Dealing with Kindle for PC/Mac 1.19 and KFX in calibre - Page 44

Timboli · 10-23-2019, 10:19 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by lkmiller

Haven't seen it myself. Thankfully, my books have all still been available in AZW3/KF8. But I have seen others say they didn't have the "download & transfer via USB" option on KFX only books.

I am guessing you are still on v1.17.
99% of my books from Amazon are KFX, and I still have that option.

EDIT
Just tried a little experiment with the Download & Transfer to USB option.
Seems it is only applicable for my two Kindle devices, all the others (including my Samsung tablet and K4PC) were greyed out. I did that for a freebie and a paid ebook, both of which resulted in an azw3 file each.
So you probably need at least a Kindle device for my earlier suggestion to work.

jhowell · 10-23-2019, 10:50 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Timboli

I am guessing you are still on v1.17.
99% of my books from Amazon are KFX, and I still have that option.

Most books are available in MOBI and KF8 (azw3) and also KFX format. Those can be downloaded from amazon.com as long as you have a Kindle device registered to your account.

Other books are only available in KFX format. Those cannot be downloaded even if you own a Kindle. This includes books in Arabic, Traditional Chinese, Indian languages, and some textbooks.

Timboli · 10-23-2019, 12:32 PM

@jhowell - Fair enough .... or should I say, weird enough ... why some and not others ... it's not as if the downloading removes the DRM.

ilovejedd · 10-23-2019, 12:45 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Timboli

@jhowell - Fair enough .... or should I say, weird enough ... why some and not others ... it's not as if the downloading removes the DRM.

AZW3/KF8 gives you copies that can be disinfected, though.

Meanwhile, afaik latest KFX DRM used in K4PC/Mac 1.25+ and Kindle firmware 5.10.3+ hasn't been cracked yet.

jhowell · 10-23-2019, 03:29 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Timboli

@jhowell - Fair enough .... or should I say, weird enough ... why some and not others ... it's not as if the downloading removes the DRM.

It isn't about DRM. Because KFX is under continuous development, new features are being added over time that only work in certain app/firmware versions. In order to make that work Amazon requires communication with the device downloading a KFX-format book in order to verify that its firmware is compatible. Since "Download & transfer via USB" does not involve communication with the actual device it does not support KFX format. Therefore those books that are only available in KFX cannot be downloaded from the website.

Perhaps at some point Amazon will shift the job of compatibility checking to the device instead of the download server. But that is not how it works now.

Timboli · 10-23-2019, 05:44 PM

@jhowell - Goodo, thanks for the info .... I'd forgotten that aspect ... makes a bit more sense now. Bit of a trap for the unwary too, if you need to update for something you bought .... though I guess that mainly applies when you don't have a device. If you did have to update, the only other option currently open to someone, would be automated screen capture ... which is not for the faint-hearted and uses a lot of storage and time.

Amazondoc · 11-12-2019, 05:18 PM

I just wanted to post my personal experiences with Kindle-for-Mac and Catalina, and to thank user odamizu for this post -- https://www.mobileread.com/forums/sh...&postcount=508 -- which solved my current problems.

I had been using Kindle for Mac with Calibre successfully in previous OSes, thanks to the chmod technique posted in this forum. But when I updated to Catalina, that ability broke.

But re-entering the chmod command (no need for sudo) and following the right-click downloading technique recommended in odamizu's post did the trick. Now I can successfully convert in Calibre once again. Kindle for Mac version 1.26.1

Thanks, odamizu! Thanks, forum!

odamizu · 11-12-2019, 06:52 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Amazondoc

... when I updated to Catalina, that ability broke ... Now I can successfully convert in Calibre once again. Kindle for Mac version 1.26.1

milmom2005 · 11-21-2019, 04:55 PM

FYI, odamizu. I successfully updated Kindle for Mac to 1.26.1 using your detailed instructions that you had updated for us in Oct 2019. Kindle crashed once at first on 1.26.1 but after that opens and closes OK. Now I am going to install Catalina. Fingers crossed! Thank you, thank you, you very smart guys! Maureen
PS I also purchased a used e-ink just in case as a backup and have a Kindle reader too...but I prefer control over my own purchased books and like to organize them all with calibre.

odamizu · 11-21-2019, 11:40 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by milmom2005

... I successfully updated Kindle for Mac to 1.26.1 using your detailed instructions that you had updated for us in Oct 2019. Kindle crashed once at first on 1.26.1 but after that opens and closes OK. Now I am going to install Catalina. Fingers crossed!

