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Old 01-18-2013, 06:52 PM   #19
JSWolf
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Posts: 73,654
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Join Date: Nov 2006
Location: Roslindale, Massachusetts
Device: Kobo Libra 2, Kobo Aura H2O, PRS-650, PRS-T1, nook STR, PW3
Quote:
Originally Posted by BelleZora View Post
Rationalize piracy as you will, the blame rests strictly with the pirates. Theft is theft, even accompanied by a victim mentality. I dislike DRM as much as anyone and balk at paying some especially high prices. However, I have the option of resorting to the library or buying a used print book or even making choices about what to read or not based upon the current irritant.
Do you remember back in the days when computer software was so laden with DRM that you blinked wrong and it would not work? Because of this, it was much more convenient to get the cracked versions from the net then to to buy it. Lotus 1-2-3 was notorious for their floppy disk based DRM that caused untold loss of the use of the software that was paid for. And you had to buy it again to get it back.

There there was the DRM based on a defect on the CD or DVD and that meant that if your optical drive could not properly read the defect or the disc became lost or damaged, say goodbye to playing the game.

Right now we have issues that we should not have. Let's say Amazon has a sale on some eBooks and you own a Sony, nook, or Kobo. If these eBooks have DRM, most people won't be able to do a think to get them moved over.

Now let's say you have a Kindle. BooksOnBoard recently had a sale on Simon & Shuster titles (sale is over now). But because you have a Kindle, touch luck. They have DRM. So you have to pay a higher price because you don't have an ADE based reader.

Go onto S&S's website and you can usually see the pBook version discounted and the final price being less then the price for the eBook.

Let's say you have a Kindle and want the latest Sony. So you gave your Kindle to someone and bought the Sony. Wait, you've lost access to all of your DRM laden eBooks. Now if someone with a Kobo got fed up with all the firmware bugs and wanted to move to a Kindle. Same issue, DRM eBooks are gone.

This is why people turn to the net to try to find the eBooks. They can get the help they need getting them in the format they need without the issue of DRM getting in the way. It's just easier in a lot of cases then it is to try to jump though the hoops the publishes are making customer jump through and the hoops keep getting smaller each time they make a change that "good for the customer" and we have a harder time fitting through the hoops.

The publishers don't get it that reasonable prices and no DRM are the key to success. We used to have BAEN as the one we could point to for a business model that was very good. Well, it's not very good now. It sucks in fact. The changes they've made are no good for the customer. They've raised prices. They've made monthly bundles available for a very short period of time. They've removed a lot of eBooks from the free library. basically, they are losing what made them different.

None of this is good for the consumer.

Last edited by JSWolf; 01-18-2013 at 07:11 PM.
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