>
>
> * It is indeed great for publishers, because they get consumers to 
> commit cash early, where waiting for the book to be finished risks 
> potential buyers opting to spend  their money elsewhere.  First to 
> market has a big advantage.  But how does the buyer "return" and get a 
> refund for a PDF download?

I think that the problem here is that with digital content of any kind, 
the protections that you enjoy as a consumer are usually obsoleted by 
the goods being digital.  <totally off topic here>

I can go into a shop and buy a packaged application (for me it'd most 
likely be a game, lets say Civ IV as it's new and happening), then a 
week later I take it back.  Suddenly the store won't accept it and my 
consumer protections that are valid for say a lawnmower or a washing 
machine are no longer valid for a computer game.  Obviously I understand 
the reasoning as games can (and often are) pirated, so essentially the 
shops don't trust their consumers when it comes to digital goods, but 
with physical products it's ok

My favourite quote (to finish with this off-topic-ness) comes from Bruce 
Schneier -"Making digital files not copyable is like making *water not wet*"

</totally off topic here>