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).
Didn’t they recently removed that ability?, as well as the ability to sideload mobi file format?
I don’t keep up with Kindle news any more, but I just sent a book from Calibre over USB the same as before, and mobi was their own proprietary format* so good riddance to that (epub is the standard format outside the Amazon world).
When I still lived in the UK I preferred physical books and I still have three crates of them in a lockup. After looking at a screen all day at work, reading paper was a balm for my eyes and my brain.
I only bought a Kindle when I moved to a different country since it was far cheaper than shipping the books.
Not to sound like a Kobo ad, but I feel like I am the customer and not the product with my Kobo - I can install software, and even SSH into it as root, and I’m not tracked. Of course, that could change, unlike with good ol’ books, and books also never run out of battery or get scratches on every page (the Kobo’s screen is far from scratch resistant).
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).
I don’t keep up with Kindle news any more, but I just sent a book from Calibre over USB the same as before, and mobi was their own proprietary format* so good riddance to that (epub is the standard format outside the Amazon world).
* that they bought from someone else
When I still lived in the UK I preferred physical books and I still have three crates of them in a lockup. After looking at a screen all day at work, reading paper was a balm for my eyes and my brain.
I only bought a Kindle when I moved to a different country since it was far cheaper than shipping the books.
Not to sound like a Kobo ad, but I feel like I am the customer and not the product with my Kobo - I can install software, and even SSH into it as root, and I’m not tracked. Of course, that could change, unlike with good ol’ books, and books also never run out of battery or get scratches on every page (the Kobo’s screen is far from scratch resistant).