Will K2PC 1.19 and KFX alter your ebook purchasing habits?

[Sirtel]

Originally Posted by Atunah

I guess for those that have options buying epubs. Those that didn't own kindles and read on other things and tablets. I only own kindles so I can't buy epubs.

Well, of course you can buy epubs. Whether you want to bother with converting and sideloading, that's another matter.

I read only on my kindles too, but nevertheless I buy epubs all the time. But then, I sideload all my books anyway, even the Amazon books and never use their cloud. Not from paranoia, I just like keeping and organizing my whole library in Calibre and load my Kindles from there.

It's true that the ADE thing is a matter of time as well. But isn't everything really?

[jhowell]

I use my PW2 and Kindle apps to read, but I don't use Kindle for PC so the new version doesn't affect me at all.

I do enjoy the feeling of knowing that my purchases are safe even if Amazon cuts me off or goes away. I have an older Kindle model registered to my account so I am not in any danger of losing the ability to backup my purchases any time soon.

I would continue to buy from Amazon even if I couldn't back up my e-books, but I would be less happy about it.

[Josieb1]

Originally Posted by Cinisajoy

I found it interesting that you would give Amazon $10 or so a month to borrow books but not buy books from them.
And yes I do remember your posts.

If paying to be in KU is the only way to read them without actually buying the books then yes I would join KU, it's no different to a library subscription. At least that way the authors would get something, and it's not just me, my Amazon account, is a joint account and hubby only buys his books from Amazon so joining KU would cover both of us.

[Josieb1]

Originally Posted by jhowell

I would continue to buy from Amazon even if I couldn't back up my e-books, but I would be less happy about it.

I'm not sure tbh, free and 99p maybe, any dearer, it all depends on my situation at the time. For me certainly if a DRM free or liberateable copy is available then I suspect that's what I would buy, if ones not, no idea.

[Sweetpea]

Originally Posted by Atunah

I guess for those that have options buying epubs. Those that didn't own kindles and read on other things and tablets. I only own kindles so I can't buy epubs. Don't really want to either as I would have the same drm issue, just a totally different one. And isn't that only a matter of time also with a new ADE version?

Really though, the majority of amazon kindle customers have no clue nor do they care about epubs, or drm or anything of such matters. They just buy the books and read.

If you only own kindles, there is no problem. I however, don't own a kindle, I only use my tablet once in a while, using the Kindle app. Disinfecting books from DRM is the only way I can read them on all my devices. I have bought 3 or 4 DRM infected epubs, years ago, and figured it was too much trouble cleaning them. I haven't bought one since. I either buy DRM-free epubs or Kindle books as those are easy to clear. If I cannot clean Kindle books anymore, I simply won't buy them. They'd be useless to me anyway.

[johnnyb]

I for one have to say, absolutely. The Amazon experience for me has so far been been: get a book with real page numbers and the bell and whistles of their system (cloud, later typesetting etc), but also be able to read it on other devices for greater convenience. When that won’t be the case anymore, I always will have to decide: Do I want the book on Amazon or anywhere else. The latter seems more likely...

[darryl]

My buying habits will not likely change so long as I can continue to download kf8 or older formats from which I can remove DRM. I have older Kindles which do not currently handle kfx registered so expect no problems for some time, but who knows? At the moment, even though my Oasis supports kfx, when I download from Amazon for transfer by USB for this device, I still currently get kf8 or older. So far as I'm aware Amazon does not currently have an option to download kfx for transfer via usb, so even newer e-ink Kindles registered to your account will allow you to download the older formats. at least for the time being.

Whether I change my buying habits if kfx becomes the only format available and drm cannot be removed depends on the alternatives. I would then buy from Kobo and others, assuming that they continue to supply files which play nicely with Alf. However, don't forget the spectre of Adobe's new drm which continues to haunt us, and, like kfx, remains Alf-proof. The nightmare scenario for us few who care is that there will again be a period where it is impossible to remove drm from any major format.

In this case I will probably stick with KU and library books.

[Sweetpea]

Originally Posted by darryl

The nightmare scenario for us few who care is that there will again be a period where it is impossible to remove drm from any major format.

In this case I will probably stick with KU and library books.

I know I can buy a lot of books with social DRM (all epubs I bought these last years were social DRM). It only means I won't be able to buy some books anymore. Their loss. If they don't want my money, who am I to force it upon them?
KU and library books aren't an option for me (no availablity).

