Liz McNaughton

Sony ebook reader PRS-650 on Ubuntu 11 and DRM protected books.

August 29th, 2011

*spoiler alert – to get this working you will need one time access to a PC running Windows…*

A few weeks ago I had a play with my Dad’s old Sony ebook reader and easily got it talking to Calibre on my Ubuntu laptop. I had a prod round project Gutenberg and popped a copy of Dracula on the ebook reader with no problems so I thought I would have a go at getting a new book from Waterstones… a book that was DRM protected….

Being an eternal optimist I figured first thing to try was Calibre on its own … then moved swiftly on to a prod round goggle and installing Adobe Digital Editions under WINE… After setting up an account I could see and read my new book on my Laptop but the reader would not show up under Digital Editions and moving the .epub file it had produced on to the ebook reader via Calibre looked like it had worked until I tried to open the book on the device and got a lovely “ebook reader says no” type DRM protected content message.

A few weeks later and I got my own Sony ebook reader PRS-650 and I did get readable, DRM protected content onto it using Calibre and Digital Editions on my Ubuntu laptop…

Part one – One time Set-up method
All the software listed below can be freely obtained by download/Synaptic Package Manager.

Stage One
On your Ubuntu Laptop install the following :-
Calibre
(WINE if you do not already have it)
Adobe Digital Editions under WINE, set up an account and activate your computer for use when prompted. If you get an executable bit error then see this…

Don’t worry if Adobe Digital Editions can not see your ebook reader on your Ubuntu machine- it wont be able to until Adobe bring out a native version.

Stage Two

*one time use of a windows computer to get you up and running*

On a PC running windows (I used Windows 7 Ultimate) install the following -:
Sony Reader Library Software (if you don’t install this then Adobe Digital Editions on the PC will not see your ebook reader)
Adobe Digital Editions.

Plug your Ebook reader into the PC then, In Adobe Digital Editions, log into the account you created in Stage one and register both the PC and the ebook reader. You should get prompts to do this as the software starts and you plug your ebook reader in.

Now unplug your ebook reader from the windows PC, shut down the PC and walk away from it…

Part two – Getting a DRM protected book on to your ebook reader via Calibre on Ubuntu

Part two should be business as usual when you purchase ebooks

Using your Ubuntu machine -
1. Purchase an ebook and download the .acsm file (I used Waterstone’s website).
2. Open Adobe Digital Editions and drag the .acsm file into the main window, this provokes Adobe Digital Editions to download the DRM protected .epub file.
3. Once the .epub file is downloaded then go to Calibre and add the book to your library. You should find the .epub file in your Home folder -> “My Digital Editions”.
4. Then use Calibre to transfer the .epub file to your ebook reader as normal.

Now when you open the book on the device you should be able to read it.

I have not tried this with a kindle if anyone should have a go I would be curious as to how you get on……

Posted in How too / method, Technical | 1 Comment »

Ubuntu 11, WINE and the Executable bit

August 29th, 2011

Just a quick one for other Ubuntu novices ….

By default only packages downloaded via Synaptic Package Manager are given executable permissions. So if you download a windows installer for WINE related purposes then by default it will not run. Instead you get an error message about the “Executable Bit “.

If your confident about the file then you can edit the permissions to give the file executable rights. I’m sure there is a Terminal way of doing this but i opted for the Right click – permissions tab, tick the “allow executing file as program” tick box method.

That done a double click on the file and it installed under WINE with no problems.

Posted in How too / method, Technical | 1 Comment »

Ubuntu 9.04 upgrade to 11.04

August 29th, 2011

This is the second upgrade of Ubuntu on this laptop so far (HP Compaq nc2400) and it went ok… ish.

I did the upgrade off a (downloaded image) CD and had it happened on the second attempt. Once the install was done there were over 100 updates to install. Not very stressful…

I’m not taken with the new look…. I have not found the time to fiddle with it to much and disappearing side bars have always annoyed me regardless of the platform… even on an 11″ laptop screen.

So far the only notable thing about the upgrade is that a lot of the programs I installed before need reinstalling as they don’t show up in any of the menu’s. The good news is once reinstalled they find they old settings again – even remembered stuff in Firefox and WINE.

Compared to last time this upgrade was not so easy but that could be down to the version skip. How ever the laptop still does the simple things I need it too, with out any noticeable degraded performance, so no worries…. so far…..

Posted in Opinion, Technical | No Comments »

A life time of on-line social networking

August 2nd, 2011

Everyone is them self. All through life you are who you are but different facets of your personality come to the for front depending on who you are with and where you are. CtrlV and P that on to the internet and, I reckon, the same is still true but you are left with out the context that real world interaction gives and you are open to more intense scrutiny.