Crashing on close is actually an unfortunate side effect of using chmod -x on 1.26.1 to disable KFX and get KF8 instead. However, not using chmod -x results in a KFX that Alf can't handle :(

Hope your upgrade to Catalina goes smoothly!

milmom2005 · 11-22-2019, 08:23 PM

Upgrade to Catalina went pretty well last night. And I was still able to right-click, download Kindle ebooks with Kindle 1.26.1 and add them into calibre's library. I forgot to say that when I upgraded yesterday from Kindle 1.17 to 1.23 to 1.26.1 I had to run chmod -x after each upgrade. So...my question to you is: what is chmod -x doing? Why does Kindle crash when chmod -x is in effect? I am just trying to understand as I am not a programmer. Thanks. Maureen

theducks · 11-22-2019, 09:21 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by milmom2005

Upgrade to Catalina went pretty well last night. And I was still able to right-click, download Kindle ebooks with Kindle 1.26.1 and add them into calibre's library. I forgot to say that when I upgraded yesterday from Kindle 1.17 to 1.23 to 1.26.1 I had to run chmod -x after each upgrade. So...my question to you is: what is chmod -x doing? Why does Kindle crash when chmod -x is in effect? I am just trying to understand as I am not a programmer. Thanks. Maureen

Change the Mode to No eXecute (user? )

man chmod

odamizu · 11-22-2019, 11:19 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by milmom2005

... what is chmod -x doing? Why does Kindle crash when chmod -x is in effect? ...

As I understand it, renderer-test is a program inside Kindle For Mac/PC that's needed for KFX.

chmod -x /Applications/Kindle.app/Contents/MacOS/renderer-test disables renderer-test, which in turn causes Kindle for Mac to use Alf-friendly KF8 instead of KFX with the new DRM that Alf doesn't like.

However, disabling renderer-test (which is part of Kindle for Mac) messes up the closing sequence in 1.25+, causing Kindle for Mac 1.25.x and 1.26.x to crash when it closes.

Stace62 · 11-25-2019, 05:33 PM

Hey everyone, I am just wondering if there is a step by step guide to getting ebooks from Kindle for PC into Calibre or converted to be able to put them on my Kobo ereader?

JSWolf · 11-26-2019, 06:40 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Stace62

Hey everyone, I am just wondering if there is a step by step guide to getting ebooks from Kindle for PC into Calibre or converted to be able to put them on my Kobo ereader?

Yes. Read the first post in this thread and if that's not working, read the entire thread.

10-23-2019, 05:44 PM	#651
Timboli Sharpest Tool On Shelf Posts: 661 Karma: 2587836 Join Date: Feb 2009 Location: Downunda Device: Kindles, Kobo & Samsung Tablet	@jhowell - Goodo, thanks for the info .... I'd forgotten that aspect ... makes a bit more sense now. Bit of a trap for the unwary too, if you need to update for something you bought .... though I guess that mainly applies when you don't have a device. If you did have to update, the only other option currently open to someone, would be automated screen capture ... which is not for the faint-hearted and uses a lot of storage and time. Last edited by Timboli; 10-23-2019 at 05:55 PM.

11-25-2019, 05:33 PM	#659
Stace62 Member Retired Posts: 2 Karma: 10 Join Date: Mar 2011 Device: Kobo Glow	Step by Step? Hey everyone, I am just wondering if there is a step by step guide to getting ebooks from Kindle for PC into Calibre or converted to be able to put them on my Kobo ereader?

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10-23-2019, 12:32 PM	#648
Timboli Sharpest Tool On Shelf Posts: 661 Karma: 2587836 Join Date: Feb 2009 Location: Downunda Device: Kindles, Kobo & Samsung Tablet	@jhowell - Fair enough .... or should I say, weird enough ... why some and not others ... it's not as if the downloading removes the DRM.

11-12-2019, 05:18 PM	#652
Amazondoc Enthusiast Posts: 32 Karma: 10 Join Date: Jun 2018 Device: Kindle Fire HDX and Fire HD	I just wanted to post my personal experiences with Kindle-for-Mac and Catalina, and to thank user odamizu for this post -- https://www.mobileread.com/forums/sh...&postcount=508 -- which solved my current problems. I had been using Kindle for Mac with Calibre successfully in previous OSes, thanks to the chmod technique posted in this forum. But when I updated to Catalina, that ability broke. But re-entering the chmod command (no need for sudo) and following the right-click downloading technique recommended in odamizu's post did the trick. Now I can successfully convert in Calibre once again. Kindle for Mac version 1.26.1 Thanks, odamizu! Thanks, forum!

11-21-2019, 04:55 PM	#654
milmom2005 Junior Member Posts: 5 Karma: 10 Join Date: Sep 2014 Device: iPad & MacBook Pro	FYI, odamizu. I successfully updated Kindle for Mac to 1.26.1 using your detailed instructions that you had updated for us in Oct 2019. Kindle crashed once at first on 1.26.1 but after that opens and closes OK. Now I am going to install Catalina. Fingers crossed! Thank you, thank you, you very smart guys! Maureen PS I also purchased a used e-ink just in case as a backup and have a Kindle reader too...but I prefer control over my own purchased books and like to organize them all with calibre.

11-22-2019, 08:23 PM	#656
milmom2005 Junior Member Posts: 5 Karma: 10 Join Date: Sep 2014 Device: iPad & MacBook Pro	Upgrade to Catalina went pretty well last night. And I was still able to right-click, download Kindle ebooks with Kindle 1.26.1 and add them into calibre's library. I forgot to say that when I upgraded yesterday from Kindle 1.17 to 1.23 to 1.26.1 I had to run chmod -x after each upgrade. So...my question to you is: what is chmod -x doing? Why does Kindle crash when chmod -x is in effect? I am just trying to understand as I am not a programmer. Thanks. Maureen