Replacing Kindle for PC in Linux

[HJ99]

Originally Posted by Quoth

It's been done with a real eink kindle and a Lego Robot.
But pirates use ARCs etc.

I ran across an article from UK, some guy took a eink Kindle with public domain book to his local library and used their photocopy machine to copy it page by page from the Kindle. Then bound it into a real paper book. So yea guess people have all kinds priorities. Only time I knew anybody to photocopy a whole paper book was when it was out of print he wanted a copy real bad. Otherwise usually just copy certain pages for research paper or something. Or back in college copy the textbook assigned exercises at end chapter using shared expensive textbooks.

Its unlikely I am going to make many backup copies, since most my reading is read it and toss it fiction. But I was truly surprised how well my workaround to copy a Kindle book worked. All automated by script and not much of a script, just had it advance page in the Kindle book every three seconds and the automatic screenshotter takes shot when significant number screen pixels change. Sends them to designated directory. All labeled in order. At end of book it just waits cause screen doesnt change and it doesnt take a shot if screensaver pops up. Oh did have to manually take a shot of the cover since the book isnt going to advance to the cover page. Still stupid easy. It could probably advance faster but since I let it do things unattended, one second, three seconds, really doesnt matter. I did leave the screenshot app making camera click sound to let me know it was working, but that can be silenced. Also really doesnt matter what format the books are in, since its just screen shot of page showing in the app, its not trying to descramble some exotic piecemeal DRM code file. Do suggest setting Kindle app to large font since you have very limited control however you view the copy. Using nomacks and the png files or your favorite pdf reader (firefox has one built in now) once converted to pdf. If you further convert to epub, then suggest setting your epub viewer to continuous scroll setting, least that was my preference.

[JSWolf]

Originally Posted by HJ99

Now occasionally do want a long term copy and frankly not impressed with ongoing battles between Amazon and Apprentice Alf. And dont want to buy an old Kindle gizmo to play games that way.

You do things the hard way. It's simple really to do it the easy way. I don't know what the latest version of KindleforPC is that allows you to download KF8, but once you do download KF8, the DRM comes off no bother.

Read this thread. It's very much worth it. https://www.mobileread.com/forums/sh...d.php?t=283371

[NullNix]

Originally Posted by HJ99

So I figured out way to use a freeware automatic screenshotter run in WINE combined with my own small linux script and couple linux programs to first auto advance pages on kindle app which forces the screen shotter to take lowest resolution png snapshot of that page only not whole screen. I set the app to take shot anytime pixels significantly change. Your screen clock advancing will not trigger a shot... whereas the Kindle app advancing to next page will. When done, yea you can just leave them in a directory and read with an image viewer (nomacs works great and has auto advance slideshow function), or you can combine the png snapshots into a pdf using Image Magick on linux.

FYI, there is a file format that is meant for this stuff (pages that are images with a searchable textual layer: intended for archival of electronic copies of paper books by people like the Internet Archive who do a massive amount of archival work of this sort). Look for 'DjVu'. It's *massively* more space-efficient than storing individual pages in a PDF.

[JSWolf]

Originally Posted by NullNix

FYI, there is a file format that is meant for this stuff (pages that are images with a searchable textual layer: intended for archival of electronic copies of paper books by people like the Internet Archive who do a massive amount of archival work of this sort). Look for 'DjVu'. It's *massively* more space-efficient than storing individual pages in a PDF.

There's no need for DjVu. Just download KF8 and strip the DRM. Problem solved.

[HJ99]

So all I have to do is play games with Amazon and try to keep Kindle for PC from updating past v1.26? Each to their own. Like say its really rare I want to save a non-DRM copy. Its mostly fiction and I will never read it again this lifetime.

I didnt try to go for absolutely smallest pdf resolution. I saw that automatic screenshotter program and when I found it worked beautifully in WINE, wanted to see if it would automate "analog" copying a Kindle book. It does, just set it in motion and voila, it does its thing without me being at computer. And yes even like that sure its nowhere close to being as small as native epub file in size. I was just tired of all the game playing around DRM and A.A. taking forever with last version since apparently most people buy an old paperwhite Kindle and register it to their account so they can download in old DRM format that is still convertible. Its highly unlikely Amazon is going to try and protect against book being copied via screenshots. Though guess some streaming movies now try to keep you from doing a screen record. And I imagine OCR software could harvest the text for ultimate size and manipulation purposes. I tried it couple decade ago and didnt seem worth the bother to me. CAnt even remember now if it saved format or if one had to reformat the text.

