Kobo epub direct download or sideload epub

[RareBird]

So I've been wondering about whether it's better to download and read the Kobo epub directly or to download the epub and sideload using ADE or Calibre. My wife uses the second option while I usually go with the first. I thought I post a poll and get other opinions. Thanks!

[Suzanna]

I don't think either one is inherently better. I read mainly sideloaded books, but even if I'm reading a Kobo epub, I will still download the ADE version of the file to keep as a backup.

[frddgls]

Originally Posted by Sao

I don't think either one is inherently better. I read mainly sideloaded books, but even if I'm reading a Kobo epub, I will still download the ADE version of the file to keep as a backup.

I do this too.

[camiller]

Ditto Sao and frddgls. Even if you do direct download you should download a backup copy.

[RareBird]

Oh I absolutely do as well. I'd hate to lose all my books!

[BryanK]

Right now I do all of the above, but the best solution is not having to use 3 different programs. At a bare minimum, the Kobo Desktop needs to be able to do 2 things:
- The desktop app should allow you to add (and remove) any supported content from any source to either main storage or SD card. This includes ADE DRM authorization. (I'd personally also like a way to easily remove some or all of the preloaded books.)
- After downloading a book directly to your Kobo, on your next sync the desktop app should give you a prompt asking if you want to download a backup to your computer.

These are things that a non-technical reader would want to do every day. I don't expect full-blown ePub authoring, or even modification, to be part the Kobo Desktop, but perhaps simple conversions could be included.

Anything else on your wish list?

[The Terminator]

Deleted.

[davidfor]

Originally Posted by BryanK

- After downloading a book directly to your Kobo, on your next sync the desktop app should give you a prompt asking if you want to download a backup to your computer.

I think that is already happening. I am sure when I downloaded a book via the store on my Kobo Touch, that the next time I started the desktop application, that it downloaded the book. This is getting the kepub version.

[camiller]

Originally Posted by The Terminator

That will NEVER happen, it would be illegal for the desktop app to remove DRM from ADE books.

BryanK didn't say anything about removing DRM, he said "simple conversion". I read that to mean conversion from non-DRM sources like perhaps a book from the mobileread library that is currently only in non-drm kindle format converting to ePub. There is no reason that simple conversion couldn't be built into the Kobo desktop software.

[The Terminator]

Originally Posted by camiller

BryanK didn't say anything about removing DRM, he said "simple conversion". I read that to mean conversion from non-DRM sources like perhaps a book from the mobileread library that is currently only in non-drm kindle format converting to ePub. There is no reason that simple conversion couldn't be built into the Kobo desktop software.

Okay, I thought he meant ADE DRM'd books.

But I still don't this will happen, Calibre works perfectly for doing that.

[camiller]

Originally Posted by The Terminator

...
But I still don't this will happen, Calibre works perfectly for doing that.

Oh, I agree with you there. I don't think there is any incentive for Kobo to make their desktop app be a generic library manager.

[BryanK]

Originally Posted by davidfor

I think that is already happening. I am sure when I downloaded a book via the store on my Kobo Touch, that the next time I started the desktop application, that it downloaded the book. This is getting the kepub version.

Good to know, I must have missed that before (I think I've only directly downloaded a book once or twice).

@The Terminator & camiller: Yeah, I wouldn't expect the desktop to strip Adobe (or any other) DRM. I was thinking more of something like html->epub (good for wikis) or text->epub (take selected files and put them in the same "book").
As for making the Kobo desktop a generic library manager, I agree that there's little incentive. It would only be for the convenience of their customers, which is a hard business case to make these days. iTunes comes pretty close, but they don't have other vendors selling content using the same DRM scheme like Kobo does.