[avantman42]

Originally Posted by MrsJoseph

I'm sorry. I tend to get a little defensive when speaking about Amazon here.

Apology accepted, and I'm sorry that my post made you defensive.

Originally Posted by MrsJoseph

I would say it is almost the same - except that Amazon does not allow others to use the .awz (.azw?) format. If the format was(is?) available for use, I would expect Tesco to carry that format for my (or rather your) use. I don't like the fact that Amazon does not make their format available for use for library lending. I don't own a kindle so I am unfamiliar with the availability of the format outside of Amazon's door.

Fair enough. Personally, I think the real problem is the DRM. The fact that .azw is a proprietory format is a bad thing, but DRM is the thing that I really dislike. One of the reasons I bought a Kindle is that I can't run ADE on Linux, and all my computers are Linux. My work laptop dual-boots Windows XP, but I only use Windows on the very rare occasion that I absolutely have to, and I didn't want to have to boot Windows just to get a book onto my e-reader. Just as some people say that Amazon refuse to sell them e-books because they don't have a Kindle, I could say that Kobo, WHSmiths, Waterstones et al refuse to sell me books because I don't use Mac or Windows.

Originally Posted by MrsJoseph

Hmmm, that has not been my experience. I am assuming this started prior to my joining this site. I can only comment on what I have witnessed.

Not to say that the name calling has not occurred - but I have seen a lot more "us vs them" that did not start with name calling.

I can't honestly say which group is more guilty, but it can be very annoying when people assume that I'm an Amazon fan-boy because I have a Kindle, and that I only bought it because I saw the TV advert, not because it was the best e-reader for me. In all honesty, what I find most frustrating about it is that it makes it very difficult to have a reasonable debate because people on both sides get very defensive very quickly.