Update: Malhavoc PDFs no longer available at RPGnow (merged)

[Dimwhit]

How has it poorly affected those that have actually used it?

catslcaw

I suspect you won't get much of an answer from that questions. I would wager that 95% of the people moaning about DTRPG and DRM aren't even willing to give it a try.

Didn't bother me a bit.

 

[C. Baize]

I purchased a DRM novel some time ago (2 years.... 3, possibly). I was about halfway through the novel when I backed everything up, and changed computers.
The novel wouldn't open on the other computer. To read the rest of it, I would have to purchase it, again.
I decided at that time to never purchase another DRMed PDF.
Simple, really.

 

[cats_claw]

I purchased a DRM novel some time ago (2 years.... 3, possibly). I was about halfway through the novel when I backed everything up, and changed computers.
The novel wouldn't open on the other computer. To read the rest of it, I would have to purchase it, again.
I decided at that time to never purchase another DRMed PDF.
Simple, really.

With Adobe 6.0 and their DRM, I can open my PDF on many different PCs, as long is the version of Adobe is activated. And I know that in a pinch, I can contact DrivethruRPG and get it reinstated. They have already done this with a PDF that I screwed up in the download.

No offense, but in comparing your experience with your 2 or 3 year old e-book, I imagine that things have changed a bit with Adobe 6.0, DRM e-books and the way they are securing them for DriveThruRPG.

catsclaw

EDIT: spelling

 

[dcollins]

The catalog at swordsorcery.com was always my primary source for selling pdfs. The majority of my sales were through that site, which was driven by links from our own website (actually, most of our sales through RPGNow were as well, but that's another matter). I won't be returning to RPGNow, and it actually has nothing to do with DriveThru, DRM or any of that stuff. It's not, however, a matter I feel right in discussing publicly.

In any event, I'm glad the change has made people happy.

Fair enough, that's very informative. Thank you.

 

[Breakdaddy]

While I appreciate Monty's candor, and have long appreciated the quality of his PDF products, the fact that I am a linux user precludes me from being a customer of Malhavoc any longer. As a measure of protest, I also plan on passing all of their print products up in the future. This is not meant as a thumbing of my nose at Monte or Malhavoc, but simply as a matter of practicality. It's not a huge deal, linux users have been excluded from the DRM fad in the past. Pirates are going to get your material for free, but I can't even legitimately purchase and enjoy it because of the exclusivity of DRM. I also visited the drivethrurpg URL and found it quite slow and unresponsive. I would look in to that very seriously so that you don't lose your remaining customers. Nobody likes to wait (especially when they are trying to give you business!)

My .002, thanks for reading

 

[resistor]

While I appreciate Monty's candor, and have long appreciated the quality of his PDF products, the fact that I am a linux user precludes me from being a customer of Malhavoc any longer. As a measure of protest, I also plan on passing all of their print products up in the future. This is not meant as a thumbing of my nose at Monte or Malhavoc, but simply as a matter of practicality. It's not a huge deal, linux users have been excluded from the DRM fad in the past. Pirates are going to get your material for free, but I can't even legitimately purchase and enjoy it because of the exclusivity of DRM. I also visited the drivethrurpg URL and found it quite slow and unresponsive. I would look in to that very seriously so that you don't lose your remaining customers. Nobody likes to wait (especially when they are trying to give you business!)

My .002, thanks for reading

Um, dude. He just announced that he's also going to sell non-DRM'd PDFs too...

 

[C. Baize]

Think what you want, Catsclaw. In the end it doesn't matter.
You asked why, I gave you a reason, now you're trying to tear holes in it...
It's unnecessary.
Some people have the fortitude to stick by decisions, some people waffle.
Different strokes for different folks.

 

[dcollins]

One more opinion on the DRM issue. Here's a link to a talk given just yesterday by Cory Doctorow of the EFF (Electronic Frontier Foundation), given to a gathering of Microsoft researchers, on the topic of DRM.

http://craphound.com/msftdrm.txt

Summary:

Here's what I'm here to convince you of:
1. That DRM systems don't work
2. That DRM systems are bad for society
3. That DRM systems are bad for business
4. That DRM systems are bad for artists
5. That DRM is a bad business-move for MSFT

Comment on ebooks (in part 4):

The only really successful epublishing -- I mean, hundreds of thousands, millions of copies distributed and read -- is the bookwarez scene, where scanned-and-OCR'd books are distributed on the darknet. The only legit publishers with any success at epublishing are the ones whose books cross the Internet without technological fetter: publishers like Baen Books and my own, Tor, who are making some or all of their catalogs available in ASCII and HTML and PDF.

The hardware-dependent ebooks, the DRM use-and-copy-restricted ebooks, they're cratering. Sales measured in the tens, sometimes the hundreds. Science fiction is a niche business, but when you're selling copies by the ten, that's not even a business, it's a hobby.

 

[Sir Elton]

One more opinion on the DRM issue. Here's a link to a talk given just yesterday by Cory Doctorow of the EFF (Electronic Frontier Foundation), given to a gathering of Microsoft researchers, on the topic of DRM.

http://craphound.com/msftdrm.txt

Now that is an Eye Opener.

 

[Emirikol]

Mmm. Interesting.
jh