Comments for The Digital Reader http://www.the-digital-reader.com The Best News and Info on Ebooks and eReaders Sun, 05 Feb 2012 14:51:48 +0000 hourly 1 http://wordpress.org/?v=3.3.1 Comment on When Did Apple Become the Monolithic, Evil Voice it Fought in the Iconic 1984 Commercial? by Nate Hoffelderhttp://www.the-digital-reader.com/2012/02/04/when-did-apple-become-the-monolithic-evil-voice-it-fought-in-the-iconic-1984-commercial/#comment-37927 Nate Hoffelder Sun, 05 Feb 2012 14:51:48 +0000 http://www.the-digital-reader.com/?p=30034#comment-37927 Do you recall last yer when Apple decided that all of the media apps needed to pay them a cut? It started with the ebook apps but later expanded to include Netflix, Hulu, and other services. If that wasn't evil, it was at least unethical. It also wouldn't have been possible without their monolithic control of iOS. I'm sure my readers could cite other examples. Do you recall last yer when Apple decided that all of the media apps needed to pay them a cut? It started with the ebook apps but later expanded to include Netflix, Hulu, and other services. If that wasn’t evil, it was at least unethical. It also wouldn’t have been possible without their monolithic control of iOS.

I’m sure my readers could cite other examples.

]]> Comment on New Update for Pandigital Novel (Black 7″) Adds Android Market by Kristiehttp://www.the-digital-reader.com/2011/12/30/new-update-for-pandigital-novel-black-7-adds-android-market/#comment-37926 Kristie Sun, 05 Feb 2012 14:40:34 +0000 http://www.the-digital-reader.com/?p=28139#comment-37926 Hey, i downloaded the file, and its stuck in my downloading file. I dont know how to copy it. The only thing it will let me do is cancel the download. Can you help me out please? Hey, i downloaded the file, and its stuck in my downloading file. I dont know how to copy it. The only thing it will let me do is cancel the download. Can you help me out please?

]]> Comment on When Did Apple Become the Monolithic, Evil Voice it Fought in the Iconic 1984 Commercial? by Adrianhttp://www.the-digital-reader.com/2012/02/04/when-did-apple-become-the-monolithic-evil-voice-it-fought-in-the-iconic-1984-commercial/#comment-37925 Adrian Sun, 05 Feb 2012 14:34:53 +0000 http://www.the-digital-reader.com/?p=30034#comment-37925 Apple is tightly controlled, and may not be everyone's cup of tea, but to call them a "monolithic, evil voice" is simply crazy. I can understand the basic errors in logic that might seduce one into such an opinion; - feeling that entities that make one angry must be evil, and mistaking that feeling for substantive evidence; - baselessly presuming evil intent as motivation for actions that one doesn't like (as the commenter did above, re: enclosed batteries); - the justifiable drive to focus one's criticism on the most powerful offenders; ...and more. A balanced consideration of the actual facts of the situation reveals a different situation. Apple's iBook e-publishing terms, while annoying, are much better than comparable terms within the publishing industry, from other publishers. iBooks is not a word processing application; it is a publishing tool. I use Apple products, but I'm happy to also be a Linux user. Apple is a for-profit company that has produced tremendous gains for the computing public by promulgating their computer-as-an-appliance framework. We need to preserve other forms of computing, but we should be rational about our assessment of Apple et al as we do so. Apple is tightly controlled, and may not be everyone’s cup of tea, but to call them a “monolithic, evil voice” is simply crazy.

I can understand the basic errors in logic that might seduce one into such an opinion;
- feeling that entities that make one angry must be evil, and mistaking that feeling for substantive evidence;
- baselessly presuming evil intent as motivation for actions that one doesn’t like (as the commenter did above, re: enclosed batteries);
- the justifiable drive to focus one’s criticism on the most powerful offenders;
…and more.

A balanced consideration of the actual facts of the situation reveals a different situation. Apple’s iBook e-publishing terms, while annoying, are much better than comparable terms within the publishing industry, from other publishers. iBooks is not a word processing application; it is a publishing tool.

I use Apple products, but I’m happy to also be a Linux user. Apple is a for-profit company that has produced tremendous gains for the computing public by promulgating their computer-as-an-appliance framework.

We need to preserve other forms of computing, but we should be rational about our assessment of Apple et al as we do so.

]]> Comment on Indigo Joins the Amazon Boycott by Nate Hoffelderhttp://www.the-digital-reader.com/2012/02/04/indigo-joins-the-amazon-boycott/#comment-37922 Nate Hoffelder Sun, 05 Feb 2012 13:38:09 +0000 http://www.the-digital-reader.com/?p=30039#comment-37922 Counting the backlists, I think Amazon's catalog is closer to 100 titles. Counting the backlists, I think Amazon’s catalog is closer to 100 titles.

