eBook Glossary
This page explains some of the terms used when talking about ebooks.
Adobe Reader: Adobe's free software program for displaying and reading e-Books on PCs and laptops.
Dedicated Reader Device: Hardware, such as the Franklin eBookMan, that is specifically designed for reading e-Books.
Download: The process of copying a file from the Internet onto your hard drive. The length of time needed to download a file depends on the size of the e-Book you order and the speed of your computer's modem. Download times for an average-sized e-Book according to connection speed are as follows: 28.8 K = 125 seconds or a little over two minutes, 56 K = 62.5 seconds or a little over one minute, T1 = 2.3 seconds.
DRM: Digital rights management (DRM) systems help protect the copyright of materials by defining how the content can be used. These rights are determined by the publishers.
e-Book: A book in digital format. Depending on the specific format, the e-Book can be read on a computer, PDA or dedicated reader device with the proper software.
.ebx: The technical name for the file format that is read by the Adobe Reader.
Format: A particular way to store information on a computer. You may need special programs to read certain formats, such as Microsoft Reader to read .lit files and Adobe Reader to read .ebx files.
.lit: The technical name for the file format that is read by Microsoft Reader.
Microsoft Reader: Microsoft's free software program for displaying and reading e-Books on PCs and laptops.
p-Book: The term used by the digital world to describe books in print form. E-Books are digital and p-Books are printed and bound.
PDA: Personal digital assistants (PDAs) are handheld devices that can be used for a variety of tasks, depending on the model type. With the right software they can store and display e-Books.
PDF: Portable Document Format (PDF) is a format developed by Adobe Systems that allows documents to appear on your computer just as they would in print.
POD: Print on demand (POD) is the process of storing a book in digital format, then printing and binding that book only when it is ordered by a customer.
