Comment by the__alchemist | Hacker News Reader

Comment by the__alchemist | Hacker News Reader

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Tangential: I've had good luck over the years with this flow:

  -Buy on Amazon (using a single card!)
  - Install an old version of Kindle for PC (might be able to find an installer online); download/open the book in it
  - install a Calibre de-drm plugin.
  - Open the Kindle file downloaded to a home subdirectory in Calibre. 
  - Convert to epub in Calibre, using one of the big HD formats etc so it won't downscale images 
  - save the epub somewhere you can back up, and also transfer it to your reader.

Yikes ... I guess I wouldn't recommend this as an easy solution!

This was my flow, except instead of PC I was using Mac. But then, that Mac died and I hadn't also happened to save the proper old version of Kindle for PC. And I migrated to a linux desktop instead of replacing the Mac.

I'm a bit uneasy about grabbing some version downloaded from a random website, even if I ran that in a VM I still have to present my Amazon account info.

So my replacement flow would include "get a macos vm running, install an old version of Kindle for Mac (known good since it's my copy) in the VM" and then do everything in the VM and transfer the converted epub out.

I keep hoping the de-drm plugin will be updated to understand how to de-drm the newer Kindle format. :)

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