]]> Comment on When Did Apple Become the Monolithic, Evil Voice it Fought in the Iconic 1984 Commercial? by fjtorreshttp://www.the-digital-reader.com/2012/02/04/when-did-apple-become-the-monolithic-evil-voice-it-fought-in-the-iconic-1984-commercial/#comment-37917 fjtorres Sun, 05 Feb 2012 12:03:17 +0000 http://www.the-digital-reader.com/?p=30034#comment-37917 Planned obsolescence. Why do you think iPxxx devices have sealed batteries? And crappy ones good for barely 18 months, at that? Some folks are into their fifth or sixth iPod. That's how you squeeze blood from a stone. Planned obsolescence.
Why do you think iPxxx devices have sealed batteries? And crappy ones good for barely 18 months, at that?
Some folks are into their fifth or sixth iPod.
That’s how you squeeze blood from a stone.

]]> Comment on When Did Apple Become the Monolithic, Evil Voice it Fought in the Iconic 1984 Commercial? by Mike Canehttp://www.the-digital-reader.com/2012/02/04/when-did-apple-become-the-monolithic-evil-voice-it-fought-in-the-iconic-1984-commercial/#comment-37901 Mike Cane Sun, 05 Feb 2012 02:00:02 +0000 http://www.the-digital-reader.com/?p=30034#comment-37901 Steve Jobs. Computer as appliance. The Mac was the first all-Jobs creation. A sealed box, unlike the Wozniak created original Apple computer that could be opened and that had slots. Competitors are stupidly following the Jobs formula. They need to think like Wozniak. What if the heart of a tablet was on a board that could be swapped out to upgrade it? That'd cost far less than an entire tablet. Something someone should be thinking about. Steve Jobs. Computer as appliance. The Mac was the first all-Jobs creation. A sealed box, unlike the Wozniak created original Apple computer that could be opened and that had slots.

Competitors are stupidly following the Jobs formula. They need to think like Wozniak. What if the heart of a tablet was on a board that could be swapped out to upgrade it? That’d cost far less than an entire tablet. Something someone should be thinking about.

]]> Comment on How to Save $170,000 on Textbooks by Used Textbooks Still Offer A Better Value Than Rental, Digital - The Digital Readerhttp://www.the-digital-reader.com/2011/11/12/how-to-save-170000-on-textbooks/#comment-37897 Used Textbooks Still Offer A Better Value Than Rental, Digital - The Digital Reader Sat, 04 Feb 2012 23:54:54 +0000 http://www.the-digital-reader.com/?p=26422#comment-37897 [...] that way unless and until open source textbooks become popular. They have all of the benefit and none of the cost. /**/ Tags:7 Comments so far ↓ Robert // Feb 2, 2012 at 4:09 pm You are absolutely right. I [...] [...] that way unless and until open source textbooks become popular. They have all of the benefit and none of the cost. /**/ Tags:7 Comments so far ↓ Robert // Feb 2, 2012 at 4:09 pm You are absolutely right. I [...]

]]> Comment on Used Textbooks Still Offer A Better Value Than Rental, Digital by Nate Hoffelderhttp://www.the-digital-reader.com/2012/02/02/used-textbooks-still-offer-a-better-value-than-rental-digital/#comment-37896 Nate Hoffelder Sat, 04 Feb 2012 23:54:12 +0000 http://www.the-digital-reader.com/?p=29943#comment-37896 Yes, but I do tell readers to compare prices. It's up near the beginning of the post. Yes, but I do tell readers to compare prices. It’s up near the beginning of the post.

]]> Comment on Grid Detective – New Free Kindle App by Nate Hoffelderhttp://www.the-digital-reader.com/2011/09/22/grid-detective-new-free-kindle-app/#comment-37894 Nate Hoffelder Sat, 04 Feb 2012 22:49:19 +0000 http://www.the-digital-reader.com/?p=24528#comment-37894 Because the KF isn't a Kindle. It's an Android tablet running the Kindle Android app. Because the KF isn’t a Kindle. It’s an Android tablet running the Kindle Android app.

]]> Comment on When Did Apple Become the Monolithic, Evil Voice it Fought in the Iconic 1984 Commercial? by just_jeepinhttp://www.the-digital-reader.com/2012/02/04/when-did-apple-become-the-monolithic-evil-voice-it-fought-in-the-iconic-1984-commercial/#comment-37893 just_jeepin Sat, 04 Feb 2012 22:24:53 +0000 http://www.the-digital-reader.com/?p=30034#comment-37893 If Adobe would port the Creative Suite to Linux, I'd drop my Mac and switch to Ubuntu or LinuxMint. But as a graphic designer, the open source alternatives are horrible. And even though Apple has become evil, OSX is still better than Windows. If Adobe would port the Creative Suite to Linux, I’d drop my Mac and switch to Ubuntu or LinuxMint. But as a graphic designer, the open source alternatives are horrible. And even though Apple has become evil, OSX is still better than Windows.

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