Aaron, thank you for your ideas. We will certainly be pushing for the unfortunate EULA provisions to be dropped; it is not clear that they are enforcable. And Apple has in the past made reasonable decisions about dropping unnecessary DRM.
> The idea of e-book textbooks is nothing new, but if there is to be a > significant scale revolution to the use of > e-books in the classroom, everyone should be included. Just so. SJ On Thu, Jan 19, 2012 at 11:19 PM, Aaron Baca <[email protected]> wrote: > As many here are aware, Apple has made recent annoucements regarding e-Book > textbook initiatives. I urge the OLPC community to act quickly with respect > to this matter. I feel that e-Book textbooks can be a great source of > knowledge for the OLPC project to give to developing nations. The issues > though, I feel the OLPC community could uniquely address. > > 1) Apple's EULA for publishers requires books authored with their software > remain distributed ONLY via Apple channels. Hopefully officials at OLPC have > some contacts with the US FTC (Federal Trade Commission) which can begin > steps to remove such restrictions, such that publishers could donate > professionally produced materials to the OLPC project, as well as private > citizens making donations of licensed materials. > > It should be noted that Apple uses the ePub open format wrapped in their > Fairplay DRM. Essentially, publishing e-books created with the Apple > software to other platforms only requires the removal of the wrapper, and if > necessary, the addition of a new one. Content would remain 100% usable with > capable reading software. > > 2) OLPC is at an interesting juncture where the pricing of their devices as > well as the rugged qualities thereof better meets the needs of school systems > in the US as well as the rest of the world. This presents an enormous > opportunity for a device such as the XO-3 tablet to not just get more > widespread recognition, but for partnerships with better funded US school > districts to be formed. Such partnerships would allow wider production of > the XO-3 and other models as well as well as create large bulk orders of > devices with matching hardware donations to developing nations. > > 3) OLPC as a charity organization enjoys positive press such that if the > community and it's leaders spoke out about iBooks and other proprietary Apple > practices which affect education, their voice would carry stronger political > and social weight. The benefits would not only be to OLPC, but would trickle > down to other platforms and greater openness of information and knowledge. > Such a movement could also be leveraged equally against publishers who ransom > knowledge at the highest margin they can accomplish. > > The idea of e-book textbooks is nothing new, but if there is to be a > significant scale revolution to the use of e-books in the classroom, everyone > should be included. > > I have also copied Jimmy Wales on this correspondence, as I hope some of this > message coicides with his ideals at Wikia. > > I appreciate your time, > Aaron Baca > _______________________________________________ > Olpc-open mailing list > [email protected] > http://lists.laptop.org/listinfo/olpc-open -- Samuel Klein identi.ca:sj w:user:sj +1 617 529 4266 _______________________________________________ Olpc-open mailing list [email protected] http://lists.laptop.org/listinfo/olpc-open
