Adobe Digital Editions 3.0 released

[doubleshuffle]

.....

[6charlong]

I was thinking about getting this going on all the different hardware out there, and the cost to manufacturers to update all of the millions of eReaders running Adobe Mobile Reader. (Presumably Adobe will give them free upgrades to the licenses they already bought and provide the programming to make it work on all those various products.)

This thread reminds me of the 80s when you had to keep track of which version of MSDOS you were using and what brand of computer and which processor and what version of each program you need, because few worked with others. Those were not good problems. I can't believe the publishers or the hardware makers would go along with this scheme.

(Look what happened to me for being off the Forum for 2 weeks!)

[bgalbrecht]

Originally Posted by 6charlong

I was thinking about getting this going on all the different hardware out there, and the cost to manufacturers to update all of the millions of eReaders running Adobe Mobile Reader. (Presumably Adobe will give them free upgrades to the licenses they already bought and provide the programming to make it work on all those various products.)

I've been wondering about that. Maybe ADE 3.0 supports conversion of the new improved DRM when transferring ebooks to older eReaders, although I would think that somewhat defeats the purpose of the new DRM.

[TheSFReader]

Originally Posted by bgalbrecht

I've been wondering about that. Maybe ADE 3.0 supports conversion of the new improved DRM when transferring ebooks to older eReaders, although I would think that somewhat defeats the purpose of the new DRM.

Via Hadrien Gardeur (feedbooks/OPDS/IDPF), found out these slides which seem to indicate that starting from July, "Hardened DRM" will be served, regardless of the receiving hardware/software platform.

Adobe is killing its ecosystem of apps/devices in July.

There’s no way all RMSDK-based apps/devices will be updated by July, this is the most stupid business decision that I’ve ever seen.

Most likely, non-updated e-readers will be left in the sand.

And I understand that publishers and distributors don't have a say in the transition, and only minimal warning...

[doubleshuffle]

Wow. Just wow. And that slide says that from March already we'll get hardened DRM from Content Server 4 as well, so it could be much earlier than July...

[TheSFReader]

Originally Posted by doubleshuffle

Wow. Just wow. And that slide says that from March already we'll get hardened DRM from Content Server 4 as well, so it could be much earlier than July...

Yep, but only if you also have RMSDK 10. Nonetheless, I guess lots of readers will have troubles reading newly purchased ebooks soon... What a nightmare for the e-bookstores ahead.

With luck, this will have the effect of at last creating a real rejection from the public WRT DRMs

[doubleshuffle]

But if I understand it correctly, ADE 3.0 implies RMSDK 10, so from March 1st, unsuspecting customers who have upgraded their ADE won't be able to read their books on their RMSDK 9 readers. Fun times ahead.

(There are some interesting slides going back a bit from the time stamp you posted.)

[TheSFReader]

Yes, I think so. And with the critical vulnerability recently disclosed on ADE 2.x, e-bookstores are more or less forced to advise an upgrade to ADE 3.0 --> RMSDK10 ...

[Lynx-lynx]

Pardon my confusion but which of the common brands of ereaders will require upgrades to handle the new DRM?

For example which Kobo or Sony ereaders would require a firmware upgrade?

[doubleshuffle]

Originally Posted by Lynx-lynx

Pardon my confusion but which of the common brands of ereaders will require upgrades to handle the new DRM?

For example which Kobo or Sony ereaders would require a firmware upgrade?

My guess is: All of them. At least for Kobo, the last firmware update was before they rolled out ADE 3.0, so I guess it's still RMSDK 9.

[Lynx-lynx]

Okay, I freely admit my ignorance - but as Kobo don't directly download DRM books onto their ereaders, rather one uses ADE and then sideload so why will Kobo need to upgrade their ereaders?

[TheSFReader]

I think all of them for "full functionality".

Kobo will perhaps have less problems since (IIRC) the rendering package for kepub doesn't use RMSDK, but for sideloaded "full epub" ebooks it uses it.

But I think all of the others (that I know) use RMSDK for all the reading.
For Sony, who doesn't regularly update its firmware, it could be quite problematic.

[Rev. Bob]

Originally Posted by doubleshuffle

My guess is: All of them. At least for Kobo, the last firmware update was before they rolled out ADE 3.0, so I guess it's still RMSDK 9.

That's my take as well. No firmware that was in circulation before ADE3's release can possibly include support for it, unless the manufacturers got a stealth early release or something.

[Rev. Bob]

Originally Posted by Lynx-lynx

Okay, I freely admit my ignorance - but as Kobo don't directly download DRM books onto their ereaders, rather one uses ADE and then sideload so why will Kobo need to upgrade their ereaders?

Correction: one CAN sideload, but one is EXPECTED to buy books through the Kobo store and get 'em through a sync. Also, don't forget that the Kobo firmware does have a place for you to enter your Adobe ID, so there's at least some pathway where that info is required.

[Lynx-lynx]

So is the best way to proceed to not install ADE3 updates to the PC, downloading into ADE2 or earlier, and then importing into Calibre and sideloading epub books?