A recent blog entry over at the Baen’s Universe editor’s blog asks for some alternate definitions of DRM. I’ve posted my comments to the blog below:
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“Dumb Restriction Method”
Because it is.
Though I also really like “Don’t Read Me”.
Because I won’t. For many years I had compromised and would order books from ereader.com since their DRM is relatively light. Well, enough with compromises. I’ve gone through three different credit cards and a half-dozen devices since I first started buying palm ebooks (before ereader there was palmdigitalmedia, before palmdigitalmedia there was peanut press — I’ve been reading on my palm since the early days of peanut press) and I’m tired of dealing with the restrictions. Not to mention being locked into their reader and at their mercy for features.
Now I just buy the dead tree version and then download a “backup copy” from illicit sites online in a format I can customize and read how and where I want. Of course, I wish I could buy unencumbered ebook versions at more reasonable prices and actually support the authors more directly, which is why love Baen so much. I’ve been a long-time customer of webscriptions and I’ve been richly rewarded with the discovery of many of the excellent authors and books you publish. Over the last few years you’ve given me an alternative to DRM and I can’t thank you enough for it. I’ll try, however, with both my readership and my wallet.
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I’ve made my feelings on the topic known on this blog before, but I figure it can’t hurt to mention it yet again. Plus, I’m so happy that Baen is setting an example of the right way to do it. By not criminalizing their customers, I hope their customers will reward them with loyalty as I know I will. Additionally, I’ve found that the authors writing for Baen are excellent in their own merits and I’m happy to be exploring the back catalogs of a large number of them.