What's with the Paranoia?

[DNSB]

Originally Posted by ownedbycats

That reminds me of a recent published security flaw with an internet-of-things-enabled chastity belt.

As the bard put it, love laughs at locksmiths.

[fabricalado]

Originally Posted by DNSB

As the bard put it

nasty bard, that Shake-spear

[ownedbycats]

Apparently there's also IoT-enabled toilets. Uhhh...Alexa, order some more fiber bars?

[b0rsuk]

Originally Posted by ownedbycats

That reminds me of a recent published security flaw with an internet-of-things-enabled chastity belt.

Why someone would want that connected to the internet I fail to understand.

Why would anyone seek out HIV-positive people to have sex with. Why would anyone buy DRM-encumbered ebooks or games. At least in the case of HIV, they're doing that for the thrill of risky sex. With a certain mindset, a potential for failure is a nice bonus.

[Sirtel]

Originally Posted by b0rsuk

Why would anyone buy DRM-encumbered ebooks or games.

DRM can be removed. As long as it's so, why not. Granted, I wouldn't buy any book with unremovable DRM. Then again, many people just don't care. They read it once and never look at it again. They don't store, hoard or back up.

[ownedbycats]

Originally Posted by b0rsuk

Why would anyone buy DRM-encumbered ebooks or games.

If a game is available on both Steam and GOG, I'll usually go for the GOG version.

[JSWolf]

Originally Posted by Sirtel

DRM can be removed. As long as it's so, why not. Granted, I wouldn't buy any book with unremovable DRM. Then again, many people just don't care. They read it once and never look at it again. They don't store, hoard or back up.

While I may not reread, I want to be able ot remove the DRM in case I want to fix up the eBook such as a real cover, removing the hundreds of unused CSS classes. Yes, some eBooks do have hundreds of unused CSS classes in the CSS as the publisher just keeps adding new classes to the house CSS, remove the embedded fonts, fit the wonky formatting, fix the wonky font sizes, etc.

Also, if the eBook was from Amazon, I would have t shift or convert it to ePub to read on my Kobo.

Also, if I had to create a new Adobe account and register a new Reader with that new account, I would not lose access to the ePub eBooks I've already bought. DRM may not get in the way for some now, but that could someday come back to bite them in the a$$.

[JSWolf]

Originally Posted by ownedbycats

If a game is available on both Steam and GOG, I'll usually go for the GOG version.

I'd always go for the GoG version because it has no annoying DRM can get in the way and prevent the game from working.

[issybird]

Originally Posted by b0rsuk

Why would anyone buy DRM-encumbered ebooks or games.

Because other than public domain, almost anything worth reading comes with DRM.

[ownedbycats]

Originally Posted by JSWolf

I'd always go for the GoG version because it has no annoying DRM can get in the way and prevent the game from working.

Occasionally Steam offers a bit of added value (e.g. moddable games with Workshop access) that I consider worth the intrusion of DRM. It's on a case-by-case basis though.

[b0rsuk]

I like GoG and Humble Bundle a lot, but I have to admit they tend to lag behind when it comes to game updates. A patch might not be available for download for days.

A nasty side effect of Steam is that it causes many developers to not include a Frames Per Second display. They rely on Steam Overlay, so in its absence it's difficult to measure how well your game runs on your hardware.

[Elektron]

Originally Posted by DNSB

In Canada, I am not aware of any public libraries that allow downloading Kindle format ebooks.

This is exactly why I bought a Kobo. I'm not fond of buying eBooks.

[Alfendalf]

Originally Posted by JSWolf

I'm reading about more and more people not wanting to register their Reader because they are paranoid. What's with this growing level of paranoia?
When you don't register, you don't get all the features of your Reader and I know in the case of Kobo, the firmware can change such that fake registering fails and you have to start over.
I've been registered with Sony, Kobo, and Amazon. I've never had a single issue with being registered. And then there are all the eBookstores I've been registered with. If you want to read commercial eBooks, you do need to be registered someplace. You just cannot do otherwise.
So why the paranoia? What's the reason for it?

I think this paranoia is due to distrust of the company, social networks, Internet search engines.Because now the information is bought and sold at the click of a finger.

[JSWolf]

Originally Posted by Alfendalf

I think this paranoia is due to distrust of the company, social networks, Internet search engines.Because now the information is bought and sold at the click of a finger.

But what I want to know is why buy a Reader from a company you don't trust enough to register? Also, even if you don't trust the company, you can still register and keep the WiFi off in order to activate all the features.

[harriska2]

Originally Posted by JSWolf

If you don't trust the company enough to register, why not buy a Reader from another company that you do trust more? There is Kobo, Tolino, Amazon, Pocketbook, Onyx, Likebook, and B&N (there are others but those are the most well known brands). If you cannot find one where you trust the company enough, then forget buying.

Well that’s some black and white thinking. What if you simply don’t register because it really gains you nothing. No need to synchronize between devices, download books using the device, see extra advertisements, or be put on an upgrade path you don’t want. I use Apple books on other devices, download purchased books on my PC, side-load via Calibre, don’t see ads, and hate Amazon upgrades making the device less user friendly.

I don’t understand why people think they know what others like or need better than the person him/herself.