MobiPocket Shut Down!? - Page 2

JSWolf · 08-17-2007, 10:56 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Azayzel

Holy Smoke, three days t.u.?! That's just plain insanity, where's these people's backup server located and why aren't they using it? I guess their CIO is going to get fired (or I'd fire him if I was the CEO) for not having a viable and tested backup plan in place. Think of how much revenue they're losing in the time they're down. Wow.

Imulse purchases will definitely be a revinue loss. But if a book is really wanted, it'll be bough when the DRM server is back up.

What I like how the DRM took out an entire company. May DRM keep them down forever (I hope).

HarryT · 08-18-2007, 04:50 AM

What do you mean "DRM took out an entire company?". It looks like it's the web server that's down - nothing to do with DRM.

The same would be true if, say, Amazon's web server were to die, or any company which is "internet only".

HarryT · 08-18-2007, 04:54 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Azayzel

Holy Smoke, three days t.u.?! That's just plain insanity, where's these people's backup server located and why aren't they using it? I guess their CIO is going to get fired (or I'd fire him if I was the CEO) for not having a viable and tested backup plan in place. Think of how much revenue they're losing in the time they're down. Wow.

These things happen in the best run companies. A couple of years ago, my ISP which hosts approximately 60% of the ".co.uk" domains, lost their server farm for 5 days. Just one of those unbelievably unlikely combination of circumstances - I think that in their case they had a catastrophic power supply failure while they were in the middle of replacing their backup power system.

Sometimes it's just bad luck - nobody's fault.

NatCh · 08-18-2007, 10:48 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by HarryT

What do you mean "DRM took out an entire company?". It looks like it's the web server that's down - nothing to do with DRM.

Except that it's apparently the DRM server:

Quote:

Originally Posted by simond

Fictionwise say:

Quote:

NOTICE: A major problem occurred with the Mobipocket DRM server

HarryT · 08-18-2007, 11:28 AM

Yes, I read that. What I mean is that it DRM isn't the reason the server is down; it's the "casualty" of it being down

.

yvanleterrible · 08-18-2007, 12:52 PM

Has someone planted a DRM unfriendly virus? Shame on those terrorists.

NatCh · 08-18-2007, 02:38 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by HarryT

Yes, I read that. What I mean is that it DRM isn't the reason the server is down; it's the "casualty" of it being down

.

That very well may be the case, HarryT, but we're having too much fun blaming DRM for it to be bothered by such piddlin' little details.

Back in '97, when I was out in the Bay Area of California, we had a great deal of fun blaming everything on El Niño -- none of us really believed that the video projector died just in time for a big meeting because of El Niño, but we had a good laugh about it regardless.

Now, back to the fun ....

JSWolf · 08-18-2007, 06:19 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by HarryT

Yes, I read that. What I mean is that it DRM isn't the reason the server is down; it's the "casualty" of it being down

.

But, because of the way MobiPocket books work, it also affects other companies selling MobiPocket books as they need to talk to this very same DRM server that's down. I'm surprised give how important having this server up is that they did not have some sort of backup plan in place in case the server was not functioning properly. And if they were selling books without DRM, this server being down would not be a problem at all.

Ravenflight · 08-18-2007, 06:46 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by HarryT

Yes, I read that. What I mean is that it DRM isn't the reason the server is down; it's the "casualty" of it being down

.

Haven't you heard the expression 'Never let the facts get in the way of a good story'?

What I want to know (since I haven't used Mobipocket since my Windows 98/ palm pilot days) can you still read Mobi titles you already purchased? Can you transfer them to other devices and read them while their server is down?

JSWolf · 08-18-2007, 06:49 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Ravenflight

Haven't you heard the expression 'Never let the facts get in the way of a good story'?

What I want to know (since I haven't used Mobipocket since my Windows 98/ palm pilot days) can you still read Mobi titles you already purchased? Can you transfer them to other devices and read them while their server is down?

Some really good questions there.

jkeranen · 08-18-2007, 09:57 PM

Quote:

What I want to know (since I haven't used Mobipocket since my Windows 98/ palm pilot days) can you still read Mobi titles you already purchased? Can you transfer them to other devices and read them while their server is down?

As long as the PID of the device you move the books to was registered at the time you downloaded the books you can still read them.

