Quote:
Originally Posted by Sydney's Mom
If my kindle breaks and I cannot afford to replace it, or if I decide to get a Sony or a Nook, or if Amazon decides to switch to another format, I can no longer access my books. I do not believe the intent of the law is to force me to stick with Amazon come hell or high water. If I buy a book, I think I should be able to read it on any device, if I can convert the file to work on that device. I currently like the kindle store the best, and I love my kindle, but I don't want to have to rebuy my books if I decide to switch to another reader.
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I agree that if I buy an ebook, I ought to be able to read it on any device I happen to have.
That day is coming: we've seen it in the shift in music purchases from Apple locked AAC files to completely open mp3 files. I have no intention of buying a book for this reader or that.
Where we might disagree is that -- given how good the Kindle store and customer service is, and how elegant the Kindle 2 reader is -- there is no reason to boycott Amazon / Kindle
on the chance that, sometime in the future, a few present day purchases get "locked out".
Onerous DRM has never survived: not in computer software, not in music files. One way or the other, in a year or two or three, e-books will follow this trend and be open and, in the meantime, the reader fussed by DRM has under the table options for a safety zone.
In the meantime, I'd simply remind everyone with a Kindle and buying from Amazon: there is no reason to believe Amazon will fold up its tent and trundle away in six months, or two years or five years. Anything you are buying today ought to have a reasonable timeline to consume the purchase. Backups are gravy: and nothing suggests they won't continue to be available through coming software updates.