Re: Weasels? (was RE: [dvd-discuss] CTEA Protects WhatCopyrights?)

["John Zulauf" <johnzu(at)ia.nsc.com>]

Richard Hartman wrote:
> 
> I'm confused.  WeaselReader seems to be
> a new name for GutenPalm ... am I right?

yup.

> 
> It's probably all right for monolithic
> texts such as the ones from Gutenberg,
> but since the Baen books have HTML I
> prefer to keep the TOC with links.  iSilo
> does a good job.

The ones that came with "War of Honor" (which I haven't read yet, as I'm
only on book 3) came in several formats including "MobiPocket" which has
the TOC.  The MobiPocket Reader basic was a free download (and has a PC
version), so I went with that.

> obDMCA: Baen is strongly anti-encrypted etext.

I appreciate this greatly.  Certainly I'm going to Amazon a copy of "On
Basilisk Station" to my mother (a fellow bookworm). Baen's contention
that free works create sales is certainly true in my case.  However, as
the PC/PDA capable populace grows (and better devices arise) I'm not
sure Baen's vision is sustainable.  Eventually the bulk of the market
goes any from dead tree books.  The webscriptions model at Baen is too
pricey (IMHO) to attract much business.  

It's an interesting challenge and Baen is certainly trying to "get it"
but I'm not sure "it" is going to work without a dramatic decrease in
average revenue per title.  Without the dead trees and money going to
the channel (wholesale/retail margins), maybe they (Baen) break-even
(assuming the "newspaper box" effect protects them from massive
infringing copying).  Today, it works. Tomorrow, I dunno.