Adobe Digital Editions 3.0 released

[pdurrant]

Adobe have just released Adobe Digital Editions 3.0 with a new DRM scheme, although news of it seems confined to their US web site at present.

Thanks to Nate the Great at The Digital Reader for the heads-up.

UPDATE: What does this mean for me?

The new DRM encryption will only be used on ePubs downloaded for the first time with ADE 3.0. (The retailer's server needs updating too, but that's harder for an end user to tell.)

So to avoid the new DRM scheme, make sure that you only download any newly purchased ePubs with ADE 2.0 for now.

Eventually (possibly even as early as July 2014), Adobe might require the use of ADE 3.0 for new purchases. But until then, using ADE 2.0 is my advice.


ADE 3.0 New Features

More Secure DRM Scheme
Digital Rights Management scheme to protect ePub and PDF files from unauthorized viewing is now hardened and made more secure.

Enhanced Support for Vertical Layout
Adobe Digital Editions 3.0 provides enhanced support for vertical layout and orientation:

• Added support for the CSS property "epub-text-orientation"
• Supported values: mixed | upright | sideways-right | sideways (sideways-left and use-glyph-orientation are not supported).
• Proper alignment of special characters that act as both full width and half width.

Support for CSS 2.1 Text Properties
With the support for CSS 2.1 text properties, Adobe Digital Editions 3.0 can now render books that use CSS 2.1.

• Added support for CSS “position” property.
• Added support for CSS “Z-index” property.
• Added support for list-style-position value “inside”.
• Enhanced support for CSS Float property

PDF Search Improvements
With Adobe Digital Editions 3.0, PDF search has become better enabling you to search for text in a specific range.

Migration to the Latest Version of Compiler on Mac
Compiler on Mac is migrated from XCode 3.1 and Mac OS 10.5 SDK to the latest version XCode 5.0.x and Mac OS 10.7 SDK.

[pdurrant]

Moderator Notice

Please remember that detailed discussion of DRM-removal is not permitted at MobileRead

[Nate the great]

Oy! Credit?

http://www.the-digital-reader.com/20...s-new-epub-drm

I wouldn't worry too much about the possible compatibility issues. I don't expect very many ebookstores to upgrade - not if it meant losing customers.

[pdurrant]

Originally Posted by Nate the great

Oy! Credit?

Whoops! now added.

[Katsunami]

Originally Posted by Nate the great

Oy! Credit?

http://www.the-digital-reader.com/20...s-new-epub-drm

I wouldn't worry too much about the possible compatibility issues. I don't expect very many ebookstores to upgrade - not if it meant losing customers.

AFAIK, it seems ADE 1.x and 2.x use the same DRM-scheme. I've always been able to download any book I bought using ADE 1.x as well as ADE 2.x, as far as I've tested. Now ADE 3.0 has a new one. I wonder what happens:

ADE 2.x:
- always old scheme for all books.
OR:
- New scheme book: error, you must upgrade.

ADE 3.x:
- always new scheme for all books.
OR:
- use the old or new scheme depending on the book that's downloaded.

I'll stick to ADE 2.0 for the time being.

If needed, I'll switch to Amazon.com. In the end, de-DRM-ing is more important to me than acquiring an EPUB directly.

[latepaul]

I'm more concerned whether the release of a new version means they'll drop support for the older versions, particularly 1.7 because that's what I run under Wine on Linux and 2.0 doesn't run on Wine.

[Katsunami]

Also, from the blog link:

...and allowing app and device developers to integrate the new DRM.

What does this mean?

- Can a book still be downloaded using ADE 2.x to be transferred to an older readers?
- If not, and the book *REQUIRES* ADE 3.x, can it still be read on the older readers?

If a book protected by the new DRM scheme requires both ADE 3.x *and* a new (or updated) reader to be read, it's going to cause a lot of problems if many stores are going to use this new scheme.

[fjtorres]

Originally Posted by Katsunami

ADE 3.x:
- always new scheme for all books.
OR:
- use the old or new scheme depending on the book that's downloaded.

.

More likely:

OR:

- use the old or new scheme depending on the app or device it is intended for.

Encryption DRMs like ADEPT are wrappers added to the file.
(Which is why DRM removal is possible. The software captures the decryption key and extracts the interior file.)

The way it likely will work is that everybody will have to upgrade ADE for PC/Mac.
Most of the iOS/Android reading apps will over time update.
Reading devices may or not be upgraded.

