Mythusmage on DRM

[mythusmage]

My computer (iMac, OS 9.2) can't handle the latest version of Adobe Reader. The newest version it can handle can't handle DRM protected material. This all means I can't use anything provided by a certain online vendor who's intials are, DriveThruRPG.

I got this iMac thanks to a person I once knew who got lucky on the stock market, and subsequently rather generous. Sans such generosity in the future I'm pretty much stuck with this machine. A machine, by the way, so old OS X won't work on it. So if you really must insist that I upgrade to a new or newer machine, email me privately and we'll work out donation details. BTW, my experience with Windows is not good, so please don't ask that I switch to a DOS machine

Anyway...

I informed DTR about this. Their attitude was, "Then tell Adobe about the problem."

The impression I got was, "Since you can't afford the newest computing toys we don't want you as a customer."

Nothing about an alternative method of ensuring I, and only I, get the material purchased. This despite the fact other PDF vendors ([plug]RPGNow[/plug]) have managed quite well doing without DRM.

So DTR lost a customer, and from what I'm hearing on this board, I'm not the only one. If you are thinking of becoming an online PDF vendor I ask two things of you:

1. Do not use DRM to 'secure' your product.

2. If you must (for some dang reason) use DRM, have an alternative protection scheme ready for people like me.

(Nota Bene: If you must get snarky and all flamey about Mac vs. PC be aware that the admins can and will boot your buns faster than frat boys can scarf down pizza. Anything Mac or computer related you may have should go to my email (link below).)

Thank you for your time.

 

[madelf]

You aren't really missing that much.

I've downloaded several of the free pdfs and purchased one (Cthulu by Gaslight that I've been looking for a long time), and every single one of them has been screwed up.

The scanned stuff is barely readable and in several cases has the last sentence or two on the page cut off. Even the stuff that isn't scanned has had problems with image transparency, the white background area of an image (which shouldn't be visible) obscuring the text.

Especially for a company trying to pass themselves off as the big dogs in town, the quality control is pathetic. I'll keep downloading their free stuff, but I'll never buy anything again. At least for free, substandard product is worth what I paid for it.

 

[Dimwhit]

This problem isn't how you want the subject taken, but...

I've seen OSX run fine on first generation iMacs. Not spectacular, mind you, but just fine. I have a PowerBook G3/400 (yours might be a little slower) and it runs OSX fine. You might consider try to install it an seeing what happens? (Though you probably don't want to purchase OSX not knowing if you can get it to work.)

Just a thought. Otherwise, yeah, you're pretty hosed as far as DRM goes. I got a couple DRM pdfs. I liked them. Glad I bought them. But it's not the end of the world if you can't. RPGNow has plenty of good stuff.

 

[mythusmage]

This problem isn't how you want the subject taken, but...

Unfortunately, I couldn't even get the CD to boot. Nor could I select the CD using the Start-up panel. So I returned the software and considered the price part of the cost of experience. When I have the money (in the distant future) I'll get a new machine, with the lastest OS installed.

I've also heard things about DTR which makes me think Steven's new adventure may not be long for the world. Scan quality for one. Sounds like they're using low end scanners at low resolution. Really, even if the product is primarily for screen use one should go with a high resolution and a high end machine. This all goes to the subject of the dire lack of professionalism in this, the RPG business, which is really getting off-topic for this thread.

In any case, thanks for your advice. I hope somebody can make use of it.

 

[reanjr]

I informed DTR about this. Their attitude was, "Then tell Adobe about the problem."

The impression I got was, "Since you can't afford the newest computing toys we don't want you as a customer."

If you are a belligerent customer bitching and moaning that a particular company's business model isn't custom-tailored to your own needs, then I'd say most companies wouldn't want you as a customer.

On the other hand, if you think it through, they are offering a valuable service, and not a product at all. Do you really think White Wolf would release their products as non-DRM PDFs? No, they would not. DTRPG has enabled you to purchase electronic copies of material that otherwise would never be offered.

What are they supposed to do? White Wolf (or whoever) will not allow them to release in anything but DRMed. And PDF is the only suitable format available (for various technical and economic reasons that I will not go into). This is why Microsoft, Intel, AMD, Apple and other companies are pushing so hard to get DRM integrated into your machine. That will mean that a particular piece of software (in this case Acrobat) will not need to have its own DRM scheme as it currently does. The computer itself will offer the DRM and all applications will be able to take advantage of it. Until that time, you are stuck.

