Replacing Kindle for PC in Linux

[haertig]

Originally Posted by rcentros

I'm using Linux Mint 20.3 Cinnamon (kernel 5.4.0-121) on this computer, which (by default) installs Wine 5.0.3. I haven't tried PlayOnLinux so I'll see if that makes a difference. Is there anything I need to know about Wine networking?

Thanks for any advice.

I've never done anything special in Wine regarding networking. That's something I have had to mess with on occasion when using Virtual Machines or Docker, but not for Wine.

Yesterday, when I posted about my K4PC installation, I simply fired it up to grab a screenshot showing my installed version of Wine. I did not try to USE it. The last time I actually downloaded a book using K4PC was at least 6 months, maybe even a year or more ago. I check it every so often (very infrequently) to see if it still works.

So today I fired it up again to do some testing to see if it still actually WORKS (as opposed to LOADS). And I found that it DID NOT! I get the same "cannot connect" network error that others have reported.

So while my K4PC v1.17 installation on Linux/Wine has worked for many years untouched, today it did not work when I actually tried to use it to download a test book. So something has changed since the last time I checked its functionality, and that change was not on my end. I guess Amazon has taken recent strides on their end to kill it.

[Quoth]

So it's Amazon is the issue, not networking on WINE as ancient Orbitron gets data from the Internet.
Last updated: version 3.71 - 2005.09.08 - Win 9x/Me/2k/XP/2k3/Vista (the version I have on XP and WINE)
Download here if anyone wants to track ISS and satellites in real time: http://www.stoff.pl/
Nothing special needs done to make it work on WINE 32 bit.

[ZodWallop]

Originally Posted by Quoth

Yes, 1.17 and 1.19 wouldn't log in for me on Windows.

And this is on a fairly new PC (as you can see, only installed at the end of March) running Windows 10.

I did no special setup. It just works.

I'm also running the same version of K4PC on my Surface running Windows 11 preview builds. Again, it just works with no special tinkering from me.

Anyone that wants to try it, you can download K4PC 1.17.1 from FileHippo. I've used them for years when looking for old versions of programs.

[rcentros]

Originally Posted by haertig

So today I fired it up again to do some testing to see if it still actually WORKS (as opposed to LOADS). And I found that it DID NOT! I get the same "cannot connect" network error that others have reported.

Okay, so I'll quit trying this. If an experienced Wine user has troubles, I know I'm going to have them. I tried PlayOnLinux last night. One time it installed 1.17.1 but had the same issues. Then I tried again and, not sure how it happened, but it came up with a "debug" installation that gave me the 1.16.x something. It also failed to register, but this one actually showed the graphics on the login page (which 1.17.1 doesn't, though you can still "try" to log in).

I wonder if it would work if I first registered the app on a Windows machine?

(I guess I have trouble stopping from trying.)

EDIT: Well, I gave it one last shot (for now). Installed 1.17.1 on a Windows computer. It worked fine, immediately updated 1.30.x even though I thought I had checked the "no automatic update" box. (May not have saved my choice.) I installed 1.17.1 back over it and it seems to be working fine (still get an occasional nag). This is in Windows 10, updated immediately before installing Kindle for PC.

So I went back to Linux and it still refused to register. When I could get it to not give me the "Can't connect" error, the registration was "Registration failed. Please try again. (99)"

At any rate I gave up. (For now.) Hopefully the transfer via USB option will continue to work after August 17th.

[Martinoptic]

Originally Posted by rcentros

Okay, so I'll quit trying this. If an experienced Wine user has troubles, I know I'm going to have them. I tried PlayOnLinux last night. One time it installed 1.17.1 but had the same issues. Then I tried again and, not sure how it happened, but it came up with a "debug" installation that gave me the 1.16.x something. It also failed to register, but this one actually showed the graphics on the login page (which 1.17.1 doesn't, though you can still "try" to log in).

I wonder if it would work if I first registered the app on a Windows machine?

(I guess I have trouble stopping from trying.)

EDIT: Well, I gave it one last shot (for now). Installed 1.17.1 on a Windows computer. It worked fine, immediately updated 1.30.x even though I thought I had checked the "no automatic update" box. (May not have saved my choice.) I installed 1.17.1 back over it and it seems to be working fine (still get an occasional nag). This is in Windows 10, updated immediately before installing Kindle for PC.

So I went back to Linux and it still refused to register. When I could get it to not give me the "Can't connect" error, the registration was "Registration failed. Please try again. (99)"

At any rate I gave up. (For now.) Hopefully the transfer via USB option will continue to work after August 17th.

What is changing on 17 August? (I hope I’ve not done TL;DR)

[Quoth]

Originally Posted by ZodWallop

And this is on a fairly new PC (as you can see, only installed at the end of March) running Windows 10.