[JSWolf]

Originally Posted by Atunah

I guess for those that have options buying epubs. Those that didn't own kindles and read on other things and tablets. I only own kindles so I can't buy epubs. Don't really want to either as I would have the same drm issue, just a totally different one. And isn't that only a matter of time also with a new ADE version?

Really though, the majority of amazon kindle customers have no clue nor do they care about epubs, or drm or anything of such matters. They just buy the books and read.

Actually, as long as you are using ADE 2.0.1, you won't have the same issues. You'll be able to remove the DRM (if any) and convert to KF8 to use with your Kindle. And when a company such as Tor says the ePub is DRM free, it really is. Apprentice Alf is your friend.[/quote]

[JSWolf]

Originally Posted by Sweetpea

If you only own kindles, there is no problem. I however, don't own a kindle, I only use my tablet once in a while, using the Kindle app. Disinfecting books from DRM is the only way I can read them on all my devices. I have bought 3 or 4 DRM infected epubs, years ago, and figured it was too much trouble cleaning them. I haven't bought one since. I either buy DRM-free epubs or Kindle books as those are easy to clear. If I cannot clean Kindle books anymore, I simply won't buy them. They'd be useless to me anyway.

But if you mostly get KFX from Amazon and you want to make sure the eBooks you buy you will be able to use in the future, the best thing to do is buy ePub. The DRM can be removed and you can convert to KF8 very easily.

[JSWolf]

Originally Posted by johnnyb

I for one have to say, absolutely. The Amazon experience for me has so far been been: get a book with real page numbers and the bell and whistles of their system (cloud, later typesetting etc), but also be able to read it on other devices for greater convenience. When that won’t be the case anymore, I always will have to decide: Do I want the book on Amazon or anywhere else. The latter seems more likely...

Real page numbers are a fantasy. There are no such thing. A hardcover, trade paperback, & mass market paperback all have different page numbers for the very same book. So which one has real page numbers?

With an eBook, all that matters is that the page numbers do not change when any of the settings change such as the font, font size, margins, & line height. ADE page number work plus, I don't need a second file to get these page numbers. The eBook is complete as is.

[soulfuldog]

I'll wait until if and when it actually happens before I worry about it.

[pdurrant]

If it ever became impossible to remove the DRM from ebooks bought at Amazon, I would stop buying DRMed ebooks there.

I don't anticipate that this will happen.

[darryl]

Originally Posted by JSWolf

But if you mostly get KFX from Amazon and you want to make sure the eBooks you buy you will be able to use in the future, the best thing to do is buy ePub. The DRM can be removed and you can convert to KF8 very easily.

Only true for people who can only get kfx from Amazon (ie; have no options to download kf8 or older formats). It is not relevant whether they "mostly" get kfx. The question is whether they can get kf8's etc. To me future proofing books means keeping a "disinfected" version in Calibre. My "workflow" when purchasing a book, be it from Amazon or an Adobe epub from elsewhere accomplishes this easily for either epub or kf8/mobi. There is no reason for me to prefer one over the other so far as this process is concerned. If the time comes when I can't "disinfect" one format I will prefer the other so long as I can disinfect it. If epubs use Adobe's new drm, they will be no better than kfx. And it is out there. It could happen, and quite probably will as time passes.

If the time comes that I can't disinfect books purchased from Amazon or epubs purchased elsewhere then I will simply not buy books, but will borrow them from libraries and probably KU. Until, of course, one or the other formats is reverse-engineered and drm removal again becomes practical. I expect that piracy will thrive during any period that drm cannot be removed. Even sScanning hard copies and using OCR is a far less onerous and expensive process than it used to be. Not all readers share the same high moral standards as we Mobileread members, and many will no doubt be sorely tempted.

[John F]

Originally Posted by Pajamaman

NVDA (NonVisual Desktop Access) and Kindle for PC 1.19

With the release of Kindle for PC 1.19, it is highly probable that it will soon only be possible to download non-KFX files if you have a pre-PW2 Kindle. This means that if you only have a Kindle newer than a PW1, you will not be able to remove DRM or convert your books to other formats.

Will this affect your ebook buying habits? Do you expect to go to vendors other than Amazon to get your books, and if so, what vendors will you use?

If it happens, I will stop buying ebooks from Amazon.

1) I currently only have and prefer Kobo hardware
2) I usually don't like the default formatting.

If I couldn't purchase ebooks anymore, I would be fine. I have the library, Gutenberg, I could reread, and (shudder) I could go to used pbooks.