WotC is going ebook at DrivethruRPG...

[Vocenoctum]

I believe WotC said they mainly did it as a side thing for folks in places where buying the print book is not an option, so their pricing reflects that.

 

[Castellan]

There must be something wrong with my version of Reader 7, since it can read DRM PDFs without any problems whatsoever.

This is the second time I've seen this statement made here, and I just don't get it. Download a free DRM PDF from DriveThruRPG and try it out in Reader 7. It will work.

I spoke out of turn. I read about DRM in version 7 (or its lack of...) in numerous (p)reviews of the product. I've not wasted my time downloading it. I'm using version 5.0 as a DRM-free copy, and I only fire up version 6 when I need to get a DRM PDF and convert it into a non-DRMed copy. Then it's back to version 5 again. So, I'll eat my helping of crow with respect to version 7. Of course, I won't be downloading that version unless I absolutely cannot read a PDF in the earlier readers. Of course, that begins a whole new rant about how the downloaded file isn't a real PDF if it cannot be read in a PDF reader.....

 

[Eremite]

(snip) Oh, and add to all of this the fact that if you lose a PDF you got from DriveThruRPG, you're SOL.
(snip)

I don't want to be seen as defending DTRPG, per se, but they will allow you to download a lost PDF again if you lose it. This happened to me twice (with the same file!) and both times they promptly reactivated the download link.

 

[Frostmarrow]

I don't want to be seen as defending DTRPG, per se, but they will allow you to download a lost PDF again if you lose it. This happened to me twice (with the same file!) and both times they promptly reactivated the download link.

But should you have to?

 

[reanjr]

I guess its (almost) safe to say that WotC has decided that even though they're charging full price, this is still profitable for them.

How can it not be? It's ridiculously expensive! I don't know about maximizing profit, but it's certainly profitable.

 

[reanjr]

That's probably the most flame free answer you will get.

Edit: Probably wouldn't hurt to check out the DRM discussion at wikipedia, though it is not specific to ebooks:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Digital_Rights_Management

How about this one:

DRM (Digital Rights Management) is a technology that enables the publisher to control how you use the book so that they can protect their intellectual property better. For instance, they can disallow printing so that you can not make hard copies and give them to your firends. They could also enable printing the document only once so you COULD make a hard copy for yourself. They can also make it so that you can only use the file from a single computer, or several. Basically it makes sure you are not doing naughty things that you know you shouldn't be doing, but might be tempted to do anyway.

For instance my buddy keeps asking me to e-mail him Book of Iron Might. I refuse, but nothing except my morals is keeping me from doing so. If the book had DRM, I could e-mail him the book, but when he got it, he wouldn't have the appropriate license to use it and it would be useless to him.

 

[reanjr]

Of course the last reason that adobes DRM is stupid is:

It doesn't work. There are any number of ways to get around it if you want to look.

Basically it
restricts and annoys legitimate users
has no effect on illegitimate users
causes no end of troubles

Just because Adobe has incompetent developers does not mean DRM is not a good idea.

 

[reanjr]

This is my major beef with it. Since Reader 7 can't even read these files, it makes you wonder how serious Adobe is about supporting DRM. Ultimately, the pirates continue to pirate just as before, and the legitimate users are punished for being loyal customers.

It just makes me wonder when Microsoft plans on releasing a free MS Publisher reader with working DRM and and nice interface and absolutely blows Adobe out of the market. The ONLY thing that is even close to being a feature that Acrobat has over anything else is its platform interoperability. Since they don't support DRM on Linux (to my knowledge), they've lost their only selling point.

[edit] Actually, I just remembered the joy of using Acrobat 7 for the first time. I still don't think Acrobat is a great product, but 7 certainly is leaps and bounds above their previous offerings.

 

[reanjr]

Anyways, I've recently had to change computers. In copying all my files over, I noticed that I now had those free DRMed PDFs. I figured this was a good chance to put it to the test. And it failed miserably.

They didn't open.

Oh, sure, I was told that if I registered my copy of Reader with the same email address or something like that I'd used before I could open them... but... no. Too much trouble. Not to mention I have no idea what email address I used, since I've got 3 that I use for various purposes and usually make up something random and fake when registering for things.

The problems you describe have nothing in particular to do with DRM, but instead of bad software. If you had an HTML file with links to images on your hard drive that pointed to an absolute location, you'd suffer problems with transfering to a new computer as well and would have to jump through some hoops to get it working properly again.

Most of the annoyances people have on here with DRM have nothing to do with DRM but with Adobe not being able to write good software. As DRM matures, these problems will go away, especially once DRM starts being supported at the processor, and later the BIOS, level. Once at this point, any computer will be able to identify you as the user. So any files you use, no matter what computer you are at, will work, DRM or no.

DRM is poorly understood by just about every single individual I have ever heard talk negatively about it. The only real argument against DRM is singularly ideological in nature. When properly implemented, it will represent no annoyances to the user, no limitations beyond that already imposed by the law, and a host of benefits that user-level software just haven't had the opportunity to support yet.

I look forward to a DRM world where I can purchase any media I want and consume it instantaneously. Hell, DRM (properly implemented) has already allowed me to rent movies without ever leaving my computer, and begin watching in 30 seconds. That's a benefit that just isn't available without DRM.

 

[Cergorach]

Ok, moving the files you downloaded from DrivethruRPG to a new computer is extremely easy, just copy the darned things. Install Acrobat Reader 6 and push Tools => eBook Web Services => Adobe DRM Activator, login and push the register button. That's all that is needed to make it work on Windows XP.

But i say again, what DRM? (please note that i'm not saying what is DRM)

Adobe eBook DRM is just like buying a cd while having a mp3 player, or buying region 1 dvds for your region 2 dvd player. It takes a little bit of research and a little bit of work to make it work, but in the end it does work. Some people even find Activating Adobe DRM to much work, all i have to say to these people, go look at jerry springer because obviously doing something isn't in your vocabulary, a computer isn't meant for your little brain.

Full cover price IS painfull, especially if i have to rebuy my entire collection, but i can always say no. But i think i'll buy them all eventually. Having it all in a format that allows me to copy paste at will is worth the full cover price (while the DRM is active your limited to 10 copy/paste actions in ten days).