The Road Ahead Left Behind

[DNSB]

Originally Posted by cgsmom

No kidding! I started reading ebooks on 2005 on a PDA with Pocket Windows and Microsoft Reader, with books in LIT format. That was when I learned the value of backing up my ebooks. Thank goodness for ConvertLIT.

Yes! I had been removing DRM from .lit books using ConvertLIT before Microsoft announced that they were shutting down their DRM servers. At that point, I made sure all my .lit ebooks were freed from DRM. This saved me from having an expensive collections of unusable files. That was also the point when I started making sure that all my ebook collection were free from DRM. Once bitten, forever shy.

[haertig]

Originally Posted by Quoth

... unfortunately iOS (more deliberately) and Android orphan apps faster than Windows or Linux.

<Rant>

This was a concern for me when I was choosing my computer backup software. Backup software comes and goes. I have had so many "backup solutions" that became an albatross around my neck. The manufacturer would inevitably go out of business or stop creating updates to keep up with the latest version of Windows. This is part of why I abandoned Windows over 20 years ago - because ancient Linux programs still run on modern Linux systems, unlike what you experience with older Windows programs.

Anyway, one of my requirements for my new backup software was that I could access and restore files from old backups using nothing but the OS'es standard command line tools. So if the backup program went totally defunct and could not be run anywhere anymore, I could still restore files from backups that it had created. I found that it is almost impossible to find sophisticated feature-rich client-server backup software that would allow access to its backups using only basic OS commands. I did find what I needed in backup software named "Urbackup". I'll bet nobody here has ever heard of that one, but I've been using it for years and I'm extremely happy with it. And I know that if it every goes away, my old backups do not go with it. It would take a little effort to access old backups at any kind of large scale, but it's easy enough to write a simple Shell/Perl/Python script to do things.

And something similar has happened with my yards sprinkler system. I wanted a "smart" sprinkler timer, but one that did not depend on the "the cloud" or the manufacturer still being in business. These too are difficult to find. But I found something called "Rain Machine" that runs its user interface (web, ssh, etc.) totally locally. No apps to access it - you use a standard web browser. The manufacturer did provide remote access to individual units via their cloud software that you could subscribe to. But anyone who knows how to set up a home VPN, SSH tunneling, a reverse proxy, or even basic router port forwarding could do that for themselves without needing the manufacturers cloud. Good thing I researched and bought the device that I did. The manufacturer indeed went out of business years ago, but I am still happily using my device at full functionality with no trace of the manufacturer or their cloud.

Another example: My media server where I can remotely access my movies, videos, etc. I used to use Plex, but then they started making almost everything dependent on their servers outside your network. And they started charging for every little thing. So I switched to Jellyfin and now I'm back to totally local control with zero dependence on third party servers or the cloud.

So it's not just eBooks that we need to worry about. However, I have learned my lesson well that I will never go with a system where I don't control my eBooks totally independent from their provider requiring me to use one of their special apps, or authenticate via their server, or even use DRM in any way. Unless I can strip the DRM myself, which is exactly what I do - like most people here do as well. Stripping DRM is the first thing I do when purchasing a new eBook. If I can't strip the DRM, I don't buy any more eBooks from that provider. I am not willing to pay for something (other than things clearly labeled as subscription services) that I can't use into infinity, on my own, without having the provider give me a tool, or authenticate me to use it. This is exactly why I no longer buy eBooks from Amazon (or B&N for that matter). They have made it too difficult to remove DRM (getting rid of "Download & Transfer"). While it may still technically be doable by other means, I'm not going to expend the effort when there are other, simpler options available. Once all the other providers go the way of Amazon and wall you into their garden tightly, I just won't buy any more eBooks. I've already got more than enough to make it through the end of my life with plenty to spare.

If you can't move a "book" around from system to system and use different manufacturers programs to read it (like PDF, EPUB, etc.) then I don't consider it a "book" and won't buy it. If the only way to "read" it is to use proprietary software only available from one source, then I don't want it.

</Rant>

[Sirtel]

Originally Posted by haertig

<Rant>
...I will never go with a system where I don't control my eBooks totally independent from their provider requiring me to use one of their special apps, or authenticate via their server, or even use DRM in any way. Unless I can strip the DRM myself, which is exactly what I do - like most people here do as well. Stripping DRM is the first thing I do when purchasing a new eBook. If I can't strip the DRM, I don't buy any more eBooks from that provider. I am not willing to pay for something (other than things clearly labeled as subscription services) that I can't use into infinity, on my own, without having the provider give me a tool, or authenticate me to use it. ...Once all the other providers go the way of Amazon and wall you into their garden tightly, I just won't buy any more eBooks. I've already got more than enough to make it through the end of my life with plenty to spare.

If you can't move a "book" around from system to system and use different manufacturers programs to read it (like PDF, EPUB, etc.) then I don't consider it a "book" and won't buy it. If the only way to "read" it is to use proprietary software only available from one source, then I don't want it.
</Rant>

Yes, this. Having total control over my ebooks (how I read them and on what device, with the ability to make my own backups and adjust the formatting in any way I want) is a necessity for me. I wouldn't buy any ebook with an unremovable DRM, and I also have far more ebooks than I can read in several lifetimes (I'm not a particularly fast reader).

That is one of the reasons I don't use libraries or book subscription services. Well, the main reason is that they're not available either on my Kobos or in my country, but I'm not sure I'd want to use them even if they were. I prefer to own my ebooks.

Funnily enough, I do use subscription services for movies, but I've never been a passionate movie fan - I watch them only a few times per year. So I don't feel the need to own them (except for some favorites I rewatch occasionally).