How many use Calibre and / or Apprentice Alf [POLL ENDED]

[sirmaru]

It would be interesting to find out how many in this thread actually use Calibre to customize metadata and how many use Apprentice Alf to strip DRM from eBooks.

I voted that I buy mostly Amazon eBooks and do not use Calibre or Alf. I also have never used any Jailbreaks.

I just like to read the eBooks and lose myself in history and / or biography of past times.

[doubleshuffle]

Why don't you set up a poll or two?

This poll is not well done and the OP forgot the option which actually applies to himself, the Only reads one eBook a year and just likes to write nonsensical posts in this Forum while being as closed minded as possible and a royal PITA option.

He only made this poll because he got blasted in another thread for posting nonsense about deDRMing and calibre. I'm not participating in this poll.

[pidgeon92]

I'll bite. The vast majority of the ebook I purchase are from Amazon, I store them in calibre, and do strip the DRM and do some minor metadata customization. I very rarely bother messing with an ebook's formatting.

[jgaiser]

Originally Posted by jswinden

He only made this poll because he got blasted in another thread for posting nonsense about deDRMing and calibre. I'm not participating in this poll.

Ah.. Go ahead and participate. Yeah, it's nonsense but he's managing to prove the point he got clobbered for.

Then again, like most conspiracy theorists, he won't believe the results and will continue to warn us about self-destructing ebooks and the worthlessness of calibre.

Sigh... Think it's time to make an addition to my ignore list.

[ucfgrad93]

Originally Posted by pidgeon92

I'll bite. The vast majority of the ebook I purchase are from Amazon, I store them in calibre, and do strip the DRM and do some minor metadata customization. I very rarely bother messing with an ebook's formatting.

Pretty much the same for me.

Originally Posted by jgaiser

Ah.. Go ahead and participate. Yeah, it's nonsense but he's managing to prove the point he got clobbered for.

Then again, like most conspiracy theorists, he won't believe the results and will continue to warn us about self-destructing ebooks and the worthlessness of calibre.

Sigh... Think it's time to make an addition to my ignore list.

Okay, I chose the Buy mostly Amazon eBooks and use Calibre and Alf option.

Yep, wearing that tin foil hat must be like putting his head inside a Faraday Cage, but instead of blocking radio (electro-magnetic) signals from entering it is completely blocking all logic from entering.

[dordale]

A few other options that the poll doesn't include--
purchasing only books that don't have DRM
downloading books that are in the public domain
borrowing books from the library...

[susan_cassidy]

There wasn't a choice for "occasionally use Calibre to convert formats and/or change metadata, but don't bother with the Alf plugin".

[DiapDealer]

I buy ebooks from everywhere, use Alf to strip the DRM (if it had any) and store/manage them all with calibre. I don't care very much about metadata.

Did I win?

[Zeebra]

Geez can there be any MORE poll options? I think a poll would be simpler with one of "use calibre/alf", "don't use calibre/alf", or if you want to split them then "use calibre", "use alf", "use neither", why 9 choices?

[VictoriaP]

How about "buy mostly from Amazon, strip DRM from those only to store backup copies, occasionally buy epubs from elsewhere when Amazon for some damn reason doesn't have the book, and strip DRM from those to convert for Kindle usage"? Also "Only change metadata when the publisher screwed it up really badly" and "change the occasional cover because the publisher didn't feel it necessary to include a real one"?

In all seriousness, I'm a pretty light Calibre user when compared to most here, 90% of my books come from Amazon because I like the convenience (which means I do very little sideloading), and while I think DRM is evil because it limits your options on which platform/device you choose to read, I can't get too worked up over it thanks to Alf.

[Ravensknight]

I feel like I'm missing half of a conversation here.

I use calibre to store, convert and edit metadata [I've yet to come across a book that has the data just the way 'I' want it] and Alf to keep my liberty.

Ben Franklin, Ravensknight and Alf. An unstoppable force for Goodness and Liberty!

[eschwartz]

Originally Posted by Ravensknight

I feel like I'm missing half of a conversation here.

I use calibre to store, convert and edit metadata [I've yet to come across a book that has the data just the way 'I' want it] and Alf to keep my liberty.

Ben Franklin, Ravensknight and Alf. An unstoppable force for Goodness and Liberty!

You are; over the course of several threads sirmaru has insisted that real readers like he (1 book a year, and a worse Amazon fanboy than the most rabid apple fanboys) don't use Alf or calibre, and understand how Amazon knows best when it comes to organizing and storing your books. Not that you need them anyway, because real readers apparently don't re-read books either.

Go figure.

[sirmaru]

I have to agree that DRM is totally wasted on the Amazon eBooks. So far only 3 of us, who voted, do not use Apprentice Alf. Almost everyone but me uses Calibre.

I believe Amazon should end DRM on eBooks just as they have ended it on MP3 song files. They should go to just inserting a serial number as they do on the songs. If DRM stripping is this easy and widespread, then attaching the DRM is a wasted effort.

Some of you folks should post exactly what you do with the Calibre since it almost seems a necessity to use it. I used to use MadiaMonkey to customize my metadata in my songs but stopped even using that. I just don't get it why metadata needs to be customized for songs or eBooks.

It appears I am the only one just reading the eBooks and not manipulating them in other ways. Again, with songs I just listen to the music and stopped customizing the metadata.

I notice no one selected the last option which was inserted just to see if any Forum Addicts are here who never bother to even buy eBooks. So far, none voted that way.

Of course, this poll only reflects the folks who voted. It doesn't reflect the millions who buy Amazon eBooks. Maybe Amazon should do a valid statistical poll among their eBook customers and see if the results apply to all of them.