Troubleshooting Problems with Browser Download - how to report to Amazon ?

[Little.Egret]

Problems with Browser Download - how to report ?

I have just posted the below to Amazon.co.uk Kindle Forum and copy it here hoping someone has ideas or experience in getting a reply from Amazon about software matters.

The browser on my Kindle 3, software 3.0.2 can download mobi, txt but complains and refuses to download /some/ PRCs, with the usual error message saying that only AZW, MOBI, PRC and TXT are acceptable.

Try

http://www.webscription.net/pc-587-1...-daughter.aspx

mobi from the same site has no problem, PRC from other sites has no problem

Download to a PC shows no problem and I copied using the USB connection.
--

I emailed this as a problem report to
Kindle UK Support <kindle-support-uk@amazon.co.uk>

and got a reply that seemed to have been generated by an artificial non-intelligence scanner which didn't even pick up on the keywords
"browser"
"download"
"error message"

It also gave me a -- Did I solve your problem?

If no please click here which took a comment and advised me to ring up to get an answer.

So I had had 11 minutes on the phone when the lines reopened with a very pleasant Amazon rep who knew little about browser downloading but could, IIRC see my email

Her advice was to post to a forum

http://www.amazon.co.uk/tag/kindle/forum

--

Ideas ?

[kindlekitten]

really? she didn't escalate you to someone else?

oh wait! you need to communicate with the kindle folks. go to the manage your kindle page on your Amazon account and look for the help procedures. if that doesn't get you anywhere let us know

[DiapDealer]

It's not Amazon's issue to fix.

Webscription.net needs to properly configure a mimetype on their webserver that tells the Kindle's browser that a .prc file is a mobipocket book.

They obviously have it configured properly for .mobi files... but left out files with the .prc extension -- or they use that extension for a different mimetype entirely.

You need to contact Webscriptions and let them know about this issue.

[Little.Egret]

Originally Posted by DiapDealer

It's not Amazon's issue to fix.

Webscription.net needs to properly configure a mimetype on their webserver that tells the Kindle's browser that a .prc file is a mobipocket book.

They obviously have it configured properly for .mobi files... but left out files with the .prc extension -- or they use that extension for a different mimetype entirely.

You need to contact Webscriptions and let them know about this issue.

Thanks for your response

I don't understand your answer at all so fat chance of my getting webscriptions to change.

I thought that MIME was something to do with email ?

On a download all the server needs to do is specify the file extension surely so they don't have to say that prc is mobi any more than it has to say that RTF is Word ? The Kindle browser has a little list that includes PRC and TXT so its their problem surely ?

To be clear, I am not clicking "Email book to my Kindle" but rather
on Mobi/Palm/Kindle Format under Download Unzipped Files.

http://www.webscription.net/p-355-th...-damascus.aspx

is a free book in .mobi if anyone wants to try it and report.

Or go to http://www.webscription.net and click on Elizabeth Moon (for Sheepfarmers Daughter PRC) or Linda Evans (the-road-to-damascus MOBI)


Thanks again

[DiapDealer]

OK, I'll try again:

If your Kindle is able to download .mobi files from MOST websites and is able to download .prc files from OTHER websites, but not THIS one... where does that indicate that the problem lies?

On a download all the server needs to do is specify the file extension surely so they don't have to say that prc is mobi any more than it has to say that RTF is Word ? The Kindle browser has a little list that includes PRC and TXT so its their problem surely ?

In short, you've over-simplified what goes on between a web-server and the Kindle's browser. I repeat... it's not Amazon's problem.

I may not be able to properly describe the problem (or the solution) in layman's terms, (and I realize that you have no reason to take my word for it) but I assure you... I know of which I speak.

[TheKindleWorm]

Originally Posted by Little.Egret

To be clear, I am not clicking "Email book to my Kindle" but rather
on Mobi/Palm/Kindle Format under Download Unzipped Files.

http://www.webscription.net/p-355-th...-damascus.aspx

is a free book in .mobi if anyone wants to try it and report.

