• Cowbee
    link
    fedilink
    arrow-up
    5
    ·
    8 months ago

    Depends on the format, you can absolutely own ebooks.

    • Toadiwithaneye
      link
      fedilink
      arrow-up
      1
      ·
      8 months ago

      Yes you kind of “own” your ebook, but… The company that sold it to you can remove it legally form their listings, taking away your ability to download your book.

      • Cowbee
        link
        fedilink
        arrow-up
        5
        ·
        8 months ago

        That’s not what I’m referring to. If you have an epub or similar file, you own it. You can store it, and delete it at your own whim.

        • Toadiwithaneye
          link
          fedilink
          arrow-up
          1
          ·
          8 months ago

          Yes, but computers are prone to failure, you are depending on a device to hold all your media. I’ve had backups and backups of backups, still losing things to failure. My books take up space, but they will be there unless my home burns down.

          • Cowbee
            link
            fedilink
            arrow-up
            4
            ·
            8 months ago

            And if you store it in the cloud, and in thumb drives, they will be there even if your home burns down, and far more of em too.

            • Toadiwithaneye
              link
              fedilink
              arrow-up
              1
              ·
              8 months ago

              With a cloud you are depending on someone else to hold your property.

              • Cowbee
                link
                fedilink
                arrow-up
                3
                ·
                8 months ago

                Not necessarily, you can self-host. I also listed it as a backup, for actual storage on thumb drives, SD cards, etc. It’s really not difficult, files are far more secure and safe than a physical book, which itself degrades upon use.

                • Toadiwithaneye
                  link
                  fedilink
                  arrow-up
                  1
                  ·
                  8 months ago

                  You have to pay to self host, you have to pay for cloud storage. I am not going to pay to keep books, I buy books and put them on a shelf. I can pull one off and read it when ever I please, I don’t depend on any devices to read them, and I like it that way. This is how I feel.

                  • Cowbee
                    link
                    fedilink
                    arrow-up
                    2
                    ·
                    8 months ago

                    You’re fine to prefer that way, but you’re just wrong about files being less secure or somehow less owned than physical copies.