[Katsunami]

Originally Posted by fjtorres

- use the old or new scheme depending on the app or device it is intended for.

That would mean that ADE needs to reencrypt the file for the device the file is uploaded to. That might take quite some time.

Still, ADE must be able to read the file, and therefore, be able to decrypt it. In the end, it will be possible to duplicate the steps ADE takes. I think that the strongest DRM would be that ADE requests information from Adobe's server, which stores all keys for all books you've bought, while not storing any keys on the system. In that case, another program has to fake being ADE itself.

Encryption DRMs like ADEPT are wrappers added to the file.
(Which is why DRM removal is possible. The software captures the decryption key and extracts the interior file.)

In the case of the current ADEPT DRM, yes. It seems the new version adds another dynamic obfustication layer that can change decription keys for every single book (does it mean that a new personal key is issued for each book, used once, and discarded?), which may make it harder to crack.

I hope "they" (Alf & dudes) are able to crack this one, because at the moment I buy a book I can't de-DRM, I'm going to ditch the store that has upgraded. I might actually ask questions before buying, and might not buy if the answer doesn't satifsy me.

(The question will be simple: "Do your books require ADE 3.x to be read, or not?")

I'd rather buy at Amazon and extract/convert an EPUB from the AZW3 than to have a DRM-ed book.

[eschwartz]

Originally Posted by Katsunami

Still, ADE must be able to read the file, and therefore, be able to decrypt it. In the end, it will be possible to duplicate the steps ADE takes. I think that the strongest DRM would be that ADE requests information from Adobe's server, which stores all keys for all books you've bought, while not storing any keys on the system. In that case, another program has to fake being ADE itself.

Wouldn't that mean you need to be connected to the server WHILE you read? I can't see that taking off.

Streaming the book will be massively unpleasant to the consumer, and provide no incentive to buy through that service. The book MUST be able to be read offline, which means a key MUST be saved on the system.

[fjtorres]

Originally Posted by Katsunami

That would mean that ADE needs to reencrypt the file for the device the file is uploaded to. That might take quite some time.

It is my understanding that ADE 2.x on PC has been doing just that for a while, to enable Nook ebooks to be downloaded to Adept devices.

[PurpleStar]

I sure hope it's better than ADE 2.0 I had to go back to the first one.

[Lynx-lynx]

I'm wondering about Sony Reader for PC's continued ability to accept DRM books. (Yep, I'm a dummy in this area) When or if ADE 3 becomes the norm I'm going to assume that Sony Reader will be upgraded by Sony and still be able to directly accept ADE DRM books.

Would that be a reasonable assumption?

I don't download any Epub, DRM or DRM free using ADE, I download them all including library epubs straight into Sony Reader for PC.

[Katsunami]

Originally Posted by eschwartz

Wouldn't that mean you need to be connected to the server WHILE you read? I can't see that taking off.

No; ADE can receive the key from the server, open the book, and delete the key. You will need to have an internet connection each time you re-open a book. This would be true for the e-reader as well, or ADE would need to put the key onto the device along with the book: and then it can be decripted.

It would probably be possible to "fake" a device using a program that offers up a folder on a virtual USB port or something, make ADE "upload" the book, and then it can be snagged off the "device" using the key uploaded by ADE.

Streaming the book will be massively unpleasant to the consumer, and provide no incentive to buy through that service. The book MUST be able to be read offline, which means a key MUST be saved on the system.

Yes, indeed; or Adobe would need to be willing to require an internet connection the moment the book opens. I still feel that we're heading that way, but it won't (probably) be implemented in this version of ADEPT.

[Katsunami]

Originally Posted by Lynx-lynx

I'm wondering about Sony Reader for PC's continued ability to accept DRM books. (Yep, I'm a dummy in this area) When or if ADE 3 becomes the norm I'm going to assume that Sony Reader will be upgraded by Sony and still be able to directly accept ADE DRM books.

Would that be a reasonable assumption?

If Sony wants to offer their own program to obtain books encrypted with this scheme, outside of ADE, then yes. They could also just abandon Sony Reader and point users to ADE 3.

Still, they'll need to upgrade the firmware of their devices so they can actually use that new DRM. If they don't, the readers will become useless for any book using the new DRM. (The same goes for any other EPUB-reader.) This is THE major pitfall of the new DRM scheme, and one reason why it might never catch on.