B&N removed download option on all books in "My Nook" library

[odamizu]

From The Digital Reader:

Barnes & Noble Drops Support for Nook Windows 8 App in the UK, Leaving Customers Stranded

Any non-US BN customers here? Do you have any access at all to your Nook libraries now?

[Purple Lady]

Originally Posted by odamizu

From The Digital Reader:

Barnes & Noble Drops Support for Nook Windows 8 App in the UK, Leaving Customers Stranded

Any non-US BN customers here? Do you have any access at all to your Nook libraries now?

The Nook app for Win 8 is not only no longer available for download in the UK, it is actually turned off! I'm in the US so it doesn't affect me, but is that how things normally work in Win 8? In Android or Win 7 if you install an app they don't take it away, you can still use it. I was able to still use the Sony app for my ebooks after they quit; I just couldn't download or buy books after a certain date. If they did this in the UK they could do this in the US at some point too.

[lkmiller]

Originally Posted by Purple Lady

The Nook app for Win 8 is not only no longer available for download, it is actually turned off! Is that how things normally work in Win 8? In Android or Win 7 if you install an app they don't take it away, you can still use it. I was able to still use the Sony app for my ebooks after they quit; I just couldn't download or buy books after a certain date.

You're in the US? Strange..I'm in the US, and the Windows Store Nook app shows as available to download to my Windows 10 tablet. On my Windows 8.1 desktop, I just yesterday discovered that the Windows Store Nook app is actually able to download books now. Previously I'd been able to see my library, but not actually download anything to read.

Over at the B&N forums, I saw people complaining that the app didn't display correctly on Windows 10. The B&N moderator Alex answered that Win10 compatibility was being worked on.

[Purple Lady]

Originally Posted by lkmiller

You're in the US? Strange..I'm in the US, and the Windows Store Nook app shows as available to download to my Windows 10 tablet. On my Windows 8.1 desktop, I just yesterday discovered that the Windows Store Nook app is actually able to download books now. Previously I'd been able to see my library, but not actually download anything to read.

Over at the B&N forums, I saw people complaining that the app didn't display correctly on Windows 10. The B&N moderator Alex answered that Win10 compatibility was being worked on.

Oh sorry, I was talking about the guy in the link from the UK as far as not being able to use Nook on Win 8. I'll make my post more clear. But I still wonder if it's normal for an app to be made unusable after it's already installed in Win 8. That's different than any other OS.

[lkmiller]

Originally Posted by Purple Lady

Oh sorry, I was talking about the guy in the link from the UK as far as not being able to use Nook on Win 8. I'll make my post more clear. But I still wonder if it's normal for an app to be made unusable after it's already installed in Win 8. That's different than any other OS.

Ah, it's me who needs to pay more attention. Apparently, the Windows Store apps can be pulled. The included MSN Travel app has started warning when I open it that it is going away sometime soon. Not a big deal since it's just articles that are on their website. But the Nook app is different if it's the way you were counting on accessing your purchased books. Saying "use our other apps" is annoying. Not everyone has an Android or iThing.

[Purple Lady]

Originally Posted by lkmiller

Ah, it's me who needs to pay more attention. Apparently, the Windows Store apps can be pulled. The included MSN Travel app has started warning when I open it that it is going away sometime soon. Not a big deal since it's just articles that are on their website. But the Nook app is different if it's the way you were counting on accessing your purchased books. Saying "use our other apps" is annoying. Not everyone has an Android or iThing.

If Windows Store apps can be pulled, I wonder about Windows 10 apps. I'll have to keep that in mind when I eventually go to Win 10 and not use anything that's Windows Store app only.

[lkmiller]

Originally Posted by Purple Lady

If Windows Store apps can be pulled, I wonder about Windows 10 apps. I'll have to keep that in mind when I eventually go to Win 10 and not use anything that's Windows Store app only.

Yes, I assume that anything downloaded through the Windows Store is not really under your control. Those apps update automatically in the background, and pulling the plug would just be another sort of "update." :P

[fjtorres]

Originally Posted by Purple Lady

If Windows Store apps can be pulled, I wonder about Windows 10 apps. I'll have to keep that in mind when I eventually go to Win 10 and not use anything that's Windows Store app only.

I installed the Win10 release version of Classic shell and it clearly separates the Windows Store APPS from normal Windows Programs (two separate cascading menus). Makes it easy to tell which is which.

