DRM, bazooka, both feet….

Boy, I wonder about these DRM crazies in the media industry…  Their sanity is definitely questionable…

So I went to get an audio ebook for my son to study French (companion to a book in the library), from the local public library….  Seemed like it should be an easy process, ne?  So after waiting for a few weeks for it to be our turn, we get notified we have 3 days to “check out” the ebook.

Of course, I find to do this, I have to go use my son’s windoze box.  This then causes me to have to install some software; we’ll have 2 weeks to actually download the files.

Said software then says I have to install a security update for Windows Media player.

I go do that…

I download the ebook.

The library web site says I should be able to burn CD’s.  And the license on the files says I should be able to as well.  So I try; the ebook companies software won’t burn the CD’s.

So I go try Windoze media player.

After futzing with it for 15 minutes (the copy to CD button is exquisitely well hidden), and many “adventures” with a lousy UI, I manage to figure out how to burn the 8 CD’s (100Mb or so compressed data expands to fill those CD’s).

So, another hour or so fussing around to burn the CD’s.  I have the ebook for my son.

Now, at the end of all of this, I’ve (completely legally) wasted 8 CD’s of plastic, which I can turn around and rip into any format I like, should I desire to do so.

What did they think they were doing when they put these files under DRM?  “Protecting” their precious data?  Or just going out of their way to ensure I’ll never be a customer of theirs, should I want to get other books/ebooks in that series?  There are clearly some completely mindless people in that industry.  No wonder the media folks are hurting; they seem to actively hate their customers….

One wonders why they don’t put as much energy into making it easy to get royalties rather than making it as obnoxious as possible for their customers.