Adobe Digital Editions 3.0 released

[eschwartz]

Originally Posted by Katsunami

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.

By "MUST be able to be read offline" I mean in terms of what the consumer will accept. I don't think people will accept the need for a connection every time you start reading any more than a connection the WHOLE time. Either way, it will cause an unpleasant experience that will immediately turn off readers.

[Katsunami]

I know, but the music and gaming industries have been known to make the mistake of greatly annoying paying customers, trying to curb piracy, while the pirates themselves didn't have any of the problems the customers faced. It actually made the pirated copy BETTER than the original one.

I could see the book industry blundering into the same trap.

[CRussel]

Alf works with current ePubs downloaded to ADE3.0 that is authorized on this machine to my email address. So whatever Adobe has done isn't a problem yet.

[AnemicOak]

Originally Posted by CRussel

So whatever Adobe has done isn't a problem yet.

Probably wouldn't be until Content Server 5 use becomes wide spread on the back end (maybe not even then).

[Darqref]

Originally Posted by AnemicOak

Probably wouldn't be until Content Server 5 use becomes wide spread on the back end (maybe not even then).

I use readers that are *capable* of using an epub, but I don't use them that way - my collection moved from Rocket format to Mobi format, and I've never bothered to try epubs, for one very personal reason:

*** I consider ADE to be a virus. I don't allow it to be installed on any of my systems. This new release has done nothing to change that opinion.****

I suppose I could download the epub versions from Baen or Smashwords, but the mobi versions have served me well, and I'd still need to deal with Amazon anyway (even if only for library checkouts).

[EowynCarter]

Originally Posted by Katsunami

Also, from the blog link:



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.

Nope, e-books reader will have to be update to use the new drm scheme.
And, hopefully, that will cause said drm scheme to make a flop.

Oh dear, that's going to be trouble !

[Kumabjorn]

Originally Posted by CRussel

Alf works with current ePubs downloaded to ADE3.0 that is authorized on this machine to my email address. So whatever Adobe has done isn't a problem yet.

Wouldn't it depend onwhether the book has the new encryption incorporated? If it doesn't I would assume ADE 3 will revert back to using ADE 2 algorithms. I could be on thin ice though.

[Sweetpea]

Originally Posted by Katsunami

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.

If that's the case, a lot of people won't be able to read their (new?) books anymore, because either their device isn't internet enabled or they're not connected to the internet due to lack of a dataplan and/or wifi availability...

[EowynCarter]

Originally Posted by Sweetpea

If that's the case, a lot of people won't be able to read their (new?) books anymore, because either their device isn't internet enabled or they're not connected to the internet due to lack of a dataplan and/or wifi availability...

Yup, would piss up customers too much for that to happen.

I read in métro where there is no network...

[Kumabjorn]

Originally Posted by EowynCarter

Yup, would piss up customers too much for that to happen.

I read in métro where there is no network...

You need to write your mayor. Cities like Hong Kong, Tokyo, Osaka, Fukuoka, Seoul, Pusan, and New York City have implemented WiFi in their subways.

[CRussel]

Originally Posted by Kumabjorn

You need to write your mayor. Cities like Hong Kong, Tokyo, Osaka, Fukuoka, Seoul, Pusan, and New York City have implemented WiFi in their subways.

No, he needs to use a reader and format that doesn't require full time connectivity. If the new Adobe scheme is dependent on always being connected, then it will fail. Full stop.

Users will find alternatives that don't require connectivity. If for no other reason than battery life. (And there are at least a half dozen other reasons.)

[tomsem]

What a baffling release. 'More secure DRM' is the first feature mentioned, no mention of ePub3 (though vertical text is part of that), and who cares what compiler they used for Mac OS?

As for adopting the new DRM scheme, who is going to blink first? Are publishers in a position to insist that vendors use it? If not, why would any vendor adopt it, when all it can do is diminish the number of devices that can consume the content and cause customer support issues? And it is difficult to envision that the 'more secure' DRM will be any more convenient for end users.

Amazon has to be ROTFL-ing.

[DiapDealer]

Originally Posted by tomsem

Amazon has to be ROTFL-ing.

And working to increase capacity.

[AnemicOak]

Originally Posted by tomsem

As for adopting the new DRM scheme, who is going to blink first? Are publishers in a position to insist that vendors use it? If not, why would any vendor adopt it, when all it can do is diminish the number of devices that can consume the content and cause customer support issues?

When they got rid of Content Server 3 DRM and moved to CS4 they didn't give anyone a choice. They stopped supporting CS3 and you had to "upgrade" to CS4. For consumers you had a 9 month period where you could convert the books you had to the new DRM or you were out of luck (unless you still have an activated copy of Acrobat 6 or 7 that the books were encrypted to). Whether they could still pull that, or would even try, in a much expanded market (with way more books in consumer hands) or not it's hard to say. I wouldn't think so, but Adobe can be pretty arrogant.

[pdurrant]

Originally Posted by AnemicOak

When they got rid of Content Server 3 DRM and moved to CS4 they didn't give anyone a choice. They stopped supporting CS3 and you had to "upgrade" to CS4.

A very good point. I can't see any attempt to get consumers to 'update' all their purchased ePubs to CS5 and a new DRM scheme working.