Win10 does the same on the full start screen but it puts Apps (and there's tons of them) first and the Programs section is way to the left (offscreen).

I never intended to get anything important (free or not) via the Store so it makes no difference to me. But I'll be passing on the word.
I expected it to be like the XBOX store,which did not use to remove stuff even if they stopped offering it. That just changed: they just announced that the XFINITY app was going away. And the way they described it was "will be removed". I don't use it but I'll keep the ear prepped for the screams to come.)

Not. A. Good. Policy.

They should just let the user delete it when it stops working.

[Purple Lady]

Originally Posted by fjtorres

I installed the Win10 release version of Classic shell and it clearly separates the Windows Store APPS from normal Windows Programs (two separate cascading menus). Makes it easy to tell which is which.

Win10 does the same on the full start screen but it puts Apps (and there's tons of them) first and the Programs section is way to the left (offscreen).

I never intended to get anything important (free or not) via the Store so it makes no difference to me. But I'll be passing on the word.
I expected it to be like the XBOX store,which did not use to remove stuff even if they stopped offering it. That just changed: they just announced that the XFINITY app was going away. And the way they described it was "will be removed". I don't use it but I'll keep the ear prepped for the screams to come.)

Not. A. Good. Policy.

They should just let the user delete it when it stops working.

I would have taken "will be removed" to mean removed from the store so no new installs and no updates. But after seeing this I don't know. Is it possible to get apps from anyplace other than the Windows app store? I know that for Kindle the Win 7 version still works.

[fjtorres]

Originally Posted by Purple Lady

Is it possible to get apps from anyplace other than the Windows app store? I know that for Kindle the Win 7 version still works.

Windows software is available on disk and digital download all over.
And that's not changing anytime soon.
Even the older Nook apps are still available.

The thing to remember is the Apps from the store aren't just for PCs but also for phones so they're applying phone rules to the desktop-compatible apps but not to the older non-universal apps. I figure they'll quickly evolve the rules after enough people scream.

[Purple Lady]

Originally Posted by fjtorres

...
The thing to remember is the Apps from the store aren't just for PCs but also for phones so they're applying phone rules to the desktop-compatible apps but not to the older non-universal apps. I figure they'll quickly evolve the rules after enough people scream.

So if a free app gets pulled from the Windows app store, you won't be able to use it on your phone anymore? I don't think that's how Android works and it's another good reason to never go for a Windows phone.

[fjtorres]

Originally Posted by Purple Lady

So if a free app gets pulled from the Windows app store, you won't be able to use it on your phone anymore? I don't think that's how Android works and it's another good reason to never go for a Windows phone.

That isn't quite what they're saying.
What they're (apparently) saying is that if the service the app provides goes away, the app goes with it. (Why keep an app that leads nowhere?)

Imagine if one of the app-locked ebook reading services (like Oyster or Scribd) went away. The app would be useless, no?

It's not as they are talking about an app that accesses local content.
It's all part of the recentralization (aka Cloud-ification) of computing.

Some welcome it.
Me, I'm cautious.

[Purple Lady]

Originally Posted by fjtorres

That isn't quite what they're saying.
What they're (apparently) saying is that if the service the app provides goes away, the app goes with it. (Why keep an app that leads nowhere?)

Imagine if one of the app-locked ebook reading services (like Oyster or Scribd) went away. The app would be useless, no?

It's not as they are talking about an app that accesses local content.
It's all part of the recentralization (aka Cloud-ification) of computing.

Some welcome it.
Me, I'm cautious.

But for the B&N app the books are on your device, aren't they? Just like for Sony's reader app, you can't buy or download anything but you can read your already downloaded books.

For Oyster and Scribd, yes the apps would be useless. Except maybe as a way to get a refund for any remaining months.

[fjtorres]

Originally Posted by Purple Lady

But for the B&N app the books are on your device, aren't they? Just like for Sony's reader app, you can't buy or download anything but you can read your already downloaded books.

For Oyster and Scribd, yes the apps would be useless. Except maybe as a way to get a refund for any remaining months.

I'm not sure about the Nook for Win8/10 app.
I never bothered with it so I don't know if you can extract files from it or if it can open them without server support like the old ones could.

[lkmiller]

Originally Posted by Purple Lady

But for the B&N app the books are on your device, aren't they?

Yes, the books are downloaded to the device. But there isn't bulk download. So they aren't all local unless you specifically download each one. And then they're stored in a hidden folder.