In addition to this the generations behind me are now logging there lives on the internet from the start so teenage exuberance or moments of sloppy high chair based cuteness are now a matter of record that can not be blunted or given the philosophical soft focus that time brings.

Even if you take the time to set the privacy settings on your Social Networking account anything you log now will be available to anyone you give access to that information in the future… and who knows who that may be.

I have a Facebook account and a Linked in Account. Up to a few years ago I considered Facebook to be the on-line version of me in a sundress and six inch heals and LinkedIn to be me in a virtual Suit and flats. The people that I dealt with in a professional way got a handy on line link to my CV and my mates had access to an on line photo album and a easy way for us all to take the piss out of each other.

In recent years this line has blurred…people I work are requesting we be Friends and relatives want to peruse my CV. Not wishing to cause any bad air at work I have accepted Friend requests that have lead me to be more careful about how make fun of people I know. My Linked in account remains “pure” as it were…. for me its about being a bit dull so if I have not actually worked with someone or can not see how I would end up working with them then I wont add them to my network. I’m not sure I can keep this up for ever and I may now ignore a request that through the fullness and random nature of time that link may actually present it’s self in the real world…

This is why I like what I see of the methods built into Google+ thus far for defining and controlling how people see you on line. I don’t know who I may relate to in the future and how I may relate to that person. Teenagers are not aware of how they may have to present them selves once they take on the veneer of adult hood… Google does not know either so they have left it up to the individual to create and change those groups of people as and when they develop. You are given access to those groups as you post items in kind of the same way as facebook but facebook only gives you the groups they think you need. With Google+ the groups you apply to posts are the ones you created so it feels like your more in control.

This all only matters if you care at all about how people see you on line… or in real life perhaps….

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PS3 and 3D TV but no 3D Options….?

July 9th, 2011

Problems getting your PS3 3D game working with a 3D TV?

Well here is a check list for you

Check you have the latest firmware.

Make Sure you have your HDMI cable going directly into your TV from the Play station – not via a amp or anything….

Check under Settings -> Display Settings -> Video Output settings -> HDMI and Just keep hitting Auto

Posted in How too / method, Technical | 1 Comment »

Hello World

March 3rd, 2010

http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/world/8547114.stm

Looking good….

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Ubuntu 8 to 9.04 upgrade

July 25th, 2009

I Upgraded my laptop (Compaq nc2400) to 9.04 using the built in upgrade routine last night and everything seems ok so far.

The living room computer is now also running Jaunty but as a fresh install running from a 4GB memory card (the hard drive bit the dust a week or so ago) and after a bit of Codec installing it plays .mp3′s and DVD’s with out any problems.

Sorry not very exciting news i know but if anything interesting crops up i will let you know…….

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It’s a Crazy, Crazy world….

July 25th, 2009

I had a bit of a problem running Google Earth (v 5.0.11729.1014) on my laptop (Compaq nc2400 with Ubuntu 8.?)
I know this laptop can take it – once upon a time it had Vista Business (feel free to groan away Stuart) running on it and Google Earth worked well.

Google earth Opens ok with no errors or anything but it looks like this – and was very stutterey when zooming.

Broken Google Earth

With the help of Google i found out that un-ticking the “Atmosphere” option under the View menu made the zoom a lot smoother but I was still left with a hollow looking image….

Compiz seemed to work OK so i figured the issue was more to do with OpenGL then with graphics drivers. I did have a look around for other drivers for the Intel Mobile 945GM G_card thats in my laptop (found what G_card i had with this BTW). I had a stab at installing them and did not get far…

I was running Ubuntu 8 and V 9.04 was now available so i upgraded and now Google Earth looks like this -

Happy Google Earth

Ok so I’m none the wiser at to what the original issue was but with Jaunty Google Earth is a happier place.

It’s not a perfect world though – when ever i open a menu or switch to another window in the same work space Google Earth does “battle” a bit with it resulting in gray squares and the outlines of continents ect overlying the other program I’m tyring to look at.

How ever if I open Google earth in it’s own workspace/cube side its okish. Opening and closing a menu within Google Earth results in flash of my desktop Image, a flash of gray then back to the Earth Image… I suspect this is the combination of Google Earth and Compiz on a, slightly puney, laptop graphics card. I can live with it as the rest of Google Earth seems to work ok.

Update – Google earth’s basic bits work ok how ever the extra info bits do not display properly. Having had a prod about on Google it looks like Compiz and any OpenGL based program, Google Earth being one, don’t work well together…..

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