For example I often download straight to my Dell Axim but my desktop computer and my laptop are both registered so I could move the books to those devices to read them.

If you get a new device it will have a new PID and that would have to be registered. Basically if mobipocket ever blows up and doesn't come back you can read your purchased books until your registered devices fail.

JSWolf · 08-18-2007, 11:02 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by jkeranen

As long as the PID of the device you move the books to was registered at the time you downloaded the books you can still read them.

For example I often download straight to my Dell Axim but my desktop computer and my laptop are both registered so I could move the books to those devices to read them.

If you get a new device it will have a new PID and that would have to be registered. Basically if mobipocket ever blows up and doesn't come back you can read your purchased books until your registered devices fail.

That sounds the same as Sony's LRX (BBeB with DRM) DRM scheme. You can register up to 5 devices and one computer on one account.

Ravenflight · 08-19-2007, 01:09 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by jkeranen

Basically if mobipocket ever blows up and doesn't come back you can read your purchased books until your registered devices fail.

Isn't that what has happened?

I thought Mobi was taken over by Amazon? It strikes me as beyond bizarre that Amazon wouldn't have a backup (or three) in place. Perhaps it's time for them to take a more active role in running Mobi.

HarryT · 08-19-2007, 02:29 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Ravenflight

What I want to know (since I haven't used Mobipocket since my Windows 98/ palm pilot days) can you still read Mobi titles you already purchased? Can you transfer them to other devices and read them while their server is down?

Yes, you can. The only thing you (obviously) can't do is add a new device to your account.

Bombast · 08-19-2007, 03:26 AM

I'm using the mobi reader on a PC, to read "Alms for Jihad" - which has been banned in print.

I was able to open and read it just fine until Wednesday, when Mobi shut down. Now I can't open the book.

As near as I can tell, it's like Google shutting down their "Download to Own" movie service. If they want to turn the book off, they can.

The only way around it that I can find is doing screen captures of each page, as soon as you get the book.

Maybe yvanleterrible is correct. The book is all about how terror is financed, and one of the people who was doing the financing got the book banned. He's got a few extra billion. Could he pay to take out Mobi?

Similar Threads
Thread	Thread Starter	Forum	Replies	Last Post
Well, Shut My Mouth	Fat Abe	News	67	05-02-2010 06:14 PM
v3.0 has me shut down.....	lmoore348	Sony Reader	1	09-06-2009 12:18 AM
Automatic shut off?	Stacey34	Sony Reader	8	03-14-2009 06:11 AM
Shut-down?	scrappnjoyce	Sony Reader	9	01-09-2009 11:12 AM

08-18-2007, 04:50 AM	#17
HarryT eBook Enthusiast Posts: 85,544 Karma: 93383043 Join Date: Nov 2006 Location: UK Device: Kindle Oasis 2, iPad Pro 10.5", iPhone 6	What do you mean "DRM took out an entire company?". It looks like it's the web server that's down - nothing to do with DRM. The same would be true if, say, Amazon's web server were to die, or any company which is "internet only".

08-18-2007, 11:28 AM	#20
HarryT eBook Enthusiast Posts: 85,544 Karma: 93383043 Join Date: Nov 2006 Location: UK Device: Kindle Oasis 2, iPad Pro 10.5", iPhone 6	Yes, I read that. What I mean is that it DRM isn't the reason the server is down; it's the "casualty" of it being down .

08-18-2007, 12:52 PM	#21
yvanleterrible Reborn Paper User Posts: 8,616 Karma: 15446734 Join Date: May 2006 Location: Que Nada Device: iPhone8, iPad Air	Has someone planted a DRM unfriendly virus? Shame on those terrorists.

08-19-2007, 03:26 AM	#30
Bombast Junior Member Posts: 8 Karma: 10 Join Date: Aug 2007 Device: none	I'm using the mobi reader on a PC, to read "Alms for Jihad" - which has been banned in print. I was able to open and read it just fine until Wednesday, when Mobi shut down. Now I can't open the book. As near as I can tell, it's like Google shutting down their "Download to Own" movie service. If they want to turn the book off, they can. The only way around it that I can find is doing screen captures of each page, as soon as you get the book. Maybe yvanleterrible is correct. The book is all about how terror is financed, and one of the people who was doing the financing got the book banned. He's got a few extra billion. Could he pay to take out Mobi?