MobiPocket Shut Down!? - Page 4

Ajax Pickering · 08-20-2007, 05:57 PM

The Fictionwise/Mobipocket report mentioned by VillageReader can be found by clicking on the "'view cart" button at the Fictionwise website. This is the message:

Quote:

NOTICE: A major problem occurred with the Mobipocket DRM server at about 6:30 PM Eastern Time, Wednesday, August 15. Engineers at Mobipocket.com have informed us that they hope to be back online sometime this week, August 22 or 23. We have switched, where possible, all Secure Mobipocket files purchased during the downtime to an alternative DRM provider, Content Reserve. We have also taken all titles that could not be switched offline in Mobipocket format until the problem is resolved.

So, at this point in time, any Secure Mobipocket title you see onsale can be downloaded immediately. Titles that cannot be downloaded immediately have been temporarily taken offsale in the Secure Mobipocket format.

We apologize for any inconvenience this has caused, and we will post a new message when the problem is resolved.

HarryT · 08-21-2007, 02:20 AM

I suspect that the earlier poster is right in saying "heads will roll" for this. A short outage is understandable, but this is getting pretty damned serious. The loss of revenue for them is going to be catastrophic.

derboti · 08-21-2007, 03:58 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Ajax Pickering

The Fictionwise/Mobipocket report mentioned by VillageReader can be found by clicking on the "'view cart" button at the Fictionwise website. This is the message:

Thank you for your fast answer. I was looking more in the support section of the site

heb · 08-21-2007, 04:58 AM

Mobipocket support is a major part in me picking a reading device at the moment and this outage is seriously shaking my confidence in the platform!

I don't understand why they aren't giving out more information on their holding page.

I design IT infrastructure solutions for a large company and I can't understand how a core service has been down for almost a week. Many heads would be rolling where I work!

JSWolf · 08-21-2007, 07:01 AM

heb, just buy LIT format and convert. It's a lot easier that way and no DRM down time.

Azayzel · 08-21-2007, 07:33 AM

Maybe this is some nefarious scheme by anti-eBook advocates demonstrating some of the faliabilities of digital media. Wow, I just don't really know what to think. I do agree with JSWolf, pick up LIT format and convert to whatever platform you like.

heb · 08-21-2007, 08:20 AM

Mobipocket seemed like a good compromise as it isn't tied to single device and you don't have the inconvinience of reformating to another format.

Of course that does depend on the Mobipocket service being available

Given that .LIT is so easy to convert are any publishers reluctant to supply ebooks in that format?

HarryT · 08-21-2007, 08:24 AM

I get the impression that many more books are available in MobiPocket format than in LIT format, but I don't have any numbers to back that up.

NatCh · 08-21-2007, 12:58 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by HarryT

I get the impression that many more books are available in MobiPocket format than in LIT format ....

That may well be true ... normally. Right now, however ....

JSWolf · 08-21-2007, 01:27 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by heb

Mobipocket seemed like a good compromise as it isn't tied to single device and you don't have the inconvinience of reformating to another format.

Of course that does depend on the Mobipocket service being available

Given that .LIT is so easy to convert are any publishers reluctant to supply ebooks in that format?

The problem with DRM is that if you say get a new computer, your PID will no longer match and thus if you cannot download any of the books, you'll not be able to view/read them on your computer. if you change your device from say a PDA to an iLiad and the PID again is different and the place you got your Mobi books is not there, you can very well be screwed big time. Supposedly, Amazon only has your books available for a year and then they are gone. So while MobiPocket might be supported on a number of devices, the DRM can still screw you over but good.

wallcraft · 08-21-2007, 02:13 PM

The problem with Amazon's DRMed PDFs is that to transfer the access permission to a new device you have to redownload the files, and Amazon is no longer selling the PDFs and no longer allows downloads.