Or go to http://www.webscription.net and click on Elizabeth Moon (for Sheepfarmers Daughter PRC) or Linda Evans (the-road-to-damascus MOBI)

Sorry I cannot test anything for you as I'm in bed, should be asleep but browsing on my iPhone.

I just wanted you to know that the Elizabeth moon book from this site works perfectly by emailing to your kindle as I downloaded this maybe a month ago no problems. I know you said you weren't emailing but is that an option? Or is there a reason why you can't just email the file to your Kindle?

Anyway I hope you get it sorted.

[Little.Egret]

Originally Posted by TheKindleWorm

[...]

I just wanted you to know that the Elizabeth moon book from this site works perfectly by emailing to your kindle as I downloaded this maybe a month ago no problems. I know you said you weren't emailing but is that an option? Or is there a reason why you can't just email the file to your Kindle?

Thanks

Yes I know there are three (3) ways of getting content to a kindle so when the "download from the Kindle browser" didn't work I downloaded to a library PC and transferred the PRC book over USB.

I have tried out the email route to check that it works but see no reason to pay 20 pence except in special circumstances.

Yes the books themselves are fine once I got them on to the Kindle, but

(a) I wanted to know what the problem was

(b) I wanted advice on how to get Amazon to actually read a support query. rather than spitting out a canned set of suggestions from the User Guide.

all the best

[Little.Egret]

Originally Posted by DiapDealer

OK, I'll try again:

In short, you've over-simplified what goes on between a web-server and the Kindle's browser. I repeat... it's not Amazon's problem.

I may not be able to properly describe the problem (or the solution) in layman's terms, (and I realize that you have no reason to take my word for it) but I assure you... I know of which I speak.

Thanks, with those clues I googled

[mime-type mobi content-type]


And got two threads here

https://www.mobileread.com/forums/showthread.php?t=99550
"You need to define the MIME type on your web server. Either of these should work for Kindle books:

application/x-mobipocket-ebook
application/octet-stream "

and the later

https://www.mobileread.com/forums/sho...d.php?t=106543

And also a Kindle 3 review which covered the topic

http://www.ebookworm.us/2011/01/03/m...le-by-kindles/

Is there any browser or other method of tracing to find out what the content headers being used are ?

I would say that if Kindle's browser won't accept application/octet-stream or
application/palm then there is a case that it's being too picky.

Thanks

[DiapDealer]

Is there any browser or other method of tracing to find out what the content headers being used are ?

I just use python's urllib2. The prc ebook from the website you were trying to get is being incorrectly delivered with a Content-Type of application/x-pilot-prc:

>>> remotefile = urllib2.urlopen('http://www.webscription.net/SendFile.aspx?SKU=
0671654160&ProductID=587&format=P')
>>> print remotefile.info()
Content-Length: 745585
Content-Type: application/x-pilot-prc
Content-Location: http://www.webscription.net/10.1125/Baen/0671654160/Sheepfarme
rs_Daughter.prc
Last-Modified: Sat, 04 Nov 2006 16:27:24 GMT
Accept-Ranges: bytes
ETag: "07ee71b2e0c71:4b82"
Server: Microsoft-IIS/6.0
X-Powered-By: ASP.NET
Date: Fri, 07 Jan 2011 21:19:56 GMT
Connection: close

The other .mobi you specified is being served with the correct Content-type of application/x-mobipocket-ebook

>>> remotefile = urllib2.urlopen('http://www.webscription.net/SendFile.aspx?SKU=
0743471873&ProductID=355&format=P')
>>> print remotefile.info()
Content-Length: 1085372
Content-Type: application/x-mobipocket-ebook
Content-Location: http://www.webscription.net/10.1125/Baen/0743471873/The_Road_t
o_Damascus.mobi
Last-Modified: Mon, 30 Jun 2008 14:14:16 GMT
Accept-Ranges: bytes
ETag: "06c3094bbdac81:4b82"
Server: Microsoft-IIS/6.0
X-Powered-By: ASP.NET
Date: Fri, 07 Jan 2011 21:23:49 GMT
Connection: close

I would say that if Kindle's browser won't accept application/octet-stream or application/palm then there is a case that it's being too picky.

