Thread: DRMed textbooks
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Old 01-06-2011, 03:33 PM   #29
MrsJoseph
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Quote:
Originally Posted by bhartman36 View Post
Like I said, $140 for a textbook (especially a rental) is ridiculous. The path of least resistance would be a library copy of the book, or to share the cost among several students and have study buddies, if you had to (as in, if I don't have it, I'll fail) have the book. As I said in another post, though, I don't think all textbooks are absolutely necessary to have. The point of a class is to learn the material being taught, not to memorize the textbook.
The purpose of the class is not to memorize the textbook, but I have had many lazy teachers. They did things like assign page numbers (not chapters, which would be easier), skipping around from here to there. The requirement for a book will be determined by the teacher and the subject, not by what we think is necessary.

Quote:
Originally Posted by bhartman36 View Post
My college days are far behind me, but I seem to recall assigned readings being available at the library, also, so that might be an option. Or just use an older (used) version of the textbook. Sure, it'll be in paper, rather than electronic, but for the price difference, I'd be all over that.
I agree that I would use pirate sites as a last resort (no print versions available, no library copies), but if the only option is a $140 ebook rental (I am assuming that the DRM on the rental would not allow prints, since if it did some enterprising young student would have great racket going on), then that is what would happen.
Quote:
Originally Posted by bhartman36 View Post
Again, my point isn't to say that $140 for a rental ebook is justified. It's just to say that theft isn't a justifiable response.

And in fact, one of the suggestions I made to the person whose book I found online was to go to the publisher and ask them to lower the price of the book. A lower-priced book is less likely to be stolen. The author agreed with me, but doubted his power to get the publisher to move the price.
Never will I claim that theft is a justifiable response, but don’t you think that a $140 RENTAL for an ebook should fall under “theft” as well?
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