Does MobiPocket's DRM work the same way? I have the impression that it does. The Fictionwise site talks about a "Secure Mobipocket Personal ID", which is device specific. So if a retailer (e.g. Fictionwise) goes out of business their MobiPocket e-books presumably can't be transfered to a new device. If MobiPocket ever close its doors (and Amazon has ditched e-books before), then these files from any source will only be readable on the devices you have already registered.

jkeranen · 08-21-2007, 02:30 PM

I don't think that anyone thinks that DRM is a good thing for the ebook buyer. The fact of the matter remains that most ebook publishers only sell content through DRM systems. If you play by the rules set by the publishers and by current law mobipocket is the DRM format with the widest compatibility. Even though .lit DRM is cracked wide open I think there is still some benefit in supporting a format that at least tries to have compatibility with a wide variety of devices.

Of course if mobipocket goes under permanently I will probably start working on a method to OCR screen captures so I can continue to read the books that I have purchased.

Robert Marquard · 08-21-2007, 02:35 PM

All such DRM is basically an individual encryption for the device. So you have to download a brand new encoded ebook. The device specific unique PID is the key for the encryption.

It should not be too hard for an expert to write a tool for PalmOS or Linux to spy on the text while being rendered to the screen. Especially the iLiad with its Linux 2.4 and a Java application should be open to such attacks.

_Sin · 08-21-2007, 02:59 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by jkeranen

I don't think that anyone thinks that DRM is a good thing for the ebook buyer. The fact of the matter remains that most ebook publishers only sell content through DRM systems. If you play by the rules set by the publishers and by current law mobipocket is the DRM format with the widest compatibility. Even though .lit DRM is cracked wide open I think there is still some benefit in supporting a format that at least tries to have compatibility with a wide variety of devices.

Of course if mobipocket goes under permanently I will probably start working on a method to OCR screen captures so I can continue to read the books that I have purchased.

The DRM on Mobipocket files is not difficult to remove, it's just that so far no-one has made tools available and so only those capable of writing their own tools will have done so.

I imagine if Mobipocket seriously withdrew from the market and left consumers screwed, such tools would be available very quickly, and hacks like extracting text from the screen or running OCR would not be necessary at all. Until such time though, I for one have no intention of getting myself into trouble by distributing such a hack.

A tip for those worried about transferring betweens PCs at least (this was posted on another thread, but might have been overlooked) is that the Mobipocket PID on PC is based on the HDD's Volume Serial Number - and this can be edited. So if you reformat your drive, you can restore a previous VSN and your PID will be the same. I would not recommend changing this number on a whim, as other software also users this for authentication, including XP. But in an emergency it would enable files to be read.

For that reason I'd also recommend backing up your PRC files and making a note of both your PID and HDD's number for future reference.

(a valid PID is all that is required to decrypt a PRC file anyway, but the Mobipocket software won't let you do so other than on the correct device).

heb · 08-21-2007, 03:03 PM

The change of device problem is the trap I have fallen into.

I purchased a book through Fictionwise some time ago but was recently forced to reinstall Windows on my PC. I am currently unable to download a copy of the book with a new PID.

I view Mobipocket as the best of a bad bunch!

I can see Sony binning the connect store without batting an eyelid if the Reader doesn't perform as they expect. I also can't see all of the smaller players like Bookeen and Irex making it either, but at least the back end is decoupled from the devices.

I suppose the other issue maybe in 5 or 10 years when the current formats are laughably easy to crack what will happen when you want to update your entire ebookshelf.

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08-21-2007, 02:20 AM	#47
HarryT eBook Enthusiast Posts: 85,544 Karma: 93383099 Join Date: Nov 2006 Location: UK Device: Kindle Oasis 2, iPad Pro 10.5", iPhone 6	I suspect that the earlier poster is right in saying "heads will roll" for this. A short outage is understandable, but this is getting pretty damned serious. The loss of revenue for them is going to be catastrophic.

08-21-2007, 04:58 AM	#49
heb Enthusiast Posts: 29 Karma: 10 Join Date: Aug 2007 Device: none yet	Mobipocket support is a major part in me picking a reading device at the moment and this outage is seriously shaking my confidence in the platform! I don't understand why they aren't giving out more information on their holding page. I design IT infrastructure solutions for a large company and I can't understand how a core service has been down for almost a week. Many heads would be rolling where I work!

