I was in the same position a few months ago, and there was no printed version. My solution: pay for the damn book, use the required Adobe product to be able to unlock it, use a tool to create a DRM-free pdf (IIRC it was Calibre), and finally unistalling the Adobe product. I wish I didn't have to give money to DRM sellers, but in this particular choice I had no option.
Apparently this makes me a pirate, despite having paid for the product and not having any intention of releasing it.
That's actually the best case for DRM, since Adobe's has been cracked for ages.
Just buy the book, do whatever Adobe wants, then run DeDRM [0] on it and enjoy your DRM free ePub.
Re:DRM Is Toxic to Culture
by asdfpoiuqwer on Sunday July 09, 2017 @02:38PM
(#14731036)
Did you consider pirating the e-book?
To check the ethical box, I would've just used the pirated e-book version immediately and ordered a hard-copy.
Yes, I considered it out of my frustration, but I always try to give back for good work.
Re:DRM Is Toxic to Culture
by ZoomZoomZoom on Monday July 10, 2017 @05:29AM
(#14734482)
Maybe just send a tip to the authors directly?
Reading Kindle books does not require any Adobe stuff. You can just read them on your browser, or via a Kindle app on your PC/device. Sure, it is still DRMd, but at least the UX on the happy path is halfway decent.
My option would be to buy it on Apple's iBooks. My tech setup is Apple-only, so that would be okay, even though there's DRM. Same story as with Amazon basically.
I basically have to choose my golden cage. That's frustrating.
Re:DRM Is Toxic to Culture
by 2OEH8eoCRo on Sunday July 09, 2017 @11:59AM
(#14730344)
Yeah that's how it works I had to do that when I rented an eBook from the library. DRM removal tools are a godsend.
Upon searching, every book store told me, I would need to install some Adobe stuff on my computer to read the file. I am neither a fan of Adobe nor of the idea of being locked in to an application to view a book. After realizing that there is no other digital way, I simply bought the printed version and waited the two days it took to ship.
It's a very frustrating situation for someone who just wants to read something.