Because there is a difference between the program and your e-books. Certainly, the program might have something built in to phone home and force an update and then not continue working if has not been updated. But, your e-books are still on your computer and can be read by other programs.
I feel bad sidetracking this discussion.
I got a Kindle Touch for Christmas and I am shocked by how much I use it and how much I like it. I fully expected not to be able to find books to read on it. But, my library has a ton of Kindle books available. And, I love being able to search for a character to remind myself of who he is, or being able to just tap on a word and get a definition. I do miss a couple of things. I miss being able to easily page through the book to find specific sections. this is not as easy to do with the Kindle. And, it’s even more difficult with books that don’t have chapter marks set in. I also miss picking up paperbacks from the thrift store and not caring whether or not I left them on the train or the beach or wherever I was reading.
Turning off the program doesn’t mean turning off the books. The books can be read using dozens of other programs.
Except that’s completely wrong. You own the file and you don’t need the “Kindle” tool to read it. There are many available readers. In addition, should feel the desire to do so, you can convert your existing files to meet your needs. Calibre, which I believe was already mentioned, can convert between mobi format, and any other format your heart should desire, including PDF and plain text.
IIUC, Calibre can only convert your files if they do not have DRM (and, some e-books that Amazon sells do, some don’t), and it cannot by itself strip the DRM. From upthread:
On the contrary, I think your post is back on the OP’s track…
I’ve also been surprised at how much more reading since I bought one - not an uncommon experience at all, I think.
It’s bizarre you’re saying this when you’re the person who first posted how Amazon can delete books.
And you were right. Amazon has deleted books. Maybe they had a good reason. But obviously they have the capacity to do it, for good or bad reasons, when they choose to do it.
I have to admit I can’t understand how somebody can say something like this:
I have the opposite view. I think it’s possible Amazon might delete my e-books. I base this on the fact that they’ve done it in the past.
Amazon has the ability to delete books off of Kindle devices if the Kindles are connected to the internet. Amazon has done an ill advised mass deletion in an instance when a bookseller was selling copies of a book that they did not have the right to sell. Amazon refunded the money, and deleted the book from all user’s Kindles. After the backlash Amazon announced they would handle things differently if it ever happened again.
If users who bought that illicit copy of 1984 had saved the e-book to their computer, they would still have a copy.
Amazon does not have the ability to delete files off of your computer. They do have a method in which they can delete files off of your Kindle. (I believe this method is also used when library books are past their due date.)
When I mentioned that Amazon had deleted a book I was referencing what they did to user’s kindles. In the post you quoted I was specifically referencing what Amazon can do to their user’s computers.
Sorry Thudlow Boink. You are correct. I should have made that clear. You can use Calibre (plus the approriate plugins) to strip DRM. But, not Calibre by itself.
I am totally with the OP. I love my Kindle so much! When they first came out, I knew I would love it, but the reality of it is so much better than I even imagined it would be, that I just can’t get over it. It’s like my “Jetson’s moment” to coin a phrase.
That reminds me. When the Kindle first came out I thought that it looked awesome, and was mostly well reviewed, but I thought it needed to be under 100 bucks for me to even look at it. So, now it is finally down to a level that I was comfortable of thinking about getting it for myself, or even asking for it as a gift.
I have the opposite view. I think it’s possible Amazon might delete my e-books. I base this on the fact that they’ve done it in the past.
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I say it because, even though that previous incident demonstrates that Amazon has the capability to delete a book off my Kindle, it also demonstrates that they do not have the ability to do so without raising a huge amount of protest and bad publicity.
Plus, as pricciar noted, they’ve announced they’re not going to handle things that way again.
If I spent my life worrying about everything that people have the capability to do, regardless of motive or repercussions, I’d walk around worried that everyone I meet was going to kick me really hard in the balls.
I agree with that. I’m not going to suspect everyone of planning to kick me in the balls. But if one particular guy kicks me in the balls a couple of times, I’m not going to keep putting my balls back in range of him.
I got a Kindle Fire unexpectedly for Xmas, and I like it a lot. I had always been interested in getting an e-book reader, but I never felt compelled to go get one. Now that I’m over the threshold, I’ll never be without one. I’m so used to it now that when I checked out a dead tree book from the library a couple of weeks ago, I was quite dismayed when I couldn’t put my finger on a word and instantly look it up in the dictionary.
That’s what I was going to say. I don’t always want people to know what I’m reading. I can’t be going around in public reading what looks like a romance novel (they WEREN’T romance novels, but I’ve read a couple books where the title or cover looked like it was).
But it’s just a onetime installation of the Calibre plugin, and then it does it automatically. If Amazon for some wacky reason decided to disable all Kindle software, then a person who hadn’t bothered to convert their Kindle books so far could do it at that point. Sure it would be a pain, but since it’s just a backup plan for something that isn’t going to happen anyway, it’s really not a big deal.
And if it was just one book again, then so what? I wish I’d purchased 1984 so I could have gotten a refund plus an Amazon gift certificate plus the right to be all indignant.
No, you’re back on track.
People, we’ve explained it to Little Nemo. It’s not like we get $5 every time we get a new convert to the Kindle or something. Just leave him be; it’s no skin off my back if he doesn’t adopt. 
My daughter is growing up carrying her Kindle with her virtually everywhere. I suspect her generation will find “real” books quaint.
Hey Kindle Lovers! I will immodestly point you to this thread I started a few weeks back that never really took off, due in part to my own negligence. (Thank you, though to everyone who participated, including the OP of this thread!)
Help bring your - and my - favorite books to Kindle
And yes, I can say without guilt that I, too, prefer reading on my Kindle. 
So, I realize this is kind of off topic and potentially a really stupid question but I thought you ereader lovers might be able to help me out and hey…what’s one more hijack, right? 
Anyway, I had been reading on the iPad and alternated between the iBooks and Kindle apps. Now I have a Nook and vastly prefer reading on it to reading on the iPad. How do I get my books from iBooks and the Kindle app onto my Nook? It’s not that I can’t go back to the iPad to read them but I’d prefer to have them all on my Nook if possible.
yellowval, you can convert the files with Calibre, which is a free program you can download. If the books have DRM then you’ll need to strip it, which requires a Calibre plugin. I can give you a link to the plugin and instructions on how to install it, but I don’t know if I’m allowed to do it here so PM me if you want it.
Thanks! Will PM you.