michael said:
>   so we can try to figure out what devices are
>   being used the most to download and, presumably,
>   read our eBooks. . .so we can optimize for those readers.

my goodness.  no sooner do i issue my "i'm opting out" post
than michael hart himself makes a bone-headed statement...

you had the right answer _before_, michael.

don't go now and let the people-of-wrong mess you up...

you do _not_ want to "optimize" for any specific machine,
i don't care how many downloads that machine generates.

you want a master-format that can convert for any device.

the people-of-wrong finally got that part of the equation,
but they're still ass-backwards in that they want to _do_
the conversion _for_ your end-users.  that's doing it wrong.

you want your end-users to download the master-format
and then do the conversion for themselves.  big difference,
because when they have the master-file, they have the power
to convert to _any_ format that they might want in the future.

it also gives them the ability to control certain variables,
which -- believe it or not -- they cannot do in many of the
viewer-programs that are out today.  just as a "for instance",
do you know that an end-user often cannot choose between
having a justified rendering versus a ragged-right display?
they're _stuck_ with the setting in place during file-creation.

that's some major bull-crap, if you ask me.  why shouldn't
the end-users be able to specify that, to their preference?
the answer is that they _can_, if _they_ do the conversion...

so give them the ability to do those conversions themselves,
using their own preferences on all the important dimensions,
for _whatever_ machine they happen to be using at the time...

you'll have empowered them by future-proofing them, which is
what i'd expect the project gutenberg founded by michael hart
would be holding up as its _goal_.  or did i misunderstand you?

***

jim said:
>   Namely, html OUGHT to be the default input submission format,
>   PG providing strong suggestions about how to write good HTML
>   to well-support EPUB and MOBI, and that pg txt70 files have
>   pretty much gone the way of the dodo, and ought to be supported
>   as a file format that is computer-generated -- like EPUB and MOBI
>   -- via a computer script from the submitted HTML.

jim, you seriously need to take your head out of your butt and
take a good look around at the scenery for a change...  really...
a breath of _fresh_air_ would do you a lot of good...  seriously...

using .html as a master-format would be ludicrous.  ridiculous.
i would love to see you try to come up with code to make it work.
because you would waste a whole lotta time in the feeble attempt,
plus it would keep you busy, and occupied, and hopefully quiet...

simply, .html needs to be an _output_ format, not an _input_ format.


>   If BB or other want to muck around with pretty printers
>   let them do so as a way to help themselves generate
>   preliminary html which they can then finish cleaning up
>   before they submit it to PG.

"pretty printers?"  you display your ignorance so witlessly.

using z.m.l. -- or r.s.t. for that matter -- i can churn out
an .html file which knocks the socks off anything you do,
and i can also churn out a .pdf that looks very _beautiful_
(or "pretty", if you prefer, both words apply fine, thanks.)

i can also convert out .epub and .mobi (by using kindlegen).

and not only can _i_ do this, but _any_ end-user can do it,
if they're talented enough to run an app and click a button.

so i see your condescension, and raise it back to you _double_.

but, you know, have a nice day, and all that...          :+)

-bowerbird