You can of course also break the DRM; the program to do that is here: http://www.mininova.org/tor/1412688.

Support fair business practices. DRM isn't.

"... if your Kindle 1 breaks or you purchase a Kindle 2 all your Newspaper and Magazine issues will be UNREADABLE on the replacement or new device ..."

Here is one more, seems like committing to electronic formats you're asking for trouble even when upgrading to another version of the same product:

"... I have a tremendous volume of Kindle content (public domain and Amazon). I discovered that I could not directly transfer from my computer backup for Kindle 1 to the new K2 ..."

Another one:

"... Although Amazon says it keeps you content on their server, I found many instances where I could not download my books to my computer because the item THAT I PAID FOR was not available for download to my new Kindle2..."

iRex let you use open formats, and the software is also opensource and in continuous development: http://www.irextechnologies.com/

What Do Customers Ultimately Buy After Viewing This Item?

20% buy The Holy Bible English Standard Version (ESV) 3.6 out of 5 stars (24)

http://tinyapps.org/weblog/misc/200904300700_kindle_free_web...

(1) Amazon or others will sell replacement devices or software that support the same DRM'd formats, so you will have continuity of access. (For example, since iPhones can also read Kindle books, and presumably Android phones too at some point, there will be multiple reading platforms.)

(2) The progress of time and mores will render the DRM effectively inert, as with all other DRM formats used on popular/mass content.

There is a bit of faith required, but not much -- that one or both of these occur fits a trend as strong as Moore's Law.

There's no way to read Amazon-protected content without using an Amazon-approved device (Kindle, Kinde for iPhone) or cracking the DRM. Cracking the DRM is illegal. I don't care how justified you think you are in doing it, ethically the situation is a simple one: play by the rules or don't play. Is that really so hard?

Remember, not only is purchasing-then-cracking DRM against the law and morally ambiguous, it also gives the sponsors of the protected content artificial financial incentive to continue in their DRM ways -- a situation I think we all agree we would like to see end sooner rather than later. If you're really so indignant about not being able to backup your $6000 investment or whatever, the only winning move is not to play.

I would never try something like that, of course, since it's illegal and I'm a Good Citizen. Yeah...

i don't think you can put it on a PC unless you hack it.

This is not as far fetched as it seems. Look at a few examples from the music business: Microsoft discontinued support for their music download service. Walmart did the same thing to their DRM laden music. Now anyone that purchased music with DRM from those two is sol if their computer/OS goes down and they need to reinstall. since they cannot authenticate to the DRM servers the music stops.

Solution to the music: use providers that do not want to cripple you. (Amazon MP3 download is the way I have been getting all my music.)

Solution to the E-Book: You could probably strip out the drm from the kindle protected books. It is probably against the law in some countries though.

1) Break the law and crack it. Doing this you will not be eligible for the updates that are there. In cracking it you are going to run a program that probably contains a virus/rootkit/trojan/whatever.

2) Reinstall the os every 30 days to bypass activation.

3) Need to buy/install a newer OS because you are at the mercy of a corporation with respect to DRM.

This may change over time, as other e-ink-alike technologies come online, but it is the current state of affairs, and it's why everything is in such a narrow price band.

Buying "open" e-ink reader devices isn't that hard: just about every but the kindle has .pdf compatibility, for example.

There is no "open" ebook format the way .mp3s are "open": all major publishers that sell ebooks sell in drm-ed formats, and only independents and small-timers and oddballs sell legit content in unprotected .pdf.

Edit: http://www.pvi.com.tw/en/index/index.php is PVI.

-----------------------------------------

The Project Gutenberg "Top 5":

The Outline of Science, Vol. 1 (of 4) by J. Arthur Thomson (531)

Manners, Customs, and Dress During the Middle Ages and During the Renaissance Period by P. L. Jacob (453)

Pride and Prejudice by Jane Austen (324)

Illustrated History of Furniture by Frederick Litchfield (303)

Searchlights on Health by B. G. Jefferis and J. L. Nichols (270)

-----------------------------------------

The Kindle "Top 5"

The Last Olympian by Rick Riordan

Liberty and Tyranny: A Conservative Manifesto by Mark R. Levin

First Family by David Baldacci

The 8th Confession by James Patterson

Dead and Gone (Sookie Stackhouse, Book 9) by Charlaine Harris

It would have a tough time being a sustainable business given the costs of prototyping, making deals with wireless providers, etc. and the alternative of just offering the device just doesn't seem worth the time.

The wireless thing is cool, but ereaders existed for a long time without them. I think it would be cool to have whispernet, but it is by no means essential to the enjoyment of my ereader. The next gen bebook will have wifi access to read rss reads etc. as well.

I guess someone did. :)

Although, I got the Sony when it first came out ( the lack of DRM in it attracted me) I am very satisfied with it

But that's not the point here. The point is that I want to own my books, there are many reasons all of us should want this.

For one, ebook market is growing and Kindle isn't even close to being "iPhone of ebooks": there are some interesting models from Sony, plus I'd like copies of my books on my computers and on my iPhone. I don't want some cheap disposable device to have full control over (eventually) thousands of dollars of my books, that's just silly.

Ironically it was Amazon that was providing the alternative to the DRM-laden product in that instance; I wonder who'll figure out a way to be the Good Guy w/r/t the Kindle now that Amazon has decided to take a crack at the DRM game?

Now we need a solution to move all ebook formats to html.

If not, we're not doing the right thing.

I insist, html is the answer.

XHTML maybe? Some XML dialect? I can see these working if the toolchain (generators, interpreters, transformers) is tightly controlled or harshly forces compliance. Even still, I'd like my books to always look correct even if made by Microsoft eBook Publisher 2013.

Layout failure on the web is a minor annoyance. Layout failure for a e-book I paid $20 for is completely unacceptable.

http://www.web-books.com/Publishing/epub.htm