OK, I’m done with opaque gadgets handling proprietary formats via closed protocols.
I’ve always defended #OpenStandards and #FLOSS, and opted for interoperable devices when possible â but too often ended up buying the popular, less free product, out of (alleged) convenience.
Lately I’ve grown tired of fighting with stubborn gadgets and their stupid limitations.
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đ #Amazon Kindle (both an old one and a newer Paperwhite); wi-fi, USB and Whispersync interfaces: sigh. Where to start?
No #EPUB, of course; only stupid #MOBI. I have to use #Calibre to convert stuff (doesn’t always works well), then I can send to the Kindle via its special e-mail address, or copy over USB. Also: #AZW3, supposed to be an improved format, better for Amazon devices⊠but not allowed as a format to be sent over e-mail; only USB in that case. Why??
I want to classify my documents in directories, thank you. Copy, move, delete at will. But there’s just one gigantic Documents
directory, and everything thrown in there.
Notes and highlights: I can only share them (export, send by e-mail) for certain types of docs, but not others (format? DRM? bought on Amazon?).
âŠnot to mention the whole opaque and annoying #DRM thing and the âyou are not buying books, just borrowing them temporarily from Amazonâ thing. Switching from one #Kindle to another, trying to share a document with friends, registering or deregistering an owner⊠those are all miserable experiences.
Codas:
#DocumentFreedomDay coming up on March 30!
https://www.documentfreedom.org/
Also: advice about alternative devices appreciated (e-book reader, fitness band, etc). Boost if interested!