Quote:
Originally Posted by MrPLD
Are you referring to recording to tape? Because CD-burners didn't really become mainstream until the mid-late 90's, especially not to consumers.
As for sharing across the net, it wasn't until the late 90's that mp3's became a viable option
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Yes the late 1990s experience is exactly what I was referring to. Making and sharing copies of favourites tunes and whole albums was trivially easy using everyday computers. This is not true of ebooks.
Quote:
Originally Posted by MrPLD
I think the level where people get upset is when they can't even make a backup for their own purposes or transpose the media to another device..
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But almost everyone who
buys ebooks is on a Windows or Mac computer and these are well served by Adobe ADE ePub where buyers are free to make archival backups and turn on and off access to up to six different devices. DRM doesn't get in the way in normal use. Vendors typically also allow for "permanent" storage of purchased content (assuming the vendor stays in business). But your archival copies are still safe so long as Adobe doesn't disappear.
And if you puchase from Amazon -- which has a large portion of the English-speaking sales -- you don't need a computer and again can authorize up to six devices. Again, Amazon backs up your content but so can you if you want to.
DVDs and Blu-ray also use DRM to prevent rampant unauthorised copying by the general consumer. There are few complaints about that because it also doesn't get in the way of normal usage.
Quote:
Originally Posted by TheJohnNewton
Really? You've never heard anyone ask "will that ebook work on my device?" You've never heard anyone ask "Can I use library books on my Kindle?" You've never heard anyone ask "How can I load all the ebooks I purchased in the past on my new device?" Only for them to be told, no sorry, DRM prevents that.
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That's not the point. The point is how does DRM affect the products I am buying? If I buy a Kindle, and I can't borrow library books, it's because I don't have a library book player -- that's not a flaw in DRM. I need to obtain the right tool for the job -- an Adobe ADE equipped reader.
And given more book stores are turning into "platforms" -- Kindle and Kobo being the most aggressive -- yes, well, you probably CAN play that ebook in a multitude of devices: Windows PC, Mac, Blackberry, iPhone, iPtouch, iPad, Android phone, Android tablet ... and e-reader capable of Kindle or Adobe ADE ePub.
Again -- for the mainstream user, DRM does not get in the way. If it truly did, e-books would not be growing in popularity as they have in the past 18 months. There's your survey data.