Ebook reading software
An almost surprising number of readers exist for the Palm OS platform. Some have a fairly small memory footprint and only allow for ebook reading, while others are much larger and include other features. These extra capabilities provided by some of the more powerful programs include: document editing and creation, book-marking, extra-fonts, and the ability to read and access more than one format. The truth is that all of these readers are, in my experience, roughly equivalent to each other. You'll probably try a number of these readers out, and you may end up using a few simultaneously in order to access the greatest possible number of books.

My favorite ebook readers are iSilo and CSpotRun (at http://www.32768.com/bill/palmos/cspotrun/index.html). I like to use iSilo because of the rich formatting options, the compression, and the ease of conversion. On the other hand, CSpotRun is one of the simplest, most functional, and most stable readers available. What makes it even better is that it's freeware, and often distributed in .ZIP archives with ebooks to make reading easier. It's all a matter of preference, so don't be afraid to try out a new reading program.

Conversion
You already know that the Palm OS doesn't have a real file system. You also know that all the data on a Palm handheld is stored in databases. You're probably also aware that the ASCII and HTML files aren't Palm OS compatible databases. Thus, logic would dictate that in order to read any kind of document on your Palm handheld it needs to be converted in some way. If you download a file with a .pdb or .prc extension, then it's already in a format readable by the Palm OS, so as long as you have a compatible reader, no further conversion is necessary. If you have a file that has an .htm, .html, .txt, .doc, .rft, .pdf, .xml, or .oeb, extension, then you need to use a conversion program or script to get your file in the right format. Every one of these programs works differently, and like the reading software, choice is purely a matter of personal preference.

When preparing ebooks for use with my Palm handheld, I like to use Install Buddy by Blue Nomad Software (at http://www.bluenomad.com/ib/prod_installbuddy_details.html) for static texts like ebooks, stories, and reference documents. I use a program like iSiloX from the makers of the iSilo Reader (at http://www.isilo.com) or SiteScooper (at http://www.sitescooper.orh) to convert more dynamic content from the Internet or my collection.

DRM (Digital Rights Management)
I've referred to DRM (Digital Rights Management) numerous times in this series of articles. It's basically digital copyright protection. Most commercially available ebooks have some form of DRM in place to protect the work from abuse and theft. In theory this sounds like a good thing, and in a lot of cases it's a very welcome protection. However, for various reasons, publishers have become almost paranoid about releasing material in ebook format. As a result of this fear, the publishers have twisted the idea of DRM and used it in ways that end up discouraging purchase of the ebook edition.