Is there a dedicated device for eReader format?

[DMcCunney]

Originally Posted by HarryT

It doesn't - it just uses a different DRM server. The actual DRM is the same.

I sit corrected, thanks.

But same difference. The result is that DRMed Mobi content purchased from elsewhere can't be read on the Kindle without breaking the DRM. You are locked into Amazon as the supplier for commercial content.
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Dennis

[pilotbob]

Originally Posted by DMcCunney

The result is that DRMed Mobi content purchased from elsewhere can't be read on the Kindle without breaking the DRM. You are locked into Amazon as the supplier for commercial content.
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Dennis

Not true at all. You can supply your Kindle PID to a mobi store (that uses OD servers) and then you just need to run Kindlefix.py on the resulting download. The file is still protected but now readable on the Kindle.

Unless something has changed recently.

BOb

[DMcCunney]

Originally Posted by pilotbob

Not true at all. You can supply your Kindle PID to a mobi store (that uses OD servers) and then you just need to run Kindlefix.py on the resulting download. The file is still protected but now readable on the Kindle.

Unless something has changed recently.

I sit corrected again, and thanks.

But how many Kindle owners are aware of kindlefix.py and capable of applying it?

Amazon is trying to lock you into them as the vendor. There are ways around it, but most Kindle users won't be aware of them. (And to be fair, Amazon has a huge amount of content for the Kindle. How often might you need to resort to kindlefix.py?)
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Dennis

[JSWolf]

Well, you'd want to use Kindlefix if you had Mobipocket eBook purchased elsewhere before you got a Kindle.

[pilotbob]

Originally Posted by DMcCunney

Amazon is trying to lock you into them as the vendor. There are ways around it, but most Kindle users won't be aware of them. (And to be fair, Amazon has a huge amount of content for the Kindle. How often might you need to resort to kindlefix.py?)
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Dennis

I agree, your average user won't know that. But, will they care. I think that "mainstream" iPod owners buy all of their music from iTunes and don't really care (or even know) that it is locked to their device. I'm sure the same it true of the majority of Kindle owners. People in this forum are more on the techincal edge and see the potential problems and issues with vendor/device lock in.

BOb

[DMcCunney]

Originally Posted by JSWolf

Well, you'd want to use Kindlefix if you had Mobipocket eBook purchased elsewhere before you got a Kindle.

I know, but that affects a tiny minority of Kindle owners. And again, how many folks who might have use for it are aware of it?

The folks who hang out here aren't a representative sample.
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Dennis

[DMcCunney]

Originally Posted by pilotbob

I agree, your average user won't know that. But, will they care. I think that "mainstream" iPod owners buy all of their music from iTunes and don't really care (or even know) that it is locked to their device. I'm sure the same it true of the majority of Kindle owners. People in this forum are more on the techincal edge and see the potential problems and issues with vendor/device lock in.

Precisely.

Amazon has an enormous amount of content, and good pricing. Kindle users may not care about vendor lock-in, because they can get what they want at a price they are willing to pay.

I don't like vendor lock-in as a matter of principle, but I'm not interested in a Kindle (or any other reader at the moment, for that matter), so I don't factor into the equation.
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Dennis

[DaleDe]

Originally Posted by kovidgoyal

Cool if someone is willing to add support for links and multiple HTML files, I'll be happy to integrate it into calibre. Though for complete coverage you'd need to handle CSS and non ascii characters as well. That would be hard.

Actually PML has good support for non-ascii characters but CSS would be a problem. PML doesn't now support elaborate CSS functions but of course if you pick and choose you might get a few things to work. PML is a bit like mobi in that it expects the user application to have more control over the display of the data than everything being dictated by the author.

Dale

[DMcCunney]

Originally Posted by DaleDe

Actually PML has good support for non-ascii characters but CSS would be a problem. PML doesn't now support elaborate CSS functions but of course if you pick and choose you might get a few things to work. PML is a bit like mobi in that it expects the user application to have more control over the display of the data than everything being dictated by the author.

It sounds like you could get usable results by transforming HTML entities to corresponding PML constructs and simply stripping out all the stuff that wasn't supported, like CSS.

The next step would be to try to parse the CSS and convert it to corresponding PML functions, if any, but that would be a lot harder, and the question is whether it would be worth the effort.
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Dennis

[HarryT]

Originally Posted by DMcCunney

It sounds like you could get usable results by transforming HTML entities to corresponding PML constructs and simply stripping out all the stuff that wasn't supported, like CSS.

I assume that's what "Book Designer" must do when you create an eReader book with it.

[DMcCunney]

Originally Posted by HarryT

I assume that's what "Book Designer" must do when you create an eReader book with it.

I haven't tried to make an eReader book with Book Designer. Does it roll its own, or call DropBook to do the actual ebook generation?

In any case, that sounds like what it must be doing.
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Dennis

[DaleDe]

Originally Posted by DMcCunney

I haven't tried to make an eReader book with Book Designer. Does it roll its own, or call DropBook to do the actual ebook generation?

In any case, that sounds like what it must be doing.
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Dennis

It includes a copy of dropbook in the installation and calls it. One of the things you should do if you plan to use Book Designer is to replace the copy of Drop Book with the latest version to ensure that all the known bugs have been fixed.

Dale