thoughts on ereaders/kindles? (sh.itjust.works)

submitted 1 year ago by darcy@sh.itjust.works to c/opensource@lemmy.ml

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im thinking of getting an ereader, but cant find many foss devices. i dont plan on connecting it to the internet, so i suppose it doesnt matter if its controlled by amazon right? love to hear your thoughts...

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[-] onlooker@lemmy.ml 7 points 1 year ago

Just go for whichever looks best for you, as long as it supports the EPUB file format, which is by far the most widespread ebook format nowadays. Be warned that the Kindle is particularly bad in this respect, because it only offers partial support for EPUB. You have to go through a whole spiel to get an epub file to your Kindle, whereas with most other e-readers, it's just a matter of copying a file over to your device.

Here's a comparison table for e-readers on Wikipedia. It may not be comprehensive, but it should give you an idea of what functions and/or features you're looking for:

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Comparison_of_e-readers

[-] ElderWendigo@sh.itjust.works 4 points 1 year ago

only offers partial support for EPUB. You have to go through a whole spiel to get an epub file to your Kindle, whereas with most other e-readers, it's just a matter of copying a file over to your device

Have you read the Amazon page you linked? Kindle supports epub now, nothing on that page indicates that it is limited in any way except file size. Also, getting an epub on your kindle is no different than any other supported file. They dropped support for mobi and azw, both Amazon specific formats.

[-] onlooker@lemmy.ml 3 points 1 year ago* (last edited 1 year ago)

Yeah, I only glanced at wikipedia's e-reader comparison sheet and saw the word "Partial", so that's my bad. That said, transfering files to kindle still seems to be a pain. From Amazon's page:

Upload documents through the web, an authorized email address, the Kindle app for iOS and Android devices, or a Send to Kindle application if available.

So, if I'm understanding this correctly, you can transfer files to your Kindle through:

a) Send to Kindle webpage
b) Email
c) An iOS or Android app
d) Send to Kindle application

For a) and c) to work, you need an Amazon account. b) seems to be a bit unorthodox, but sure. And for d) needs an application to be installed on your computer. Contrast that to, say, PocketBook, which simply shows up as a USB device and you just drag and drop your e-books into their designated folders. No account, email or app required.

EDIT: formatting

[-] atocci@kbin.social 2 points 1 year ago* (last edited 1 year ago)

I don't know if things have changed, but I used to just be able to copy and paste files to the Kindle from File Explorer. Windows would mount it like a phone and you'd get access to the internal storage. I don't think they would have removed that ability.

Edit: I don't have my Kindle on me to check at the moment, but the most recent source I could find still says it's possible.

[-] threadloose@midwest.social 2 points 1 year ago

I have a recent Paperwhite, and you can still do the drag and drop thing with it. The Kindle shows up as a device on your computer, and you just need to get the files into the documents folder on it.

I can't remember off the top of my head if you can skip the setup with a new Kindle and not make an Amazon account.

[-] vashti@feddit.uk 4 points 1 year ago* (last edited 1 year ago)

Always amuses me a bit when people say Kindles don't support EPUB, since I've been stripping DRM from my books and storing them in Calibre (enabling transparent conversion between EPUB and Amazon's formats) for thirteen years without a hitch. You should be doing this on any platform if you want to keep your books.

It's beyond me why anyone who so much as knows what FOSS stands for wouldn't do the same.