'I should be the Nook's ideal customer. But I'm not...I am locked in.'

[pdurrant]

Originally Posted by taustin

There is for the Kindle format, too, though it's apparently a little bit more complicated.

All* the current eBook DRM systems have removal utilities available as calibre plug-ins and stand-alone Drag&Drop utilities. There's really no difference in ease of use.


*Well, Adobe's, B&N's and Amazon's. There isn't a way around Apple's ebook DRM as far as I know.

[murraypaul]

Originally Posted by Leyor

Find it ridiculous that people are ready to give up ownership of the books they buy, in return for rental though.

I think that depends on what you are buying/renting, and how much you are paying for it. Paying the same price for an eBook as a pBook, I agree with you, why pay the same and get less?

Most of my purchases have been either books that don't exist as pBooks, or where I'm paying a fraction of the cost. If I've only paid 99c for a book that goes for $9.99 in pBook form, I don't mind getting less rights for my money.
I don't think I've paid more than $4 for an eBook, and at those prices the trade off is reasonable for me.

[pdurrant]

Originally Posted by murraypaul

You quickly learn how to remove DRM from your files.

IMO it's best to learn how to remove DRM from your ebooks now, and to do it now. YMMV.

[DiapDealer]

Originally Posted by pdurrant

IMO it's best to learn how to remove DRM from your ebooks now, and to do it now. YMMV.

I agree. Waiting until you need to do it is usually way too late.

[Sil_liS]

Originally Posted by murraypaul

You quickly learn how to remove DRM from your files.
But some risks are worth worrying about, some are not.
What happens if Borders goes bankrupt clearly was.
What happens if B&N goes bankrupt might be.
What happens if Amazon/Apple/Google/Microsoft go bankrupt isn't.

It doesn't even have to be bankruptcy, it can just be a change in format. You think that the format of choice for amazon will be mobi forever?

Plus how long are they going to keep the records of what you purchased? In 10 years you might want to read again a book that you purchased in 2010, but unless they keep a list of all purchases forever, you might not be able to download it again.

[Pookeysgirl]

Originally Posted by DiapDealer

I agree. Waiting until you need to do it is usually way too late.

Agreed! I've been doing it since I got my first reader and it was a blessing when I bought my Kindle and had to convert the files. Now I'm having issues with my plug-ins and going crazy trying to figure out what my problem is.

I'm glad that at least the most important books I have are already free from infection

[EowynCarter]

Originally Posted by rolof

personally, i don't mind lock in. if all my electronic devices blew up, my ebooks would be safe in sound on amazon, ready to get when i get a new device.

lock-in is the best thing that ever happened to ebooks.

And what happens if, when buying a new device, it's a non-kindle device that meets your needs better ?
Or a competitor gets out a new device that makes you think "Hey, i need that".

Tech evolves, you own use and needs might change too.

[DiapDealer]

Originally Posted by Pookeysgirl

Now I'm having issues with my plug-ins and going crazy trying to figure out what my problem is.

Download calibre 0.8.5 again and reinstall it. There was a problem with an early build of 0.8.5.
Either that or your version of K4PC needs to be downgraded to 1.4.1 or earlier.

[RockdaMan]

Originally Posted by rolof

personally, i don't mind lock in.
--
lock-in is the best thing that ever happened to ebooks.

I'm gonna watch your karma carefully and see which way it goes.

[RockdaMan]

Originally Posted by Sil_liS

So what happens if amazon goes bankrupt?

How likely is that?

[PaulineDesigns]

Originally Posted by Sil_liS

It doesn't even have to be bankruptcy, it can just be a change in format. You think that the format of choice for amazon will be mobi forever?

Plus how long are they going to keep the records of what you purchased? In 10 years you might want to read again a book that you purchased in 2010, but unless they keep a list of all purchases forever, you might not be able to download it again.

Plus, the rights to publish/sell a book expire eventually and then it will be removed from Amazon. You would be alright if you have a backup...at least until you buy new kindle, or the DRM gets updated to a new scheme, or.... (I'm ignoring DRM-stripping here).

I've been reading ebooks for over 10 years and I have lost content I've paid for through company closures, non-backwards compatible DRM, buying a new computer or device and being unable to authorize it, and books being pulled because the rights expired. Now I only buy DRM-free ebooks and make sure to download and backup immediately. DRM stripping is much easier now than 'back when' but I prefer to support the publishers & authors who are willing to go DRM-free.

[cfrizz]

It certainly isn't impossible to happen. There have plenty of businesses that were in business for decades longer than Amazon that have gone belly up, or have been bought out by someone else.

Fictionwise is a perfect example of this. B & N bought them & have been slowly but surely shutting them down since they don't really need or want the extra competition.

It certainly isn't out of the realm of possibility of someone at some point buying out Amazon. Once that happens they can do whatever they want.

Originally Posted by RockdaMan

How likely is that?

[murraypaul]

Originally Posted by Sil_liS

It doesn't even have to be bankruptcy, it can just be a change in format. You think that the format of choice for amazon will be mobi forever?

The format doesn't matter. A user of the Kindle need have no knowledge that the books are in mobi format. As long as the Kindle/app reads them, why should it matter?

Plus how long are they going to keep the records of what you purchased? In 10 years you might want to read again a book that you purchased in 2010, but unless they keep a list of all purchases forever, you might not be able to download it again.

Doesn't seem unreasonable that they would.
The major alternative is to hope that Adobe are still running their DRM servers in 10 years time.

[murraypaul]

Originally Posted by EowynCarter

And what happens if, when buying a new device, it's a non-kindle device that meets your needs better ?
Or a competitor gets out a new device that makes you think "Hey, i need that".

Tech evolves, you own use and needs might change too.

That has happened. It happened when I got an iPad, and again when I got a Nook Color, both of which I can run Kindle apps on. It is only with eInk devices that the choice is restricted.

[Sil_liS]

Originally Posted by murraypaul

The format doesn't matter. A user of the Kindle need have no knowledge that the books are in mobi format. As long as the Kindle/app reads them, why should it matter?

Anybody that uses a computer should know that digital files have formats. They should at least wonder what this format is.

Originally Posted by murraypaul

Doesn't seem unreasonable that they would.
The major alternative is to hope that Adobe are still running their DRM servers in 10 years time.

I'm hoping that in 10 years there will be no DRM.