What Is Electronic Book Exchange (EBX)?
It's a hot summer day, and you're looking for a good book to read. Your e-reader is all charged up, but what do you do with it? If you're lucky, you may find an app that lets you download books from the internet—but what if that app doesn't work on your device? or what if the app is only compatible with specific operating systems? That's where EBX comes in! The EBX system supports devices and software that use public-key cryptography to protect Electronic Book Exchange (EBX). EBX Working Group, which includes IBM among other U.S. software companies, establishes e-book distribution standards and specifications to safeguard e-book authors, publishers, and licensees and since there are so many different kinds of devices out there—not to mention all operating systems. EBX provides support for different types of hardware like cell phones or laptops, or even gaming consoles. That implies that no matter how big your library gets—or how many devices you have—it will consistently be there waiting for you when you need it most. EBX is part of the International Digital Publishing Forum (IDPF), formerly the Open eBook Forum. EBX is preferred by publishers that sell e-book reader software. Thus, publishers dominate the e-book market. EBX is a format for e-books created by Microsoft and Sony in 2003. It's used by many big companies like Amazon and Barnes & Noble, but it doesn't work on Apple devices. We all know that the world of e-books is a little… uneven. Some companies have more power than others, and some people are more influential than others. But what's really behind it all? According to a recent study by The Free Software Foundation, this imbalance can be traced back, too many of these players being among the first to enter the market when e-books were starting. They've had time to build up their influence and power and even though newer companies are coming along, there's still a lot of momentum behind those who've been around since day one. So, what does this mean for you? Well, if you're an author or publisher looking for an audience, it's good news: you can use your experience with EBX as leverage when dealing with other players in the industry. If you're an e-book user or app developer looking for something new and exciting, then maybe it's time to think outside the box—or, better yet, outside of EBX!
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