Amazon and DRM changes

[ZodWallop]

Originally Posted by haertig

...at least some people (myself included) decided it would be a good plan to buy and de-DRM more books than they could immediately read. Guessing that sometime in the future Amazon and other book retailers would make a move to lock us deeper into their ecosystems.

That describes me. And yet:

When this prediction comes to pass, those that prepared will simply stop buying any more eBooks. We already have enough to keep us happily reading for the rest of our lives.

If only that were true!

[lkmiller]

I don't know. Not as many people ever used B&N. And removing B&N's DRM is still possible. Maybe I'll go back to buying from them if KF8 disappears! (No, I'll stick with Kobo.)

Best future proofing is buying elsewhere. An old Kindle might not work for long. Either it just dies or it is finally cut off.

[DuckieTigger]

Originally Posted by lkmiller

Best future proofing is buying elsewhere. An old Kindle might not work for long. Either it just dies or it is finally cut off.

That is why it would be better to get a newer one, as a solution for now. The PW1 Kindles and older are over 10 years old. They will work once registered as long as download & transfer works. Better to have one that is not limited to KF8 as a solution for now. At the very least they would still have some resale value later on if they are not dead, or they could become the KU dedicated reader.

[John F]

I would guess that it is going to be quite a while before I will not be able to crack the DRM on my reading device for stuff that I want to read. Not being able read Amazon KU titles wouldn't bother me much, and everything else I'll be able to purchase from other vendors.

In the event that I am unable to read how I want with newer purchases, I can start reading more public domain and rereading older purchases.

Heck, I might even get a tablet and go exclusively to reading library books.

For myself, I can't see myself pre-purchasing ebooks for some future date when I will not be able to crack DRM.

[lkmiller]

I agree that a newer Kindle is better. If you're going to get a Kindle now, I'd say get the newest one that you're willing to spend the money for. I'm surprised at the number of people who are so attached to buying books from Amazon who don't already have Kindles.

[JSWolf]

Originally Posted by issybird

I think future proof is overstating the insurance value of earlier Kindles. Amazon may well feel, for example, that having offered upgrades to owners of older Kindles they’ve done as much as they ought, and stop supporting them. Or just stop supporting them. No device lasts forever. They’re all just a case of “work[s] for now.”

Maybe,, but I do think Amazon would stop allowing KF8 downloads from the Amazon website sooner then they would stop supporting older devices.

[JSWolf]

Originally Posted by haertig

"To future proof, buy the oldest Kindle you can find."

That just doesn't sound logical. And it's not. Amazon could kill KF8 in a heartbeat. They could kill MOBI in another heartbeat. And they could kill Download And Transfer for all books in yet another heartbeat.

This is not future proofing, it is speculating.

But, since old Kindles don't cost much, it may indeed be worthwhile speculation. If speculation fails - well, everyone can always use another paperweight or a gag gift to give out at a party.

We know you need an eInk Kindle registered to your account to be able to use Download and transfer for purchases. We also know that this Kindle is most likely bought just to download purchases. So it would be best (IMHO) to buy a Kindle where you can sync KF8 and be able to copy from the Kindle and remove the DRM. My feeling is that if Amazon was to drop Download and transfer, they would do that sooner then they would stopping support for Kindles that do not handler KFX.

So buying a KF8 Kindle older then a PW1 is the best option (IMHO).

[JSWolf]

Originally Posted by lkmiller

I agree that a newer Kindle is better. If you're going to get a Kindle now, I'd say get the newest one that you're willing to spend the money for. I'm surprised at the number of people who are so attached to buying books from Amazon who don't already have Kindles.

Why waste money on a Kindle when you are only buying it to be able to download from the Amazon website?

I say buy an older (older then PW1) KF8 compatible Kindle before people relize the vause and raise the price for used older Kindles.

[issybird]

Originally Posted by John F

For myself, I can't see myself pre-purchasing ebooks for some future date when I will not be able to crack DRM.

I have a huge library of unread ebooks due mostly to Kobo’s unlimited coupon period, but also to general book lust and old habits dying hard. And I can state categorically that buying for the future is a mistake. Tastes change. So many books that I’ll never read.

I don’t know what I was thinking, really. I’ve never — and I don’t now —worry about not being able to find something good to read. It’s why I’m not that fussed about backing up my library. Heresy, I know. But in the unlikely event that both Kobo and Amazon go belly up without warning at the same time that all my devices die simultaneously and Gutenberg et al plus OverDrive cease to exist, well, I suspect I’ll have other things to worry about. As did Burgess Meredith.

[issybird]

Originally Posted by lkmiller

I agree that a newer Kindle is better. If you're going to get a Kindle now, I'd say get the newest one that you're willing to spend the money for. I'm surprised at the number of people who are so attached to buying books from Amazon who don't already have Kindles.

I agree. There’s a disconnect there that doesn’t make sense to me.

Originally Posted by JSWolf

Why waste money on a Kindle when you are only buying it to be able to download from the Amazon website?

The flip side of future proofing is buying a recent device because it will be supported the longest. You’re making a lot of assumptions about Amazon going forward that might or might not obtain, and most certainly won’t in the long run.

[Sirtel]

Originally Posted by issybird

I have a huge library of unread ebooks due mostly to Kobo’s unlimited coupon period, but also to general book lust and old habits dying hard. And I can state categorically that buying for the future is a mistake. Tastes change. So many books that I’ll never read.

I can state categorically that my tastes have never changed since childhood and teenage years. I still love the genres I loved then. I may try a new genre and like it, but my love for my old favorite genres has never faded.

Edit: I too have a huge library of unread ebooks. And I'm still able to enjoy most of my early purchases.

[issybird]

The categorical was tongue in cheek. I do, however, tend to think that people save money in the long run by buying on demand.

[Sirtel]

Originally Posted by issybird

The categorical was tongue in cheek. I do, however, tend to think that people save money in the long run by buying on demand.

Absolutely. But I'm also absolutely incapable of doing that.

[DiapDealer]

Originally Posted by issybird

The categorical was tongue in cheek. I do, however, tend to think that people save money in the long run by buying on demand.

I can confirm this theory. I have been an on-demand buyer/reader for a long time, now. No regrets. Not a one. And since I'm not one who frequently re-reads, it makes all the DRM-removal diddling pointless. I'm a book reader, not a library curator. No one can take away what I've already consumed. So I need no complicated strategies or procedures to protect my access to as-of-yet unread purchases. Search ... buy ... read ... remove. Lather, rinse, repeat.

[issybird]

Originally Posted by DiapDealer

it makes all the DRM-removal diddling pointless.

I’ve got the library of unreads, but I did stop removing DRM long ago. Direct downloads are the way to go. Before I got the PW5, I’d read Amazon books on a tablet, but I must admit that the Kindle was a good purchase. This is why, rounding back to topic for a bit, I don’t understand why you’d buy from one store when your device was tied to another. Even if your routine is to download, strip, and sideload, maybe that could change. Or something could come up. Dunno. Don’t get it, though.

I'm a book reader, not a library curator.

Why squander good reading time curating?