More details on this: https://ebooks.stackexchange.com/questions/1220/read-kindle-books-without-kindle-or-kindle-app

You are absolutely correct. Couldn't agree more.

As OBloodyHell commented:

"Can I use these "alternatives" to READ BOOKS DOWNLOADED VIA KINDLE?

No?

Then they are not alternatives to kindle!! >:-/

At the very least, "reads kindle format naively" should be THE FIRST DETAIL SHOWN."

Very true.

If you can't read kindle books on it, then it is not an alternative to Kindle, is it? Others have suggested not buying books from Amazon to read on Amazon Kindle. What about all of the books you have already bought from Amazon that are now in your library on Kindle. How are you supposed to read those when Amazon has deemed your device incompatible (they recently made my android phone incompatible with their Kindle app. I have scores of books I've accumulated and now cannot access them without the Kindle app). Amazon are making an ever-increasing number of devices incompatible with Kindle (when you contact them to enquire or complain all they do is try to sell you one of their own devices - I don't think it's going to be long before Kindle books can only be accessed by Amazon Kindle devices).

I was hoping to find an alternative to Kindle on this misleading 'Alternative To' site, but it did not offer a single suggestion. The page should have been called 'List Of 'Ebook Readers'. To call it 'Alternatives To Kindle' was a misleading and untrue title.

The Kindle reads files exclusive to the Kindle as well as other files with epub and PDF. So it is not just for exclusive files it is a complete ebook reader so the alternatives are still valid and the specificity of the program or a contract made between you and the person responsible for the file has nothing to do with the program.