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As long as they don’t use KFX (or whatever the name of the latest Kindle DRM is). There are some workarounds, but none of them are reliable and you often lose s

As long as they don’t use KFX (or whatever the name of the latest Kindle DRM is). There are some workarounds, but none of them are reliable and you often lose some of the typography improvements in KFX files. This is an area where regulators should step in. DRM should either be banned on books (do we really want to lock up knowledge) or it should be standardized so that you can read any book on any device, like how you could play just about any DVD on any player. The current system gives Amazon too much power.

nottorp 2y ago
But we're not talking about getting books bought from Amazon off a Kindle here. We're talking about getting books bought from not-Amazon on a Kindle to read them.
- criddell 2y ago
  Then you are often in an even worse spot. If you buy a book from Apple Books, there’s no way (as far I know) to remove the DRM. Same goes for books bought from other sellers that use Adobe’s OpenFile DRM (at least the current version of OpenFile). Or were you not talking about DRM-encumbered books? I didn’t really consider those because very few are available commercially. Books from the publisher Tor is one notable example, but there aren’t many others.
  - nottorp 2y ago
    My subscription to Asimov's has been DRM free for a while. Interesting story though. First they were on the Kindle store, and I was a subscriber by convenience. Then when Amazon stopped handling individual subscriptions they moved to some solution similar to this one, requiring an app - which I ignored. Later they finally switched to letting you download drm-free epubs from their site. Suddenly I'm a subscriber again :)
  - notpushkin 2y ago
    DRM on books really doesn't make a lot of sense to me – it’s way too easy to remove.
    - criddell 2y ago
      I really isn’t. I try to remove it from everything I buy because I want a portable archive. Apple Books is pretty much impenetrable. Amazon books are a mixed bag. I have a bunch where I haven’t been able to remove the DRM. Google Books and Kobo Books are probably the least secure today, but I suspect that isn’t going to last.

nottorp 2y ago

But we're not talking about getting books bought from Amazon off a Kindle here. We're talking about getting books bought from not-Amazon on a Kindle to read them.

criddell 2y ago
Then you are often in an even worse spot. If you buy a book from Apple Books, there’s no way (as far I know) to remove the DRM. Same goes for books bought from other sellers that use Adobe’s OpenFile DRM (at least the current version of OpenFile). Or were you not talking about DRM-encumbered books? I didn’t really consider those because very few are available commercially. Books from the publisher Tor is one notable example, but there aren’t many others.
- nottorp 2y ago
  My subscription to Asimov's has been DRM free for a while. Interesting story though. First they were on the Kindle store, and I was a subscriber by convenience. Then when Amazon stopped handling individual subscriptions they moved to some solution similar to this one, requiring an app - which I ignored. Later they finally switched to letting you download drm-free epubs from their site. Suddenly I'm a subscriber again :)
- notpushkin 2y ago
  DRM on books really doesn't make a lot of sense to me – it’s way too easy to remove.
  - criddell 2y ago
    I really isn’t. I try to remove it from everything I buy because I want a portable archive. Apple Books is pretty much impenetrable. Amazon books are a mixed bag. I have a bunch where I haven’t been able to remove the DRM. Google Books and Kobo Books are probably the least secure today, but I suspect that isn’t going to last.