Kindle users in uproar over update rendering oldest devices virtually unusable

For what its worth, if you have one of the older paperwhites that's basically bricked now, you can jailbreak it and turn it into a pretty neat e-ink dashboard. I did this with my 7th gen a while back, wrote up the whole process. Its been running as a little weather/calendar display for months now on basically zero power. Better use than letting amazon decide when your device stops working

https://terminalbytes.com/reviving-kindle-paperwhite-7th-gen...

Stallman wrote about this in 1997: https://www.gnu.org/philosophy/right-to-read.en.html

You guys updated your Kindle? From the first ad that I saw on my old Kindle, I just stopped updating it. It's an e-book reader. I reason that if I never update it, it will never update the ads.

I've been warning people about DRM since day one. Never say "MY Kindle library", "MY steam games", etc. They are not yours.

The fact that this also shuts off access to many public library Ebooks on these devices should be getting more press. My wife exclusively uses her Kindle for library books and it looks like it will be impossible to get legally acquired library books onto her device from our library system, which is using libby/overrdrive.

I moved to Kobo a couple of years ago, as it started getting harder and harder to add de-DRM'd books I'd bought from other sellers to the device. It was easier to just abandon Kindle as an ereader. I'm really happy with Kobo and have had virtually no difficulty finding books to load onto it.

Keep Calm, (Install KoReader) and Carry On.

Discussion: https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=47678320

Kobo was always better. As always, people deserve what they tolerate.

Anyone still using Kindle after Amazon removed 1984, of all books, remotely from their devices only has themselves to blame.

Great incentive to get around to finally jailbreak them, it's actually really easy.

Oh so that's why my MIL's kindle suddenly stopped working for no reason!

Sigh, I'm gonna end up having to explain jailbreaking to a 79yo, aren't I? I would really prefer not to.

If you need evidence of Amazon’s ability to wield AI-driven development towards creative and productive ends…

Look elsewhere.

As of when I'm writing this, three stories on the front page of HN (17, 18, 19) are about two bigtech companies dissing (for the lack of another polite word) their customers and third party vendors. I don't know how long it will take for the world to realize that these companies have nothing but at most contempt for you, except for your money which they want all for themselves. I'm not going to hold back on the fact that these multi-billion and trillion dollar MNCs lack any sort of scruples or integrity and their relationship with you is purely parasitic in nature.

I know that jailbreak is an option. But that's a rapidly closing avenue. Devices are getting harder by the day to jailbreak. The only correct solution is to vote with your wallet in favor of your own self-respect and independence. To not be their economic slaves. Consistently choose products that value your freedom, even if it's inconvenient and costly. Choose local stores, even if that requires you to walk to the nearby shop. You stand to gain a lot for those sacrifices. In fact, those gains may be things you can't afford to lose in the first place - like the democracy. (It's not a big secret that many of them have fascist ambitions.)

But whenever I raise this point here, somebody or the other rebukes that with some nonsensical argument about 'market demand' or something similar. First of all, market demand is decided by the consumer, unless we concede that right to the market manipulators. Secondly, this isn't something novel. Boycotts and preferential consumerism have been practiced successfully for ages and is in full effect as we speak. Can't you see how the citizens of entire nations are resisting fascism and hegemony through their shopping preferences? Due to this, I have serious reservations about people who make such counter arguments.

The technically proficient people like the HN crowd are the ones who should raise the alarm about technological exploitation and techno-fascism among the larger population and suggest the solutions. Instead, these people are out to defeat all such efforts and expose the population to the greedy cabal. I don't know if it's nihilism or outright betrayal. But don't be like that, please! Your knowledge and voice are valuable and they command respect. Use them to free your society and yourself from this economic exploitation and hegemony. Please start preaching publicly for the sake of all of our future.