ePub Author Coalition
So a few minutes ago I wrote:
I think there’s enough know-how in the industry outside of Apple to make a competitor to iBooks Author, by which desktop publishing in the eBook age can be as limitless in possibility as we can make it, yet not be restricted to a single target platform. I want to hear from experienced OS X software engineers who are interested in tackling such a project on a commercial (or possibly open-source, or both) scale, and from people companies who can contribute expertise or code to the effort.
I’m already getting a few good ping backs on this, which is fantastic. However, I’d like to enumerate a little more of what I have on my mind:
Engineers
We need engineers who can crank out top-notch OS X code. While I’d normally want to include anyone who’d like to cut their teeth on such an app, this time I think getting something of the highest quality out of the gate takes priority.
Software Development Companies
Apple has a head-start on us. Even if we started coding at the same time they did, they would still have a head-start. This is because iBooks Author is built on the same components used in the iWorks suite of apps, and those components go back to the mid-90s I believe (they were based upon apps originally written for NeXTStep). In order to avoid the ramp-up time in recreating those components, we would be interested in anyone who could either donate or license similar components to us. I’m visualizing the Omni Group’s apps here, for example.
Publishers, Retailers, Distributors, Oh My!
Anyone with an interest in eBooks and a budget to throw around. Particularly those who need to produce, validate, or tweak ePub3 content. How would you like to assist in funding such an effort? What would you like to see? What sort of terms would you like/accept— i.e. open-source free app only, n number of free copies, volume discounts, etc.
For the record: I’ve made overtures to my employer about the above. Although the guy who would likely be able to make anything happen is away in the UK next week, so don’t expect any announcements.
As before:
