Free the books! Freedom for readers! Why don't they just chain us in underground cells and read the books to us then they can make absolutely certain no one is making copies!!!
I recently purchased an electronic book in PDF format from
Fictionwise. Before I could actually download the book, I had to click through three screens warning me that I was buying an Acrobat PDF and Fictionwise wasn't responsible if I was unable to read it. Very dire warnings indeed. What was all the insanity about? I've bought PDF books before and read them without problem, even the "locked" PDFs. I make PDFs all the time whether at work or not. So, I bought the PDF with intent to make a copy for my Palm Zire PDA so I could read it in comfort. What book did I buy? Terry Pratchett's
Reaper Man. Yes, I 'm a big fan. Although I didn't start off reading his 50 books in order, I am now.
Okay. I download the book but it's not a PDF. It's this weird .etd format. I double click on it, Acrobat Professional opens and I get an error. Can't open the book. I go to the Adobe site and spend about 30 minutes in an endless loop between two pages on the Digital Editions web: the download page and the help page. Back and forth. Back and forth.
I paid over a thousand dollars for Adobe CS 3 Suite (of which Acrobat Professional is a part). I figure that if I call them they will help me out here. No such luck. I need to talk to the Digital Editions people. (Or person. I think it's just one guy who fiddles around on his lunch break.) Anyway, I call them and they transfer me to the Acrobat people who tell me I need to talk to the Digital Editions people. Another endless loop. In desperation I send an email the the Digital Editions people thinking it will be days before I hear anything.
Meanwhile
Reaper Man languishes unread and starts to burn a hole in my brain because I picked up the next book in the series as a paperback while out one day, knowing how fast I get through Terry Pratchett books and wanting to have another waiting for me when I finish
Reaper Man.
Surprise me! About 24 hours later, I get an email from a very nice guy at Adobe Digital Editions (back from lunch, I suppose) who takes about three emails figuring out my problem and telling me the solution. My Apple computer is too new. They don't make Digital Editions for it yet. Would I like to know when it's available. Yes, please, I tell him.
Meanwhile, back on my old G4 I get the hint and download Digital Editions easily although launching it requires returning to the Digital Editions web site. Quirky or what? The book opens and, hooray!!! I can now read my book but only on that G4 and only when it's connected to the internet. OMG!!
No wonder Amazon has come out with the Kindle and Fictionwise sells their own formats as do the Palm people, not to mention the MSN Reader (snappy title, eh?). Adobe has alienated the customers they created by making it nearly impossible to use the PDFs that are purchased.
Sad really. Adobe originated digital documents and now they're going to lose them. Next time I buy an e-book it won't be an Adobe PDF.
Current FadsListening. Night of the Furies - The Rosebuds and
recent purchases (unpublished); heavy rain
Watching. Blade Runner (year)
Activity. learning yoga; back exercises
Gadget. cell phone
News Source. the news feeds in SafariReading. Nerd Girl Rocks Paradise City - Anne Soffee;
Poltergeist - Kat Richardson;
First Impressions: What you don't know about how others see you - Anne Demarais and Valerie White;
The Marshall Plan for Getting Your Novel Published - Evan Marshall;
Mensa Bulletin;
Popular Science (Yes, I really am reading them all right now—I'm a reading addict. What can I say?)
Labels: books, nasty, technology, the machine
Good Day, Jewel
