[Wylug-discuss] advice on ebook reader or similar...

[Smylers]

james riley writes:

> > The Leeds library e-books are DRMed and they require "Adobe Digital
> > Editions" software. ... Windows- and Mac-only ... no prospect of a
> > Linux version ... ever.
> 
> And not likely to. FOSS DRM fails by design. No way for the restrictor
> to keep the restrictions in place if the software grants the N
> freedoms.

But why does the computer need to support the file at all?

If I buy an e-book reader which deals with the relevant DRM, my
computer's only function in the process is to download the file from the
library's website and transfer it to the e-reader. The computer can just
treat the file as an opaque blob of zeros and ones -- I'm not asking for
the e-books to be readable on Linux or for the computer to interpret the
file's contents in any way.

(Though actually, even that should be possible. Obviously what you say
is true about open-source software, but the providers could distribute
pre-compiled closed-source Linux software which handled the DRM. BBC
IPlayer works fine on Linux like this; you can download TV programmes to
watch disconnected from the internet, and the software handles the
rights management such as time limits on viewing.)

Smylers
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