And releasing as non-DRM PDF is not a great idea. A quick search on Kazaa just brought me up several Malhavoc products free for the taking. Given a bit of time, I'm sure I could get the entire publisher's line of books. On the other hand, it is far more difficult to find the DRM White Wolf products. They are protecting their interests and investments, fully within their right. If I were a publisher, I'd do the same. You may find that a product from Malhavoc is wildly popular in PDF format. But you might also find that the only reason for that is that it's free.

 

[reanjr]

2. If you must (for some dang reason) use DRM, have an alternative protection scheme ready for people like me.

Oh, I forgot to address this directly: there is no alternative. DRM is the only copy-protection scheme with any kind of success. And all it takes is one customer with a non-DRM copy to create millions.

 

[Strutinan]

DRM does not have any hope in hell of working. I could crack DRM "encryption" in about 5 minutes, and I'm not even into the whole piracy thing!

It all comes down to the inherent flaw of DRM: the publisher must provide the user the key to read the file. If it can be displayed on your monitor, it can be copied into otehr formats. Even back into a non-DRM pdf using PDFMaker or Microsoft Imaging/Word (takes a while o do, but ANYBODY can do it). And that is without using any real degree of computer knowledge.

In the meantime you are pissing off your customer base, reducing the amount of people who CAN use your products, and increasing your costs. All for "security" that only really works for users who WOULD NOT BOTHER WITH IT ANYWAY?!?!?! If somebody wants a pirated copy of your book, I can gaurantee you that there is somebody out there who either already has a pirated copy available, or is willing to pirate it.

Hell, in many places today you can check several RPG books out of public libraries. That and a $50 scanner will get you a copy of a DRM book. You could even borrow it form a fanboy of the company with a physical copy, and copy it.

And every potential customer that you piss off by using DRM becomes a potential pirate.

 

[trancejeremy]

And releasing as non-DRM PDF is not a great idea. A quick search on Kazaa just brought me up several Malhavoc products free for the taking. Given a bit of time, I'm sure I could get the entire publisher's line of books. On the other hand, it is far more difficult to find the DRM White Wolf products.

Every White Wolf product was already pirated before DTRPG was a gleam in White Wolf's eye - pirates scanned it in. Now the pirates don't even need to scan it. The scheme as is, has pretty big holes in it, allowing anyone to produced either an unprotected PDF (though admittedly, without the text being copy & pastable, but that isn't even possible on all PDFs from DTRPG, just ones that weren't scanned in), or copy and paste the text of a newer PDF into a document of a person's choice.

 

[mythusmage]

If you are a belligerent customer bitching and moaning that a particular company's business model isn't custom-tailored to your own needs, then I'd say most companies wouldn't want you as a customer...

The mods and admins on this board are better at reading sub-text than you might think. You should remember that before making any sort of personal attack.

In addition, if you find somebody ticks you off for any reason you really should use the "Ignore List" option with them. Helps keep the blood pressure down.

 

[Vanuslux]

And releasing as non-DRM PDF is not a great idea. A quick search on Kazaa just brought me up several Malhavoc products free for the taking. Given a bit of time, I'm sure I could get the entire publisher's line of books. On the other hand, it is far more difficult to find the DRM White Wolf products. They are protecting their interests and investments, fully within their right. If I were a publisher, I'd do the same. You may find that a product from Malhavoc is wildly popular in PDF format. But you might also find that the only reason for that is that it's free.

The DRM White Wolf products may be harder to find, but that's mostly because pretty much every White Wolf product has been scanned in. When I got a laptop I was able to get PDF versions of all the White Wolf books I own (so that I could have all my WoD books on hand without having to lug around a ton of books to sessions) in one day and that was before DTGRPG was around.

Major companies stuff has always been easy to find. Fantasy Flight Games, AEG, Green Ronin...heck, even Fast Forward...just about any given product by any of them can be found. Yet I keep on buying their products left and right. I like to look at stuff before I buy it and since my FLGS (well, before I moved a few months ago) sucked I have to depend on online retailers for my gaming needs...which means I have to rely on pirated pdfs to do my browsing. This even applies to PDFs...for stuff as expensive as Malhavocs products, I always downloaded copies before buying...and yet RPGNow can show that I have in fact shelled out money for several Malhavoc products.

As an aside, despite the fact that Malhavoc products are the easiest to obtain on Kazaa...that certainly doesn't seem to be dragging them down into bankruptcy. Can any company really be held as a better example of an e-publishing success?