i said:
>   the _very_ next question -- becomes "how do we do that?"

oh yeah, did i mention that marcello has to buy your proposal?

i know what michael hart said -- and i have every reason to
believe that he actually believes it is true -- but the reality
of the situation is that marcello has the keys to the vault...

***

linda said:
>   Gutenberg could do that by
>   adding to the list of file types volunteers can upload,
>   one for HTML formated especially for MOBI conversion
>   (for those who do not have converters);
>   and one for MOBI (for those that do).

unlike robert, i do understand what you're saying here...

but, just to be clear, you got your "those who do not"
and "those who do" mixed up.  but accidents happen.

also, if volunteers submit an .html version that is friendly
to .mobi conversion, then there's really no need to submit
a .mobi version as well, since the conversion can be done
automatically using the mobi-conversion-friendly .html...

so there's just _one_ additional file being submitted...

still, the obvious surface reaction to that is that it would
create a whole bunch of extra work, both in the creation of
the e-books and their maintenance (initially and long-term).

even though that's an obvious reaction, it has much weight.

but there is a more interesting and subtle twist underneath,
one that points back to what i have been saying all along...
(you knew that was coming, didn't you?)         :+)

specifically, there would be a huge benefit if the volunteers
would upload .html files with a known underlying structure.

so...

what if volunteers _only_ uploaded the mobi-friendly .html?
left their hand-crafted idiosyncratic .html on their hard-drive.

could they do it?  or would you lose your post-processors?
they've been groomed to love their idiosyncratic versions...
really, the ability to craft the output to your heart's desire
is one of the big reasons post-processors do what they do.

but the result -- .html files that are unique, like snowflakes
-- means it is _impossible_ to do conversions library-wide...

unless you perform the conversions using the .txt version...

but that means you need to beef up the strength of those...
_and_ ensure that they have the consistency that's needed...

and thus we end up at what i have been saying all along...

it doesn't matter how many times y'all do this little dance,
you're gonna end up on my side of the argument in the end.

even marcello, who resisted it -- with venom! -- for years,
eventually had to relent, in order to get something to work.

and if you woulda listened to me _originally,_ 7 years ago,
you would have been way out ahead of the curve, so that
when things like the kindle came along, you would've been
ready and waiting to step into the place project gutenberg
_deserves_...  instead, you're still scrambling for a solution.

-bowerbird