[HJ99]

Originally Posted by NullNix

FYI, there is a file format that is meant for this stuff (pages that are images with a searchable textual layer: intended for archival of electronic copies of paper books by people like the Internet Archive who do a massive amount of archival work of this sort). Look for 'DjVu'. It's *massively* more space-efficient than storing individual pages in a PDF.

Sounds kinda interesting, but again I mostly did this as proof of concept, cant really see copying more than three or four books a year. It actually was tricky enough getting Image Magick to bundle all those png into one pdf. Had to go into its configuration twice to force it to do this optional conversion. Lot of these conversion programs are either $$$ or online where you waste data uploading and downloading again. But Image Magick can do it. And of course Calibre can convert pdf to epub. Why do I guess DjVu is not free?

[HJ99]

Ok, ability to edit timed out. Yes DjVuLibre is available for linux and interesting enough I will try it sometime. Not huge priority, but be interesting to see what it can do.

[HJ99]

Ok, DjVuLibre is available for linux and free so have to try it sometime to see what it can do. Not huge priority but interesting enough, I had never heard of it.

[NullNix]

Originally Posted by JSWolf

There's no need for DjVu. Just download KF8 and strip the DRM. Problem solved.

Oh yeah, obviously -- but if you *are* in the unfortunate positiion of already having a pile of bitmaps you want to treat like a book (particularly if you also have an OCR or something of the text), DjVu is *the* way to go.

[NullNix]

Originally Posted by HJ99

Why do I guess DjVu is not free?

I don't even consider non-free stuff any more, to such a degree that it hadn't even occurred to me to note that this was free software and a free format. I mean, if it's non-free, I can't hack it if it goes wrong! Intolerable!

[Quoth]

Originally Posted by HJ99

S Though guess some streaming movies now try to keep you from doing a screen record. .

HD camera in a dark room pointed at the screen.

DRM only inconveniences the public. It has NO impact on commercial piracy at all.

[HJ99]

Originally Posted by NullNix

Oh yeah, obviously -- but if you *are* in the unfortunate positiion of already having a pile of bitmaps you want to treat like a book (particularly if you also have an OCR or something of the text), DjVu is *the* way to go.

Honestly if I wanted to store a digital library, just burn it to dvd. Keep them dry and out of sunlight and they last very long time. And cost 25cents each. I think even in directories of individual png, one could get several on one dvd. Sometimes people worry too much. Could zip them and get some extra space I suppose if one is worried. Honestly if I want to keep a book forever, guess what, I will buy a paper copy. Though gotta say, electronic storage takes lot less space.

[HJ99]

Originally Posted by Quoth

HD camera in a dark room pointed at the screen.

DRM only inconveniences the public. It has NO impact on commercial piracy at all.

Yea its mostly to keep individuals from sharing, no effect on actual piracy for profit. Probably not a big thing anymore since younger folk been trained to subscribe and watch on demand, but not that long ago, you could pretty much buy a pirated dvd copy of any current blockbuster movie. Older and artsy movies lot harder to come by since lot less demand. Some of them actually from somebody that hid camera when they went to movie theater. It was obvious just from the perspective that it wasnt an original copy. They werent sitting front and center in the theater.

[Quoth]

No, only pressed DVDs last and not all of them. A USB HDD in a drawer will last longer. There are archival quality writeable CDs (goldish finish and now near unobtainable). Home written DVDs are almost disposable.

[haertig]

Originally Posted by Quoth

No, only pressed DVDs last and not all of them.

This is what we should plan on.

However, my personal anecdotal experience is that I have never had one single DVD go bad on me. Not commercially purchased software, not commercially purchased videos, and not any DVD that I have burned myself to any kind of blank media - from ultra cheap to high end.

That being said, it's just my personal anecdote. The things that I have backed up that are really important to me are on three different hard drives in three different computers (two on-site, one off site). Also on a portable hard drive that is not powered of connected to a computer except during the short time a backup is actually in progress. I still have many things backed up to DVD and stored in a bank safe deposit box. But I have stopped maintaining that these days - but the old DVDs are still there. A few things I have encrypted and then emailed to myself at a destination address that is IMAP (messages stored on the providers server, not on my local computer).

Now all this having been said, only one time have I ever had to do a bare metal restore due to a hard disk that went belly up. That restore was an image restore, done from one of my local backups. And it went without a hitch ... perfect restore. I have done miscellaneous file restores from my backups over the years. That has always been to fix a user error - like accidentally (or on purpose, without adequate thought) deleting a file that I later wanted back.

Backups are your friend. Multiple ones. On different storage media. Stored at different locations. With at least one of those isolated from power and computer connections (totally unplugged) to protect against power surges, lightning strikes, etc.