Its a puzzlement to me.
This post will tend to be Kindle-specific, but I think the principle applies across the board, hence posting in General.
There are always some active threads in the Kindle forum deploring how Amazon continues to make it harder and harder to download books and describing ever more torturous work-arounds. Heres what I dont get: Why dont people who are infuriated by this stop buying Kindle books? Yeah, yeah, I know; they can be the only source for certain books. So why not read something else if you cant make your peace with doing it Amazons way? There are a lot of books out there, more than anyone can read in a lifetime and Id argue every bit as enjoyable. Books are pretty fungible at that. And by buying books elsewhere, youd be denying Amazon their ill-gotten gains while helping to prop up a business whose practices are more in line with your preferences. Sounds like win/win to me.
And as a rider to this, when you buy Kindle books, you agree that youre only buying a license which comes with restrictions. So why the outrage? If Amazons only trying to enforce the terms of sale?
As I said, I dont get it. I mostly stopped buying Kindle books when Kobo became always a better value, but Id buy from them if it were the cheapest/only option for something I wanted to read, but their Kindle sales practices dont bother me so theres no moral component. Id buy, read it on a Kindle and move on.
TL;DR: Why do business with an entity whose practices you deplore? Books are not a life-saving drug.
This post will tend to be Kindle-specific, but I think the principle applies across the board, hence posting in General.
There are always some active threads in the Kindle forum deploring how Amazon continues to make it harder and harder to download books and describing ever more torturous work-arounds. Heres what I dont get: Why dont people who are infuriated by this stop buying Kindle books? Yeah, yeah, I know; they can be the only source for certain books. So why not read something else if you cant make your peace with doing it Amazons way? There are a lot of books out there, more than anyone can read in a lifetime and Id argue every bit as enjoyable. Books are pretty fungible at that. And by buying books elsewhere, youd be denying Amazon their ill-gotten gains while helping to prop up a business whose practices are more in line with your preferences. Sounds like win/win to me.
And as a rider to this, when you buy Kindle books, you agree that youre only buying a license which comes with restrictions. So why the outrage? If Amazons only trying to enforce the terms of sale?
As I said, I dont get it. I mostly stopped buying Kindle books when Kobo became always a better value, but Id buy from them if it were the cheapest/only option for something I wanted to read, but their Kindle sales practices dont bother me so theres no moral component. Id buy, read it on a Kindle and move on.
TL;DR: Why do business with an entity whose practices you deplore? Books are not a life-saving drug.