In the case of not accepting application/palm, you may be right about it being a little picky. But, just how many incorrect webserver configurations is Amazon supposed to account for?

As for accepting files that are labeled as application/octet-stream... that would be the height of foolishness. Content-type application/octet-stream is generally reserved for files that have no known program association. Why would Amazon allow that?

[Little.Egret]

Originally Posted by DiapDealer

I just use python's urllib2. The prc ebook from the website you were trying to get is being incorrectly delivered with a Content-Type of application/x-pilot-prc:
[...]
http://www.webscription.net/10.1125/...160/Sheepfarme
rs_Daughter.prc
Last-Modified: Sat, 04 Nov 2006 16:27:24 GMT
[...]
[/CODE]

The other .mobi you specified is being served with the correct Content-type of application/x-mobipocket-ebook
[...]
In the case of not accepting application/palm, you may be right about it being a little picky. But, just how many incorrect webserver configurations is Amazon supposed to account for?

As for accepting files that are labeled as application/octet-stream... that would be the height of foolishness. Content-type application/octet-stream is generally reserved for files that have no known program association. Why would Amazon allow that?

Thansk for the information, that's just what was needed,

Err 'pilot' in application/x-pilot-prc IS the Palm Pilot though I expect all the Kindle designers were still in kindergarten in the 1990's.

(Webscriptions/ Baen have been selling ebooks since 1999).

I take it the application/x-* thingies are not officially registered ?
http://www.iana.org/assignments/medi...s/application/

accepting what a browser would accept and checking for a .prc extension would work.

[DMSmillie]

Originally Posted by Little.Egret

I have tried out the email route to check that it works but see no reason to pay 20 pence except in special circumstances.

You only get charged for email delivery to your Kindle if it's delivered via 3G. If you email a file to [your kindle address]@free.kindle.com, it will only be delivered to your Kindle via WiFi, which is free, and you'll also receive an email at your own email address (the one you have registered with Amazon) giving you a link to download the converted file to your PC (from where you can then side load it onto your Kindle via USB) - again, no charge.

[DiapDealer]

Originally Posted by Little.Egret

Err 'pilot' in application/x-pilot-prc IS the Palm Pilot though I expect all the Kindle designers were still in kindergarten in the 1990's.

(Webscriptions/ Baen have been selling ebooks since 1999).

The "which came first" argument is not relevant here... if it were, I would just point out that I was managing webservers before Baen, Kindle, or Palm existed.

If Baen wants people to be able to download prc's directly to the Kindle via the Kindle's browser, they need to change the Content-Type on their server to 'application/x-mobipocket-ebook' for files with the extensions .mobi or .prc. That's the solution.

Since you remain convinced that this is something that Amazon should fix, I wish you luck with a solution and gracefully withdraw from the discussion.

[Little.Egret]

Wheeeeeee !

Webscriptions support made the changes to the IIS tables and I was able to do successful PRC downloads using the Kindle browser
half an hour since, that's _1632_ and _The Notebooks of Lazarus Long_

http://www.webscription.net/ps-379-40-1632.aspx

A big Thank-You to Becky of principledtechnologies.com (Webscriptions support) and to everyone in this thread who helped identify the problem and its solution.

[Andyjenk]

I second that. Becky listened and acted. Instead of wasting time arguing about who's fault it was (arguably either and could have been fixed by either) she fixed the problem - and in record time!

[DiapDealer]

Instead of wasting time arguing about who's fault it was (arguably either and could have been fixed by either) she fixed the problem - and in record time!

Hmmm change a webserver setting or push new firmware updates out to a million Kindles.
Darned if I know which one makes more sense.

Still, I'm glad that you took the issue to the correct people and found a solution for your troubles.