On Tue, Nov 22, 2005 at 09:06:22AM -0700, Lee Passey wrote:
Gutenberg9443@aol.com wrote:
The OEBFF is a file format proposed by Garth Conboy and John Rivlin, now of eBook Technologies, which uses the Multipurpose Internet Mail Extensions (MIME) to physically (well, conceptually) bundle OEBPS files together into a single file. I believe that the OEBFF is the file format used natively by the eBook Technologies ETI-1 and ETI-2 reading devices. Thus, OEBPS and OEBFF are not competing standards, but are, in fact, complementary technologies: the OEBPS describes one way of defining how multiple files can be combined to create a single digital publication, and the OEBFF describes one way of encapsulating those component files into a single file for subsequent transfer or use.
Anne: One way of describing the differences might be: OEBPS is like saying "Hey! If we need to ship a bunch of stuff, we could put it all in one box and use a delivery service." In contrast, OEBFF is like saying "Hey! I need to ship a bunch of stuff. I'm going to put it in this 12x4x6 cardboard box and ship it using FedEx." (N.B.: I don't know OEBPS or OEBFF, I was just trying to provide a metaphor for what I understood Lee to be saying above.)