E-book
The expression e-book , (syn: livrel or bouquinor) can indicate several different things:
- a work whose information was digitized and is available as an electronic file;
- an electronic medium of this digitized text, which perhaps either the physical support (CD, electronic Carte), or the logical, virtual support i.e. the file containing the text;
- various portable electronic devices whose speciality is the posting of such electronic files.
The apparatuses e-book (reader)
One e-book is a technical device which makes it possible to restore a text under electronic format. It is indeed what could approach more of the traditional book: autonomous, portable, light, it allows only the reading plus some additional functions authorized by the miniaturization of the electronics components, without that not penalizing autonomy and size.
The equipment which is used to present digitized texts is generally a Laptop of size similar to that of a work paper. Taking into account the resources limited by the size and of the extreme specialization of this machine it is generally only possible to download and read numerical books.
It would be necessary to add that the interface of reading is for the moment mainly a screen, which can have various formats (just like paper), to use varied technologies which will make posting more or less pleasant, readable (quality of paper) and to influence the size of the apparatus. Revolutionary screens are promised to us for this type of machine, as simple as a sheet of paper whose ink is written and is erased in an electronic way. One sees in particular the increasing appearance of e-books functioning thanks to the use of electronic Papier, light, flexible, easy to read and consuming little energy. In the place of a screen to reading with the eyes, we can also imagine an interface Braille, loudspeakers or other interfaces still to be perhaps invented.
Moreover, since the e-book object makes it possible to store several works, it is more a wandering Bibliothèque than a simple digitized book.
Apparatuses based on the technology of the electronic Ink
- IRex iLiad
- Sony Librie (in Japanese)
- Sony Reader
- Jinke Hanlin Reader
- Bookeen Cybook (already available in France)
- Amazon Kindle (the United States only)
The files e-book
-
the e-books available on Internet “are generally printed” in the format pdf,
- the format CHM, Microsoft Compressed HTML Help,
- the format Docbook, created at the origin for technical documentations,
- the format FictionBook (.fb2), used in particular in Eastern Europe and Russia
- the format Microsoft Reader (.lit)
- the free format Open Publication Structure
- Although they are not a priori intended for books, the formats HTML, rtf and rough text are usually used to diffuse works of the public domain, or works for which the author chose a free diffusion.
Software of reading of e-books
Free software
- FBReader (formats TXT, HTML, FB2, rtf,…), available for Windows, Linux and various mobile devices
- Sumatra pdf, available only for Windows
Software owners
- Adobe Acrobat Reader (pdf only), available for Windows, MacOS, Linux, and various mobile devices
- Foxit Reader (pdf only), available for Windows
- Microsoft Reader (.lit only), available for Windows and mobile devices Windows CE
Software of creation of document pdf
Free software
- OpenOffice.org, available for Windows, MacOS and Linux
- PDFCreator, available for Windows
Software owners
- Adobe Acrobat, available for Windows and MacOS
- Foxit (pdf only), available for Windows
Software of creation of document Docbook
Free software
- Jaxe, available for Windows, MacOS and Linux
Comparison with the printed books
Advantages
- the scan for words in the text;
- No obstruction, whatever the number of books: several hundreds, even thousands of books can be stored on CD (or a Memory card for reader) according to the formats used;
- Easy to copy;
- Low costs of production;
- Low costs of reproduction;
- Makes it possible to save paper and ink.
- Access to certain works which were not reprinted any more by the editors
- Accès to new works quasi instantaneously and constantly, from the mode of distribution
Disadvantages
- the readers of livrels are generally not compatible with all the possible formats of file;
- One e-book does not offer (still) the same comfort of reading as of the Papier;
- By definition, the e-books need electricity;
- the systems of numerical Gestion of the rights locking the majority of the commercial books bring their own list of disadvantages:
- prevents the diffusion of works by the loan,
- constitute a risk of censure to the profit of those which control these systems,
- in case of a change of medium, the user will have Re-to download the whole of its works containing an electronic bolt associated with this medium,
- the problems of already quoted formats are exacerbated by prohibition to convert the book of a format towards the other.
The word
E-book is the French translation of English electronic book, e-book or eBook. Of Québécois origin, the livrel term or livrél is a contraction of the words: delivers and electronic.
See too
- Numeric library
- Project Gutenberg
- Open Publication Structure
External bonds
Numerical paper
- numerical paper
- numerical paper, notes technical
- Journal on numerical paper: a reality
- numerical Paper soon available
Numeric library
- Books of philosophy in the public domain
- Works fallen into the public domain
- Gallica: numeric library
- eLibrary - Open Ebooks Directory (in)
Simple: E-book