Quote:
Originally Posted by jhowell
Just having proprietary formats already creates enough of a wall to keep almost all of their customers locked in to Amazon. Relatively few bother with DRM removal and format conversion. Certainly not enough to matter to their bottom line.
I think the creation of a new format was less about trying to achieve 100% absolute lock in and more about being able to add new features, even if the features that they add are not the ones their customers have been asking for. Additional lock in is just an added benefit to them.
As they say, "Idle programmers are the devil's workshop."
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As with locks, it's not necessary to keep everyone out, only to make it not worth the bother for 99% of the people.
Amazon knows there are some holes they can't plug -- the legacy devices -- but they are going keep at it. At some point, the legacy devices will become irrelevant.
I de-DRM not because I worry Amazon is going away (not in my lifetime) or out of some high principle. I just often need to edit the book because some formatting thing is bugging me. Okay, maybe I do get a warm fuzzy feeling knowing the book is really mine now
I'm not so sanguine that somehow, some way, someone will sort it out. Sometimes, people get tired and move away. Eventually, the "live DRM-free or die" crowd will, beg your pardon, die out, and there will be no-one left who chaff against the walled garden enough to do something about it.