Amazon and DRM changes

[Lynx-lynx]

I've been to Talinn for a weekend (just post covid), travelled there by ferry from Helsinki on a very full boat one Saturday morning, and recommend it.

Spoiler:

I got the hop on/off bus right at the ferry terminal, and saw the sites. I got the ferry back to Helsinki late on the Sunday afternoon. (I might add that the boat was full of people and also a lot of alcohol, because it's cheaper to buy alcohol in Talinn than Helsinki)

I walked around the old town and followed my nose as well as some guided walks, and can say that I found Talinn very interesting with a rich history of invasion over the centuries that left some cultural footprints.

I also went into a (the?) mall and observed that a great bulk of the shops were chain stores selling the same or very similar products that I buy in Sydney, and that I saw elsewhere in Europe. Sign of the times!

I stayed in a hotel on a high floor so I had a wonderful view of maybe 180 degrees of Tallinn, on the old city side, and can say it's a lovely city.

I got a taxi at one point and the driver was Russian speaking, with some english, and I noticed a number of people I considered were locals also spoke russian. When I asked the taxi driver about this he said that there were Russian families still in Estonia, and that other Russians migrate.

I recommend anyone travelling in the vicinity of Estonia to pop in for a weekend (at least), and explore. I didn't have any language issues speaking english.

[lkmiller]

You all are making me appreciate my US libraries even more!

[Lynx-lynx]

My local govt library in Greater Sydney has had fiction e-lending for well over a decade, ADE related, and I've never had a problem borrowing. Not a huge selection, but they do keep a constant flow of new releases.

[cgsmom]

Originally Posted by lkmiller

You all are making me appreciate my US libraries even more!

Agree! My library doesn't have everything I want to read of course, but I can always find something interesting. Of course, current best sellers have waiting lists but after hearing about libraries in other countries, I feel very fortunate.

[odamizu]

Originally Posted by Sirtel

To be fair, it was another poster who insisted that knowledge should be free. Rhooo didn't say they supported that view. They only said they're not a fan of people in the West always recommending libraries to all and sundry. Which I understand perfectly, because the library situation is much the same in my country too. And I also find it irritating sometimes that if someone complains about high ebook prices, DRM or the like, they're often told to get the book from the library. Nope, I can't get it from the library and neither can many other people. That doesn't mean we think all information should be free.

To be fair, the post suggesting libraries was in response to "I want knowledge for free," nothing more.

It was not recommending libraries "to all and sundry" (per above) and it certainly wasn't "offering libraries as this miracle solution for reading" (per Rhoooo).

[Sirtel]

Originally Posted by odamizu

To be fair, the post suggesting libraries was in response to "I want knowledge for free," nothing more.

It was not recommending libraries "to all and sundry" (per above) and it certainly wasn't "offering libraries as this miracle solution for reading" (per Rhoooo).

But it is far from the only post here recommending libraries. Thus the response from someone for whom using libraries is a very poor option.

[DNSB]

From the first post, it is incorrect that you can't use K4PC to download books and remove DRM. It's more of a pain than it used to be and you only get KFX format ebooks but it is doable.

Moving on to libraries and their content. While I find my local libraries useful for non-technical content, i.e. newer fiction read for entertainment, the selection of technical non-fiction ebooks is poor. As one person at the library told me once when I requested a couple of ebooks, the library is unlikely to be able to justify purchasing those ebooks considering the cost and that you are the only person who has expressed interest and will likely be the only person to check them out. To me, that is fair enough since my interests are rather specialized.

[Joykins]

Originally Posted by odamizu

What troubles me here is the position that "knowledge" in the form of books should be free, which in turn suggests authors should do their work for free, then add the dismissal of libraries (where authors do get paid and books are free), which leaves us ... where?

Generally speaking, the acquisition (purchasing or borrowing) of books for a voracious reader (readers who are not voracious rarely have a problem, as they buy or borrow only a few books) is either an expensive proposition or a friction-filled proposition, or some combination of the two. Libraries insert a lot of friction in the process (long waits/hold lists, unavailability of many books, etc.). So do secondhand markets, where titles, while cheaper, also come with some hurdles (poor quality/hard to find/overpriced). So those who wish (or need) books to be free face *friction* in their book acquisition goals; those who can afford it can have the convenience of getting the books they want when they want them. This has been a balance long-standing in the book world: hook the kiddos on free library books when they are young and poor, and when they are older they're going to be regular book-buyers if they can afford it.

Ebook piracy removes the friction from the process, of course, which is why it feels like (and is) cheating the author and also everyone in the publication chain.

[yoshi]

It seems that BookFab has recently gained the ability to remove DRM from many books, according to a Japanese internet forum.

[ownedbycats]

Amazon broke that method.

[yoshi]

I know the initial release of BookFab had the issue pointed out by jhowel (https://www.mobileread.com/forums/sh...postcount=2881), but it now appears they've managed to crack the DRM directly.

[Sirtel]

Originally Posted by yoshi

I know the initial release of BookFab had the issue pointed out by jhowel (https://www.mobileread.com/forums/sh...postcount=2881), but it now appears they've managed to crack the DRM directly.

I'd guess they're using one of the other recent methods floating around. None of those crack the DRM directly, they're all workarounds. Some work with the latest Kindle for PC.

[yoshi]

Originally Posted by Sirtel

I'd guess they're using one of the other recent methods floating around. None of those crack the DRM directly, they're all workarounds. Some work with the latest Kindle for PC.

Are you saying the risk jhowel described is still relevant?

[Sirtel]

Originally Posted by yoshi

Are you saying the risk jhowel described is still relevant?

You mean Amazon stopping it? Of course.

[yoshi]

I don't understand how BookFab operates without cracking DRM.

I'd like to know whether the risk described by jhowell still applies to BookFab users today.

> Amazon will know who is in violation of the their terms of service and they could decide to terminate accounts in order to send a clear message to others who might do the same.