I did no special setup. It just works.

I'm also running the same version of K4PC on my Surface running Windows 11 preview builds. Again, it just works with no special tinkering from me.

Anyone that wants to try it, you can download K4PC 1.17.1 from FileHippo. I've used them for years when looking for old versions of programs.

Doesn't work on XP. How is it a 2022 version? Or does the 2022-03-27 date mean if updated something? That can't be the original 1.17.1?

[ZodWallop]

Originally Posted by Quoth

Doesn't work on XP.

How is it a 2022 version? Or does the 2022-03-27 date mean if updated something? That can't be the original 1.17.1?

2022-03-27 was the date I installed 1.17.1 on my new PC, as mentioned.

Originally Posted by ZodWallop

And this is on a fairly new PC (as you can see, only installed at the end of March)...

[Quoth]

I upgraded to Linux only. Win7 was only a service pack for Vista. Should have been free for Vista users and Win10 is so much worse than Win7 or XP they had to practically force install it for Win7 and Win8 users. Near the EOL makers were charging extra to deliver Laptops/PC with Win7 because people were prepared to pay it. I used Windows 2.x on Hercules. Win10 reminds me of that.

[ZodWallop]

Originally Posted by Quoth

I upgraded to Linux only. Win7 was only a service pack for Vista. Should have been free for Vista users and Win10 is so much worse than Win7 or XP they had to practically force install it for Win7 and Win8 users. Near the EOL makers were charging extra to deliver Laptops/PC with Win7 because people were prepared to pay it. I used Windows 2.x on Hercules. Win10 reminds me of that.

[rcentros]

Originally Posted by Quoth

I upgraded to Linux only. Win7 was only a service pack for Vista. Should have been free for Vista users and Win10 is so much worse than Win7 or XP they had to practically force install it for Win7 and Win8 users. Near the EOL makers were charging extra to deliver Laptops/PC with Win7 because people were prepared to pay it. I used Windows 2.x on Hercules. Win10 reminds me of that.

When XP's EOL was announced (for the first time, it kept getting "reprieves") that's when I made the move to Linux. I was determined that I wasn't going to use Vista. I think it's 15 or 16 years now. Never regretted the decision. I had already been dual-booting off and on.

[Quoth]

Originally Posted by rcentros

When XP's EOL was announced (for the first time, it kept getting "reprieves") that's when I made the move to Linux. I was determined that I wasn't going to use Vista. I think it's 15 or 16 years now. Never regretted the decision. I had already been dual-booting off and on.

Yes, I'd been dual booting and changed our Windows Server to Linux years before final switch during Nov 2016 to Jan 2017. I'd bought the Lenovo with Win7 (and "free Win10 upgrade") about a month after win 7 sales ceased in 2016, but support actually ended very much later. I deleted the Win7 partition in 2017.

And the title of thread is "Replacing Kindle for PC in Linux". Suggesting to Linux users that they "go back" to Microsoft Windows isn't helpful. I think the best solution if someone is going to buy a lot of Amazon ebooks is a cheap (or S/H but not blacklisted) Kindle that has KF8/azw3 support and using "Download to PC" once it's registered. Less than the cost of 20 non-discount books.

Edit:
Some people even buy Macs and install Linux (it's been ported to M1 ARM) because they like Apple hardware.
Some people use a Raspberry Pi as a "laptop".
Only "crippled" versions of Windows run on ARM and mostly x86-64 Windows programs don't work.

[rashkae]

In a previous life, I had my E-book DRM al working in Linux via Wine for the Windows Components. It needed some special tweaks, but was doable. However, Installing Windows 10 in a VirtualBox VM is by far the path of least resistance, (presuming you have 2 GB of memory available and a CPU capable of virtualization. For some reason, CPU virtualization is often disabled in BIOS by default.)

[ZodWallop]

Originally Posted by Quoth

And the title of thread is "Replacing Kindle for PC in Linux". Suggesting to Linux users that they "go back" to Microsoft Windows isn't helpful.

I of course wasn't making that suggestion. Only answering your 'K4PC no longer lets me log in on Windows' comment.

[Quoth]

Originally Posted by ZodWallop

I of course wasn't making that suggestion. Only answering your 'K4PC no longer lets me log in on Windows' comment.

No, but I know of someone that usually comments in any discussion relating to Linux, "Windows is best for ebooks".

I wonder does K4PC report presumed OS version in any way? Of course on both real Windows and WINE it's possible to edit/set the Windows version the Program thinks it has.

[j.p.s]

Originally Posted by rashkae

For some reason, CPU virtualization is often disabled in BIOS by default.

I've always wondered why they do that,