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

[eschwartz]

Originally Posted by bean

I am unwilling, in general, to "buy" DRM'd books since as this case clearly shows it's not buying but renting them for an uncertain amount of time and arbitrary corporate events can take them away. I was buying from BN exactly because DRM was trivial to remove with a simple Python script. Right now, the state of the onion:

Kindle -- I can get the book on my Android tablet and strip DRM but it's a major hassle.

BN -- requires a userscript to get a download who knows when they will change things to break that script.

Kobo & most small stores I know of -- requires Windows to deDRM and I don't have that.

You can get Amazon books through Kindle for PC, and similarly with Kobo Desktop, and ADE.

Don't have Windows? Easy -- all should be available for Mac OSX.
You're a linux user? Kindle for PC is reportedly working well with WINE, and many people have had luck with ADE1.7 -- available as a winetricks app. Kobo Desktop -- I don't know, I think the oboK plugin would need to be updated to support going through WINE.

[rcentros]

Originally Posted by eschwartz

You can get Amazon books through Kindle for PC, and similarly with Kobo Desktop, and ADE.

Don't have Windows? Easy -- all should be available for Mac OSX.
You're a linux user? Kindle for PC is reportedly working well with WINE, and many people have had luck with ADE1.7 -- available as a winetricks app. Kobo Desktop -- I don't know, I think the oboK plugin would need to be updated to support going through WINE.

I think would be simpler just to buy a used Kindle.

[Difflugia]

Originally Posted by bean

I am unwilling, in general, to "buy" DRM'd books since as this case clearly shows it's not buying but renting them for an uncertain amount of time and arbitrary corporate events can take them away. I was buying from BN exactly because DRM was trivial to remove with a simple Python script. Right now, the state of the onion:

Kindle -- I can get the book on my Android tablet and strip DRM but it's a major hassle.

BN -- requires a userscript to get a download who knows when they will change things to break that script.

Kobo & most small stores I know of -- requires Windows to deDRM and I don't have that.

Originally Posted by eschwartz

You can get Amazon books through Kindle for PC, and similarly with Kobo Desktop, and ADE.

Don't have Windows? Easy -- all should be available for Mac OSX.
You're a linux user? Kindle for PC is reportedly working well with WINE, and many people have had luck with ADE1.7 -- available as a winetricks app. Kobo Desktop -- I don't know, I think the oboK plugin would need to be updated to support going through WINE.

For what it's worth, I've been using the B&N script with both Firefox and Chrome since the site/DRM change with no problems. I was worried for a few days that a full-on DRM update was imminent, but so far, so good. I've also been using NOOK Study with Linux/Wine, but with a large library, it's slow and sometimes crashes. Since Kobo got stingy with discount codes, B&N has gone back to getting the bulk of my business.

ADE 1.7.2 runs fine for me with stock Wine 1.6.2 (latest stable). The latest Kobo desktop update doesn't work for me with Linux at the moment, but Kobo now lists download options, so it's easier to steer clear of kepubs.

eBooks.com uses ADE for all of their downloads. Their prices are usually terrible (straight list), but they pick up most publisher sales.

K4PC runs with Wine and downloads books just fine, but it crashes when opening some of them.

[eschwartz]

Originally Posted by rcentros

I think would be simpler just to buy a used Kindle.

No, I can setup K4PC in 20 minutes including .exe downloading. Buying a used kindle takes longer and costs a concrete dollar amount.

Though granted it is a solution for those lacking technical knowledge. That will become meaningful in The Year of the Linux Desktop.

[Fbone]

Originally Posted by eschwartz

No, I can setup K4PC in 20 minutes including .exe downloading. Buying a used kindle takes longer and costs a concrete dollar amount.

Buying a used Kindle may cost a few dollars but it's more permanent and secure. All you need is the serial number.

Amazon routinely updates K4PC forcing us to reinstall and register a new "device." Which prevents tools from working.

[eschwartz]

Originally Posted by Fbone

Buying a used Kindle may cost a few dollars but it's more permanent and secure. All you need is the serial number.

Amazon routinely updates K4PC forcing us to reinstall and register a new "device." Which prevents tools from working.

And yet, so many Windows users seem to be all happy...
Go to the plugin configuration and recalculate the key.

I'm not really a K4PC user, for obvious reasons but it seems strange that an update would deregister you. I would think Windows users in particular would be frantic.

[bgalbrecht]

Originally Posted by bean

Which is what I did! BN books were the easiest, by a mile, to remove DRM from and now it's gone. This is what I am trying to get through.

The greasemonkey script still works fine, and makes it easy for me to download the books and strip the DRM from Unix, and I've also been able to copy books from an Android phone with the Nook app installed. The day I can no longer get my books off the B&N cloud is the day I stop buying books from B&N. That's true of all the retailers, though. It's also why I won't buy any books from the publishers websites where I can't download and read offline on my eInk reader.

[rcentros]

Originally Posted by eschwartz

No, I can setup K4PC in 20 minutes including .exe downloading. Buying a used kindle takes longer and costs a concrete dollar amount.

Though granted it is a solution for those lacking technical knowledge. That will become meaningful in The Year of the Linux Desktop.

