I wish downloading books was as easy...

[ZodWallop]

I just bought some digital music from Amazon, both an album and a single. On the 'purchase complete' screen, there was a handy button to download (DRM)-free) copies of my new purchase.

Later I got on the desktop downstairs and wanted to download another copy of my back-up drive. Go to my digital orders and there's the 'download music' button. It's a real pleasure.

And while I know it won't happen now, I so much wish this was the way ebooks had gone. Imagine being able to go to Amazon, B&N or Kobo and download a DRM-free ePub for any book, regardless of publisher, that you could then load on any device of your choice.

[rcentros]

Originally Posted by ZodWallop

I just bought some digital music from Amazon, both an album and a single. On the 'purchase complete' screen, there was a handy button to download (DRM)-free) copies of my new purchase.

Later I got on the desktop downstairs and wanted to download another copy of my back-up drive. Go to my digital orders and there's the 'download music' button. It's a real pleasure.

And while I know it won't happen now, I so much wish this was the way ebooks had gone. Imagine being able to go to Amazon, B&N or Kobo and download a DRM-free ePub for any book, regardless of publisher, that you could then load on any device of your choice.

You make a good point.

[Asawi]

That's how it works with the Swedish bookstore I use for purchased books. DRM free but with water marks in most cases. Download button in the order confirmation and on my account. I always thought this was "normal". Isn't it?
Edit: Correction! The "DRM free with watermark" (and EPUB right away, no need for ADE) seems to mostly be for Swedish language books while foreign language apparently often still have DRM and go through ADE. As I understand it.

[Sirtel]

Originally Posted by Asawi

That's how it works with the Swedish bookstore I use for purchased books. DRM free but with water marks in most cases. Download button in the order confirmation and on my account. I always thought this was "normal". Isn't it?
Edit: Correction! The "DRM free with watermark" (and EPUB right away, no need for ADE) seems to mostly be for Swedish language books while foreign language apparently often still have DRM and go through ADE. As I understand it.

It is the same here. When there is an ebook at all, which is not always the case.

Unfortunately, I mostly read in English (Estonian books are very expensive and the selection is much smaller), so I too have to put up with the downloading woes.

[Asawi]

Originally Posted by Sirtel

Unfortunately, I mostly read in English (Estonian books are very expensive and the selection is much smaller), so I too have to put up with the downloading woes.

I too read mostly in English even if the Swedish translation is available. I prefer, if possible, to read in the original language. If it's not originally English I can do Swedish or English, whichever can get my hands on. The selection of Swedish/Scandinavian eBooks is relatively good. Availability in library is decent, but not brilliant, for the books I want. I do have access to a US library where I often get lucky. Library books of course are DRM and ADE. (I do read more borrowed books than purchased, so I too have to put up with downloading/transferring woes.)

[ZodWallop]

Originally Posted by Asawi

That's how it works with the Swedish bookstore I use for purchased books. DRM free but with water marks in most cases.

Some pedant will come along arguing that watermarks are DRM. Please ignore them.

Download button in the order confirmation and on my account. I always thought this was "normal". Isn't it?

Take a moment to appreciate the wonderland you live in.

In the US, the three biggest book sites are Amazon, Barnes and Noble and Kobo. For Amazon and B&N, a desktop app of some kind is required to download a book at all* You can typically read a book in the browser, but to download you have to download a DRM-laden copy within the desktop program intended to be read only within their desktop program.

Kobo is the exception. If the publisher doesn't require DRM, Kobo will allow you to download a DRM-free ePub. If it is DRM-laden, you will get an ADE file. Kobo does have a desktop program, but it isn't needed in the way the Amazon and B&N ones are.

*If you own an eInk kindle, you can (currently) download a DRM-laden .AZW file from Amazon's website.

[Asawi]

Originally Posted by ZodWallop

Some pedant will come along arguing that watermarks are DRM. Please ignore them.

Noted!