08-21-2007, 07:01 AM	#50
JSWolf Resident Curmudgeon Posts: 79,507 Karma: 145863177 Join Date: Nov 2006 Location: Roslindale, Massachusetts Device: Kobo Libra 2, Kobo Aura H2O, PRS-650, PRS-T1, nook STR, PW3	heb, just buy LIT format and convert. It's a lot easier that way and no DRM down time.

08-21-2007, 07:33 AM	#51
Azayzel Cache Ninja! Posts: 643 Karma: 1002300 Join Date: Jan 2007 Location: Tokyo, Japan Device: PRS-500, HTC Shift, iPod Touch, iPaq 4150, TC1100, Panasonic WordsGear	Maybe this is some nefarious scheme by anti-eBook advocates demonstrating some of the faliabilities of digital media. Wow, I just don't really know what to think. I do agree with JSWolf, pick up LIT format and convert to whatever platform you like.

08-21-2007, 08:20 AM	#52
heb Enthusiast Posts: 29 Karma: 10 Join Date: Aug 2007 Device: none yet	Mobipocket seemed like a good compromise as it isn't tied to single device and you don't have the inconvinience of reformating to another format. Of course that does depend on the Mobipocket service being available Given that .LIT is so easy to convert are any publishers reluctant to supply ebooks in that format?

08-21-2007, 08:24 AM	#53
HarryT eBook Enthusiast Posts: 85,544 Karma: 93383099 Join Date: Nov 2006 Location: UK Device: Kindle Oasis 2, iPad Pro 10.5", iPhone 6	I get the impression that many more books are available in MobiPocket format than in LIT format, but I don't have any numbers to back that up.

08-21-2007, 02:13 PM	#56
wallcraft reader Posts: 6,977 Karma: 5183568 Join Date: Mar 2006 Location: Mississippi, USA Device: Kindle 3, Kobo Glo HD	The problem with Amazon's DRMed PDFs is that to transfer the access permission to a new device you have to redownload the files, and Amazon is no longer selling the PDFs and no longer allows downloads. Does MobiPocket's DRM work the same way? I have the impression that it does. The Fictionwise site talks about a "Secure Mobipocket Personal ID", which is device specific. So if a retailer (e.g. Fictionwise) goes out of business their MobiPocket e-books presumably can't be transfered to a new device. If MobiPocket ever close its doors (and Amazon has ditched e-books before), then these files from any source will only be readable on the devices you have already registered.

08-21-2007, 02:30 PM	#57
jkeranen Member Posts: 24 Karma: 296 Join Date: Aug 2007 Device: Sony PRS 505/B&N Nook	I don't think that anyone thinks that DRM is a good thing for the ebook buyer. The fact of the matter remains that most ebook publishers only sell content through DRM systems. If you play by the rules set by the publishers and by current law mobipocket is the DRM format with the widest compatibility. Even though .lit DRM is cracked wide open I think there is still some benefit in supporting a format that at least tries to have compatibility with a wide variety of devices. Of course if mobipocket goes under permanently I will probably start working on a method to OCR screen captures so I can continue to read the books that I have purchased.

08-21-2007, 02:35 PM	#58
Robert Marquard Delphi-Guy Posts: 285 Karma: 1151 Join Date: May 2006 Location: Berlin, Germany Device: iLiad, Palm T3	All such DRM is basically an individual encryption for the device. So you have to download a brand new encoded ebook. The device specific unique PID is the key for the encryption. It should not be too hard for an expert to write a tool for PalmOS or Linux to spy on the text while being rendered to the screen. Especially the iLiad with its Linux 2.4 and a Java application should be open to such attacks.

08-21-2007, 03:03 PM	#60
heb Enthusiast Posts: 29 Karma: 10 Join Date: Aug 2007 Device: none yet	The change of device problem is the trap I have fallen into. I purchased a book through Fictionwise some time ago but was recently forced to reinstall Windows on my PC. I am currently unable to download a copy of the book with a new PID. I view Mobipocket as the best of a bad bunch! I can see Sony binning the connect store without batting an eyelid if the Reader doesn't perform as they expect. I also can't see all of the smaller players like Bookeen and Irex making it either, but at least the back end is decoupled from the devices. I suppose the other issue maybe in 5 or 10 years when the current formats are laughably easy to crack what will happen when you want to update your entire ebookshelf.

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