Dunno about that; there’s plenty of options to own and control your ebooks:
Some books are available without DRM (e.g. some on Kobo.com) or you can strip the DRM, and then keep them on your own storage. You can file and manage metadata with calibre and you can make them available to download using calibre-web.
A stock Kindle will allow adding books via USB or Amazon’s by-email service. A rooted Kindle will let you install Koreader which can talk to calibre-web. A Kobo or many (most?) other ereaders will let you do these things without needing to jump through hoops.
Thx for sharing the links. I know about DRM-free ebooks and about Calibre (and about removing DRM if needed) but one still needs a device to read an ebook (a device one doesn’t fully own or control) or do it on a computer which is not a comparable experience as reading it on a device.
Moving back (forward?) to paper books is a decision I made after years being almost exclusively an ebook reader. It was not quick and I’m pretty confident it would not be the right choice for everybody. It’s just what works best for me, considering my requirements and expectations.
For years, I kept an old Kindle without Internet access so I was sure Amazon could never force update its firmware. But I want more control (legally) on the books I own and I want reading to remain a simple activity (not something one needs to tweak and fight against). A paper book I can read it without having to root it, jailbreak it or even install anything. I need no device beside the glasses I already own. And I’m not tracked while I’m reading it, which is a huge win for me. Sure, it’s heavier and less portable, there is no syncing, and it wastes more space in my home but I’m fine with that: I learned to not hoard too many books at home and I only need to carry one at a time, and I don’t need sync (I take all my notes on index cards).
Dunno about that; there’s plenty of options to own and control your ebooks:
Some books are available without DRM (e.g. some on Kobo.com) or you can strip the DRM, and then keep them on your own storage. You can file and manage metadata with calibre and you can make them available to download using calibre-web.
A stock Kindle will allow adding books via USB or Amazon’s by-email service. A rooted Kindle will let you install Koreader which can talk to calibre-web. A Kobo or many (most?) other ereaders will let you do these things without needing to jump through hoops.
Thx for sharing the links. I know about DRM-free ebooks and about Calibre (and about removing DRM if needed) but one still needs a device to read an ebook (a device one doesn’t fully own or control) or do it on a computer which is not a comparable experience as reading it on a device.
Didn’t they recently removed that ability?, as well as the ability to sideload mobi file format?
Moving back (forward?) to paper books is a decision I made after years being almost exclusively an ebook reader. It was not quick and I’m pretty confident it would not be the right choice for everybody. It’s just what works best for me, considering my requirements and expectations.
For years, I kept an old Kindle without Internet access so I was sure Amazon could never force update its firmware. But I want more control (legally) on the books I own and I want reading to remain a simple activity (not something one needs to tweak and fight against). A paper book I can read it without having to root it, jailbreak it or even install anything. I need no device beside the glasses I already own. And I’m not tracked while I’m reading it, which is a huge win for me. Sure, it’s heavier and less portable, there is no syncing, and it wastes more space in my home but I’m fine with that: I learned to not hoard too many books at home and I only need to carry one at a time, and I don’t need sync (I take all my notes on index cards).