On Thu, 03 Jul 2008 21:10:29 -0700, Tim Smith wrote:

> In article <pan.2008.07.03.18.15.31.617592@nowhere.com>,
> MarkA <toor@nowhere.com> wrote:
>> I am considering the purchase of a dedicated ebook reader, such as the
>> Kindle or the Iliad. I use Linux almost exclusively, and generally prefer
>> not to have to spend time defeating DRM systems just so I can move a file
>> from one device to another. I probably would not get the Sony product, as
> ...
>> So, what do y'all think? Does anyone have first, or even second, hand
>> experience with such devices? I use my Palm pilot for e-book reading
>> right now, but it has a small screen and relatively short battery life.
>> The Kindle seems to be gaining a dedicated following. Should I jump on
>> board?
>
> It depends on where you are going to get your ebooks. If you are going
> to buy ebooks from Amazon, they will have DRM, and will only (unless you
> defeat the DRM) work on Kindles that are on your Amazon account.
>
> If you are going to obtain ebooks in text format (such as the large
> number available at Project Gutenberg), or MOBI format (such as the
> large number of DRM-free books at feedbooks.com), then the Kindle will
> impose no restrictions on them.
>
> To load documents obtained outside of Amazon onto a Kindle, you have
> three choices.
>
> 1. Documents in text format and MOBI format (and maybe a couple
> others...I forget) can be transferred by USB. The Kindle shows up as a
> mass storage device when you plug it in, and you simply copy the files
> over. It works fine on Linux.
>
> 2. Documents in several other formats can be converted for you by
> Amazon. You mail the document to one of two magic email addresses that
> Amazon provides for you. The first converts the documents and mails it
> back as an attachment, which you can then download to your Kindle via
> USB. This conversion is free. Documents sent to the second address are
> converted, and downloaded wirelessly to your Kindle, but it costs your
> $0.10 per document.
>
> 3. There is a free (as in beer) program available to create MOBI files.
> It accepts many document formats. Unfortunately, it is only available
> for Windows. I believe I've seen reports that it works under WINE, but
> am not sure.
>
> In many respects, the situation with Kindle and ebooks is a lot like the
> situation with most portable music players--players all support non-DRM
> files, and most also support one or more DRM formats. It's your choice
> whether or not to obtain music from places that put DRM on it.
>
> Here's a review I posted a while back in comp.os.linux.advocacy (the
> Kindle runs Linux, so may be of interest to Linux advocates, which is
> why it was posted to COLA):
>

<snip>

Tim:

Very nice overview of the Kindle. I am leaning toward getting one, once
I have a few hundred bucks kicking around that I don't have to put into my
gas tank. Thank you for your thoughtful and informative reply.

--
MarkA
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