Amazon and DRM changes

[Sirtel]

Originally Posted by JSWolf

Amazon would lose customers that way. I won't buy a new Kindle.

They've already lost customers with their stricter and stricter anti-deDRM measures. Has it stopped them? Nope.

I'm guessing the number of people still using only old pre-KFX Kindles will be negligible in a few years, if it isn't already.

[John F]

Originally Posted by Sirtel

They've already lost customers with their stricter and stricter anti-deDRM measures. Has it stopped them? Nope.

I'm guessing the number of people still using only old pre-KFX Kindles will be negligible in a few years, if it isn't already.

I tend to think those who strip drm is negligible.

[ownedbycats]

Remember, after the initial Kindle for PC restrictions, a lot of people in this very thread going "well, I'll just buy Kindle in order to get access to D&T"?

Originally Posted by ownedbycats

To lock you into the ecosystem. To be honest, I'm a bit disappointed seeing everyone going "I bought a new Kindle to get around this" rather than dumping Kindle for this anti-consumer behaviour. But maybe I'm a touch more radical than most.

[Sirtel]

Originally Posted by John F

I tend to think those who strip drm is negligible.

Probably yes, but Amazon seems to be hell-bent on stopping them even so.

[JSWolf]

Originally Posted by Sirtel

They've already lost customers with their stricter and stricter anti-deDRM measures. Has it stopped them? Nope.

I'm guessing the number of people still using only old pre-KFX Kindles will be negligible in a few years, if it isn't already.

I'm thinking most who use a Kindle just turn on WiFi and download their eBooks and don't know or care anything about DRM.

[Sirtel]

Originally Posted by JSWolf

I'm thinking most who use a Kindle just turn on WiFi and download their eBooks and don't know or care anything about DRM.

Yes. Until they want to buy a different ereader and discover they can't read their Kindle books on that. But few probably do. Most seem to be content to stay in the Kindle ecosystem, because it's convenient.

[John F]

Originally Posted by Sirtel

Yes. Until they want to buy a different ereader and discover they can't read their Kindle books on that. But few probably do. Most seem to be content to stay in the Kindle ecosystem, because it's convenient.

How long will it be before the discovery? If they want to put in the effort, they will learn to strip the DRM, or repurchase the book, or get it from the library, or skip the book and move on to the next book.

[odamizu]

Originally Posted by Sirtel

... If they also discontinue D&T, then that's it for Mac owners, for example. Kindle for Mac can no longer be used to deDRM.

It's not quite so dire. If there's no D&T and no Kindle for Mac, Mac users can use virtual machine software to run Kindle for PC on their Mac. They can also use an old Kindle that still downloads .azw3 or .mobi and transfer those files from Kindle to computer via USB. And they can try running Android emulator software to get Kindle for Android working.

So while things aren't looking good, it's premature to say, "If they also discontinue D&T, then that's it for Mac owners."

Originally Posted by John F

... And I would guess that if enough Mac users want to remove DRM, the DRM will be hacked. They could even buy a cheap PC ...

No need to buy a cheap PC. You can run Windows on a Mac using virtual machine software.

As for DRM being hacked, I suspect that will continue. However, I think the willingness of hackers to share the fruits of the labors will decrease since the more widely shared it is, the quicker Amazon will be to block it again. It's a game of whack-a-mole and Amazon is becoming an increasingly aggressive player. Even noDRM is trying not to attract too much attention by not updating the official release (10.0.3) so that people have to hunt for the version that works (10.0.9 or the alpha release).

[Sirtel]

Originally Posted by odamizu

It's not quite so dire. If there's no D&T and no Kindle for Mac, Mac users can use virtual machine software to run Kindle for PC on their Mac. They can also use an old Kindle that still downloads .azw3 or .mobi and transfer those files from Kindle to computer via USB. And they can try running Android emulator software to get Kindle for Android working.

So while things aren't looking good, it's premature to say, "If they also discontinue D&T, then that's it for Mac owners."

I didn't mean right now; it was a reply in a discussion about whether old Kindles will remain capable of downloading new books. Some of us speculated they won't, and in that case, if D&T were also discontinued, there would be no options left. Unless Kindle for Android method would still be working by then, but I'm not optimistic about that.

At the moment, yes, there still are a few methods. Let's hope it continues to be the case.

[Mr Avid]

Originally Posted by odamizu

It's not quite so dire. If there's no D&T and no Kindle for Mac, Mac users can use virtual machine software to run Kindle for PC on their Mac.

The Windows version run on Windows ARM?

[pdurrant]

Originally Posted by Mr Avid

The Windows version run on Windows ARM?

ARM Macs already emulate an Intel processor for running old mac software. PC emulators on ARM Macs do not run Windows ARM, but Windows Intel.

[rantanplan]

Originally Posted by pdurrant

ARM Macs already emulate an Intel processor for running old mac software. PC emulators on ARM Macs do not run Windows ARM, but Windows Intel.

That is incorrect, UTM for macOS only support Windows for arm. However, Windows for arm itself supports x86 and x64 applications.

[pdurrant]

Originally Posted by rantanplan

That is incorrect, UTM for macOS only support Windows for arm. However, Windows for arm itself supports x86 and x64 applications.

Oh. I made a wrong assumption. Thanks for the correction.

[Alfirin]

Although all the options above are valid (given the technical compatibilities).

It begins to feel complicated for the layman who would just want to read a book from a hardware brand to another, don't you think?
Personnaly, I've studied in IT so it would be sad to have a hard time so I don't really care.

But I hear here and there that Calibre is sometimes hard to manage for some people, so DeDRM is still, in my opinion, the easiest way to go (after the D&T).

That being said. macOS users could get a tutorial but good luck.

[John F]

Originally Posted by Sirtel

I didn't mean right now; it was a reply in a discussion about whether old Kindles will remain capable of downloading new books. Some of us speculated they won't, and in that case, if D&T were also discontinued, there would be no options left. Unless Kindle for Android method would still be working by then, but I'm not optimistic about that.

At the moment, yes, there still are a few methods. Let's hope it continues to be the case.

Or, when/if that happens, focus of the hackers zeroes in on Amazon and Amazon DRM gets defeated for the umpteenth time.

Or as was also mentioned, use Windows.