They're just removing an antiquated file type that you should have moved on from anyway. All my books are in epub format and even if they weren't calibre converts them so I don't think this is a significant change at all.
this post was submitted on 22 Oct 2023
270 points (88.1% liked)
Technology
59598 readers
3363 users here now
This is a most excellent place for technology news and articles.
Our Rules
- Follow the lemmy.world rules.
- Only tech related content.
- Be excellent to each another!
- Mod approved content bots can post up to 10 articles per day.
- Threads asking for personal tech support may be deleted.
- Politics threads may be removed.
- No memes allowed as posts, OK to post as comments.
- Only approved bots from the list below, to ask if your bot can be added please contact us.
- Check for duplicates before posting, duplicates may be removed
Approved Bots
founded 1 year ago
MODERATORS
Yup. I see no problem with this change. EPub is an open format and one can easily convert existing ebooks.
Some of us still use devices that only support .mobi
This news wouldn’t really affect you, though, would it?
Send to Kindle feature is only for Amazon Kindle, and Kindle apps, and those have been able to support more than .mobi since the Kindle 2 (non-touch with a keyboard) which was discontinued nearly 15 years ago.
I have a Kindle. It does not support EPUB. This does affect me. I used to use a bookmarklet to send articles to my Kindle, and this would make that unfeasible.
Kindles don’t natively “support” Epub, but you can Send to Kindle or even email things to your Kindle and it will get formatted into a format that Amazon will accept. I’ve done this myself for years on Kindles and for devices with Kindle apps.
For your bookmarklet, you’d have to either update it to send as Epub or find another option that sends as Epub instead of Mobi.
In your situation, it sounds like just emailing articles to your Kindle would be the best option. This article can tell you how to figure out your Kindle email and how to send files to it.
So just set Calibre to convert the books to mobi before sending it to them
load more comments
(1 replies)
I remember having to change things I got from... places... from epub to mobi using calibre for my old school kindle to recognise it years ago. I don't even have that device anymore.
Glad they're accepting what appears to be the standard format tbh.
What if you bought an ebook in mobi format a long time ago?
It doesn't make sense.
If you’re technically competent enough to have a mobi locally and send it to a kindle, then you’re technically competent enough to convert it, so it’s not a huge deal. I agree it’s weird though.
Honest question: what non-piracy reasons are there for having a mobi file locally and not already having it attached to your Amazon account ready to download straight to your kindle? Did anyone but Amazon ever even sell mobi files?
Hello checking in here.
Last night I finally got calibre and dedrm working. I have around 400 ebooks that I’ve bought from Amazon over the years,but my trust in Amazon has been eroded to the point I want local, drm-stripped copies in case they take the books back; it has happened, but not to me yet.
The first book I converted: 1984.
load more comments
(3 replies)
"what non piracy reasons are there"
"If you have nothing to hide then what's the problem with putting a camera in the bathroom. What non crime reasons could there be?"
Really though, if you're technically proficient enough for torrenting and vpns, you're proficient enough to convert to newer formats, too.
So even then, it's really just not that big a deal. Other than being a once-used format for the platform. And honestly how many devices are still functioning that can only use mobi? Heck I have a 10 year old Kindle somewhere that probably has 4 or 5 different formats from about 10 different sources.
load more comments
(5 replies)
Wait, does Kindle handle epub now?
No, but you can send one through the email service and it will be automatically converted.
I only ever send in epub format. In the article it clarifies that Amazon recommends the sending of epub.
load more comments
(1 replies)
load more comments
(2 replies)
This is an enormously overblown headline for such a small change.
I erroneously thought mobi was more important than it apparently is. I haven't had an e-reader in a long time and I remember using mobi files back then.
It's only for very old Kindles, really - Amazon have a new version they use (azw3) and everyone else uses epub.
My last e-reader was a very old Kindle.
"Amazon notifies users that Kindle will no longer support Mobi ebook format"
load more comments
(1 replies)
Calibre + KFX plugin. That's it.
KFX supports hyphenation and many more advanced features - the plugin exploits the official Amazon app for publishers to convert any open format into KFX, giving you all the features of Amazon store bought books for free.
Calibre has been a life saver for me. Love that program!
load more comments
(12 replies)
lacking support for the latest Kindle features
What kind of support are they "lacking"? They do contain the text and basic formatting. What else would they need in a book?
I'd guess that those "lacking" features have something to do with user tracking or DRM.
Epub doesn't natively have user tracking and DRM either. Mobi files are just ancient and there are better alternatives for them. Like bmp files vs jpg.
Epub is actually pretty good. And it's been supported for a long time now. Hard agree.
load more comments
(1 replies)
The devices themselves still can’t process epub though so they still need conversion to … mobi.
They can use epubs for several months now. It's been incredibly nice but to have to convert books anymore.
Older devices too? I still have a Kindle Voyage.
load more comments
(2 replies)
Once you go Kobo you never go back.
Gotta say, cannot complain about my kindle either. Thanks to calibre, I’m not bound to Amazon and can read whatever I want.
load more comments
(7 replies)
If anyone knows of a good ebook reader that's as easy on the eyes as a Kindle I'd love to know it. Everything I look at looks like a low spec tablet instead of a proper eink display.
Edit: thanks to a few comments in this thread I went with the Kobo Libra 2. I love this little device. Plenty of storage, a great display that's really easy on the eyes even with the backlight (which is fully dimmable and has color temperature adjustment). Thanks for everyone for the recommendations!
I use an old Kobo model and its great.
load more comments
(6 replies)
They've been notifying users for a while now, when sending mobi files.
view more: next ›