Originally Posted by ZodWallop

Take a moment to appreciate the wonderland you live in.

Well, it's not all rosy. We don't have anywhere near the selection as US/UK bookstores offer. But at least what we do have we can access easy. Always something! And I'm not too choosy. I often adjust my reading list to what's available and that way I have stumbled upon some really good books (and quite a few really bad too, but let's forget those... When will I ever learn that "no1 bestseller" and "most borrowed" usually means "nope, not for me"...)
Pretty much all Swedish fiction works published nowadays comes with an eBook option. Relatively much of the non-fiction stuff too. Sometimes the eBook option isn't availabe right away, but it's usually not a long wait.

[Quoth]

Some Amazon books are DRM free, but the Publisher's request only applies to Browser downloads for USB transfer to eInk Kindle.

I have no Kobo desktop software, but a magic plugin that reads acsm files. I have to remember to rename at download as every DRMed Kobo download has the same name.

[haertig]

Originally Posted by ZodWallop

Some pedant will come along arguing that watermarks are DRM. Please ignore them.

I had to look up what "pedant" meant:

"a person who is excessively concerned with minor details and rules or with displaying academic learning"

I guess my failing in that last part is why I had to look up what pedant meant in the first place.

[Asawi]

Originally Posted by haertig

I had to look up what "pedant" meant:

"a person who is excessively concerned with minor details and rules or with displaying academic learning"

I guess my failing in that last part is why I had to look up what pedant meant in the first place.

It's actually the same word in Swedish, but without that last part of the definition. Interesting!

[Quoth]

The second part is rarely meant in this part of the world now.

[CleanYourNibs]

I agree, but unless there's some huge change in the world and DRM is no longer necessary for publishers to feel like they're earning enough money (as theoretically, DRM is supposed to stop piracy), I don't think it'll happen.

If anything, it seems like a focus on DRM is becoming more prevalent, but who knows what tomorrow holds!

[JSWolf]

Originally Posted by ZodWallop

I just bought some digital music from Amazon, both an album and a single. On the 'purchase complete' screen, there was a handy button to download (DRM)-free) copies of my new purchase.

Later I got on the desktop downstairs and wanted to download another copy of my back-up drive. Go to my digital orders and there's the 'download music' button. It's a real pleasure.

And while I know it won't happen now, I so much wish this was the way ebooks had gone. Imagine being able to go to Amazon, B&N or Kobo and download a DRM-free ePub for any book, regardless of publisher, that you could then load on any device of your choice.

What we need is for Amazon to dump it's non-ePub formats. Then we need all programs that handle ePub to be updated to handle ePub 3. Then we need the DRM removed. It's not going to happen.

[Sirtel]

Originally Posted by Asawi

Well, it's not all rosy. We don't have anywhere near the selection as US/UK bookstores offer. But at least what we do have we can access easy. Always something! And I'm not too choosy. I often adjust my reading list to what's available and that way I have stumbled upon some really good books (and quite a few really bad too, but let's forget those... When will I ever learn that "no1 bestseller" and "most borrowed" usually means "nope, not for me"...)
Pretty much all Swedish fiction works published nowadays comes with an eBook option. Relatively much of the non-fiction stuff too. Sometimes the eBook option isn't availabe right away, but it's usually not a long wait.

At least you seem to have a borrowing option in Sweden. In Estonia it is not really possible to borrow ebooks from a library and read them on an eink reader. There is an ebook library, but that can only be used in a browser. No downloading and no offline reading. Theoretically you could read the books on an Android-based eink, but I imagine the experience would be rather poor, as you're forced to use the browser and not your preferred reading app.

[CleanYourNibs]

Originally Posted by JSWolf

Then we need all programs that handle ePub to be updated to handle ePub 3.

This feels like a very specific detail that doesn't seem (to me) 100% relevant; what's the benefit of ePub 3 in this context? Or is it just that the best DRM-free ebook format should be used in its most current, updated form?