offended anyone.
I may be a trifle cranky because my wife is out on strike and where I work we're waiting to find out who's going to get laid off in the next month or so. I am not brimming with good cheer, and I apologize if I've offended anyone.
Amen. I'm glad someone else realizes this and it's not just me.
You know, I was going to reply to this taking of my name in vain, but life's too short, and I've got far better things to do, like beat my head against a wall. (Don't everybody cheer at once.)
I'll just leave you with this one thought. SNW ended. That means any line can end out of nowhere, when you least expect it. What will you do when the inevitable happens and there are no more SCE eBooks to get those paperback reprints you all love so much from? Why should there be a paperback reprint of Slings and Arrows if nobody gives a fat damn about the eBooks? Y'all have these paperback reprints because of the eBooks. Not supporting the eBook program? That's really not that far removed from not supporting SNW now, is it?
I'll just leave you with this one thought. SNW ended. That means any line can end out of nowhere, when you least expect it. What will you do when the inevitable happens and there are no more SCE eBooks to get those paperback reprints you all love so much from? Why should there be a paperback reprint of Slings and Arrows if nobody gives a fat damn about the eBooks? Y'all have these paperback reprints because of the eBooks. Not supporting the eBook program? That's really not that far removed from not supporting SNW now, is it?
Well, from my linked rant: "I buy the ebooks to support the line and support the authors, but I've read maybe one downloaded ebook so far, in two or three years of buying them."
After reading the first few SCE paperback collections, I started buying the electronic versions. I started with S.C.E. 29 (Aftermath) and I've bought every Pocket Trek ebook since. I'm doing my part to support the line financially.
After reading the first few SCE paperback collections, I started buying the electronic versions. I started with S.C.E. 29 (Aftermath) and I've bought every Pocket Trek ebook since. I'm doing my part to support the line financially.
