My ebook experience and why I think libraries and Bookstores are pretty much safe for now

Recently I had heard of an interesting story by Geoffrey ALandis called “Vacuum States”. A quick searc h of the net showed no copies available to read on their own. I found that this story was located in two places. A long gone back issue of Analog Science Fiction,Science Fact, and an anthology by Mike Ashley called “The Mammoth book of Mind-blowing SF” . A quick look around showed no open source/free copies available of this. Fine, no problem. I’ll go to iTunes and purchase the book. Ooops, no can do.. I’m greeted with an error. “This item is not available in the Canadian store”. Quick google search shows a complex and perilous means to change your country with no guarantee that this will work and a pile of “I have the same problem “ posts in the apple forums. Do I need a credit card from that country? I don’t know. Tried to find it on amazon.ca. No ebooks, no hard copies in the Canadian store. There were some in the US store, but I’ve tried to buy from there in the past only to be greeted with errors such as this item doesn’t ship to Canada. Check google books. Yup, listed there. Nope, no ebook format. Can’t purchase there either. After about an hour and a half of searching around, I find the book on ebooks.com. Do actually get to purchase it and start to download it. But wait! Now I have to install some proprietary software. Can’t read this just yet….oh software won’t install…don’t have the right Microsoft dot Net extensions added. Here’s where I sit now….a slow and painful install of dot net, and no ebook in site. When I do get it, it will be wrapped in DRM and not readable on anything except perhaps that one machine. Compare this to a book store or library….so much easier. The Big Corporations and Big Governments wonder why people turn to piracy…..