Around here the pawnshops have sold Kindles for as low as $5. I guess I'm speaking from this world. Though I'm sure it's not the same everywhere.

[Fbone]

Originally Posted by eschwartz

And yet, so many Windows users seem to be all happy...
Go to the plugin configuration and recalculate the key.

I'm not really a K4PC user, for obvious reasons but it seems strange that an update would deregister you. I would think Windows users in particular would be frantic.

Amazon doesn't give you a choice. If you want to use K4PC, install the new version. They block the old version from even starting. You lose access to new purchases and anything already downloaded. Calibre will no longer open your previous purchases either as the old key is invalid. Last time this happened I inquired around and they suggested 3 things.

1. Buy cheap Kindle for serial number. Used ones go for $10.
2. Don't download to PC until you are ready to read the book. Chances of Amazon going out-of-business is small.
3. Download immediately and convert to epub and delete all books from K4PC and mobis from Calibre. Not as practical if you have already accumulated 20,000 titles.

Option #1 is the most secure and reliable.

[eschwartz]

Originally Posted by rcentros

Around here the pawnshops have sold Kindles for as low as $5. I guess I'm speaking from this world. Though I'm sure it's not the same everywhere.

Interesting! Though I doubt that price is a reliable indicator, and would feel more comfortable suggesting K4PC, simply in terms of duplication.

[eschwartz]

Originally Posted by Fbone

Amazon doesn't give you a choice. If you want to use K4PC, install the new version. They block the old version from even starting. You lose access to new purchases and anything already downloaded. Calibre will no longer open your previous purchases either as the old key is invalid. Last time this happened I inquired around and they suggested 3 things.

That is odd, I would expect it to reuse the old registration with the new version. I find it hard to believe K4PC is designed to require regular reregistration.

1. Buy cheap Kindle for serial number. Used ones go for $10.
2. Don't download to PC until you are ready to read the book. Chances of Amazon going out-of-business is small.
3. Download immediately and convert to epub and delete all books from K4PC and mobis from Calibre. Not as practical if you have already accumulated 20,000 titles.

Option #1 is the most secure and reliable.

I would consider #3 to be fundamentally the goal of even intending to install the program to begin with.

You only need to import them once, best to get it over with.
New purchases should automatically queue to K4PC, old purchases will be deleted by calibre's auto-add, and the only thing different about it is we are running it on linux.

It is already a recommended method by those who've tried it, on Windows.

[Fbone]

Option #3 assumes K4PC will be around in the future and files accessible. Amazon's ebook business is built around the Kindle and therefore works best owning one. Considering what B&N and Kobo did to their PC programs Amazon may not be far behind.

[HarryT]

Originally Posted by eschwartz

No, I can setup K4PC in 20 minutes including .exe downloading. Buying a used kindle takes longer and costs a concrete dollar amount.

Downloading and installing K4PC takes about 1 minute; are the other 19 to have a cup of tea?

[gbm]

Originally Posted by eschwartz

No, I can setup K4PC in 20 minutes including .exe downloading. Buying a used kindle takes longer and costs a concrete dollar amount.

Though granted it is a solution for those lacking technical knowledge. That will become meaningful in The Year of the Linux Desktop.

Originally Posted by HarryT

Downloading and installing K4PC takes about 1 minute; are the other 19 to have a cup of tea?

For a new install of Linux 20 minutes sounds about right, that also includes setting up the Alf plug-in.

bernie

[eschwartz]

Originally Posted by Fbone

Option #3 assumes K4PC will be around in the future and files accessible. Amazon's ebook business is built around the Kindle and therefore works best owning one. Considering what B&N and Kobo did to their PC programs Amazon may not be far behind.

Seriously?!?! Option #3 is the same Option #3 on Windows, and the singular point I have been trying to make this entire time is that the exact same options present on Windows are present on linux as well.

You have a disagreement about the suitability of K4PC in general? Sure, we can discuss that too. In which case, I feel obliged to point out the following points:

1. Amazon is not B&N or Kobo, this is in fact a marketing point. Amazon is famous for not giving a darn about what physical device you read Kindle books on, just so long as they can deliver a Kindle Software Package to said device -- because Amazon recognizes, apparently, that the money is in selling you books, and hardware is just a way of making their books more tempting which is a means to an end, the end being book purchases.
2. If Amazon emulated B&N and Kobo, surely that would mean making it difficult to access the books on an E-ink Kindle as well.
3. And surely that would mean removing the download options from http://amzn.com/myk.
4. If you have already Alfed your books (remember, that was kind of the whole point of the whole thing, the whole time?) then it is totally irrelevant if Amazon in future orphans K4PC. Because... at such time, one would simply get an E-ink Kindle (assuming they left the download options up, and I really do believe that would be shut down first, before the desktop app, ) and carry on where you left off.

Oh, and back to option #2 -- I am still baffled at the idea of backing up your books so you have control over them, but NOT DOING SO until you actually read the book.
Anyone here on MobileRead who has ever said three consecutive words about backing up your purchases, always votes for the back-them-ALL-up-now-before-it-is-too-late School of Thought... for precisely the reasons you just enumerated.