Electronic ASL Rulebook Now on Sale!!

Gordon

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It would be really great (but unlikely) if the new eRB had been meta-formatted such that it could be easily rendered in the 2-column format for print (loose-leaf and bound pocket edition) and 1-column for e-reader use.
 

dur

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Since the user's copy is watermarked, can the user make formatting modifications like adding a carriage return to separate run-on sentences into separate lines? Even if so, probably would require the user to pay the usurous fee to Adobe to get more than a reader. I detest the PDF format...
I have Adobe Acrobat DC, and you can't edit the text in the PDF or modify its layout in any way. This includes reordering or extracting pages entirely. It is protected with an owner password.

I, for one, am a person who believes that if one purchases an item they should be able to do with it what they please (not that I begrudge MMP attempting to protect their intellectual property), but anything else I could say with regards to Adobe password protection is an exercise left to the reader.
 

Sparafucil3

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I have Adobe Acrobat DC, and you can't edit the text in the PDF or modify its layout in any way. This includes reordering or extracting pages entirely. It is protected with an owner password.

I, for one, am a person who believes that if one purchases an item they should be able to do with it what they please (not that I begrudge MMP attempting to protect their intellectual property), but anything else I could say with regards to Adobe password protection is an exercise left to the reader.
I am sure there is a password remover someplace if you look. -- jim
 

hongkongwargamer

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I have Adobe Acrobat DC, and you can't edit the text in the PDF or modify its layout in any way. This includes reordering or extracting pages entirely. It is protected with an owner password.

I, for one, am a person who believes that if one purchases an item they should be able to do with it what they please (not that I begrudge MMP attempting to protect their intellectual property), but anything else I could say with regards to Adobe password protection is an exercise left to the reader.
I haven't went thru the terms and conditions but do we purchase OWNERSHIP or do we purchase a License (right) to Use (at the seller's terms)? With electronic products, it's often the latter.
 

afgur

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Hello All

I got the eASLRB and really like it, though I still prefer the book. I have read here about various PDF readers and have tried adobe, foxit and okular. I prefer okular! All three have menu bookmarks, annotations and similar navigation but what I really like is that it keeps the same zoom level regardless of how I navigate. JMHO
(It is very possible I've missed something.)

Alan
 

holdit

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I got the eASLRB and really like it, though I still prefer the book. I have read here about various PDF readers and have tried adobe, foxit and okular. I prefer okular! All three have menu bookmarks, annotations and similar navigation but what I really like is that it keeps the same zoom level regardless of how I navigate. JMHO
(It is very possible I've missed something.)
Not bad at all. I've just taken Okular for a test drive and while I prefer the Foxit interface, I'm going to use Okular for the eASLRB. Maintaining the zoom level makes all the difference. The forward/back command (in terms of where you've been) are Shift+Alt+Left/Right Arrow as opposed to Alt+Left/Right Arrow as in Adobe and Foxit. The alternate line shading in the contents is also a nice touch.
 

Mister T

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Not bad at all. I've just taken Okular for a test drive and while I prefer the Foxit interface, I'm going to use Okular for the eASLRB. Maintaining the zoom level makes all the difference. The forward/back command (in terms of where you've been) are Shift+Alt+Left/Right Arrow as opposed to Alt+Left/Right Arrow as in Adobe and Foxit. The alternate line shading in the contents is also a nice touch.
I made Okular the standard ruler for my .pdf files, easier like this. Thanks for the keyboard shortcuts.
 

afgur

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Holdit, I went under settings>configure keyboard shortcuts and fixed that. Mine are now alt+left/right arrow.

Alan
 

Alan Hume

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Awesome news for people getting into the hobby!

I'm not going to get it currently, but I'll be keeping an eye at what HASL stuff gets added in the future.
Yep, all my friends are saying that MMP is sure to add the HASL's as time goes by
so, if that is the case, that would really add to the (already considerable) value of the thing
 

cwillmer

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Not bad at all. I've just taken Okular for a test drive and while I prefer the Foxit interface, I'm going to use Okular for the eASLRB. Maintaining the zoom level makes all the difference. The forward/back command (in terms of where you've been) are Shift+Alt+Left/Right Arrow as opposed to Alt+Left/Right Arrow as in Adobe and Foxit. The alternate line shading in the contents is also a nice touch.
Agree completely. Zoom level consistency is terrific.
 

dur

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I agree with your core point: if I'm buying it, give it to me without annoying restrictions.
I purposefully did not include instructions on how to do so out of respect for MMP and the goodwill they've shown towards the player base over the years. I ask you to please remove the instructions from your own post for the same reason.
 

rossssss

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I purposefully did not include instructions on how to do so out of respect for MMP and the goodwill they've shown towards the player base over the years. I ask you to please remove the instructions from your own post for the same reason.
Looks like a mod took care of it for you. The post was deleted for "copyright circumvention". Debatable, but not worth debating here.

I do hope MMP will consider distributing this at some point without restrictions. A welcome addition to the lineup of ASLRB options, regardless.
 
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Robin Reeve

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A freely updated eASLRB is already a nice improvement over the necessity to purchase new revised editions.
Not speaking of the fact that one can have multiple copies on different machines.
MMP earns to make some money with the rulebook.
Wanting to make the rulebook totally free is wanting to weaken MMP as a business.

And, even if I didn't remove the post which explained how to erase the personalised watermark, it certainly was an encouragement for an illegal behaviour.
Promoting the development of free stuff by suggesting a form of theft is extremely hostile against the company aimed at and at odds with any idea of generosity or accessibility.
 
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boylermaker

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And, even if I didn't remove the post which explained how to erase the personalised watermark, it certainly was an encouragement for an illegal behaviour.
It would very much surprise me if the deleted suggestion resulted in the watermark being removed. It's not clear to me that doing things like "breaking the 700 pages into multiple smaller files" or "rotating pages" or whatever else people have suggested would be illegal (in the States, at least; can't speak for Switzerland). It could be, because copyright law is almost always super dumb, but I don't think it is.
 

rossssss

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A freely updated eASLRB is already a nice improvement over the necessity to purchase new revised editions.
Not speaking of the fact that one can have multiple copies on different machines.
MMP earns to make some money with the rulebook.
Wanting to make the rulebook totally free is wanting to weaken MMP as a business.

And, even if I didn't remove the post which explained how to erase the personalised watermark, it certainly was an encouragement for an illegal behaviour.
If one wants to promote the development of free stuff by suggesting a form of theft is extremely hostile against the company aimed at and at odds with any idea of generosity or accessibility.
Again, I don't think it is necessary to debate the legal implications of removing DRM from products you own outright. It's complicated and it doesn't really matter -- if you as a mod don't like what was posted, you're well within your right to delete it.

That being said, you've certainly misrepresented what I posted. I did not explain anything about erasing a watermark. I suggested a tool that allows for decryption of encrypted pdf files -- what anyone does with that is their own decision. In fact, my suggestion was in direct response to people who were interested in editing the file to add in their own text or reflow the text however they see fit. Likewise, I definitely never suggested MMP makes anything "totally free". Rather, I echoed the sentiment that distributing the files without DRM would be preferable -- it is very simple to work around the DRM for those interested in pirating the content, so it only ends up serving to annoy those who have paid for the product and wish to manipulate it in some way. It's not like there aren't a rash of publications (not to mention other media) being distributed without DRM these days; it isn't a requirement for copyright protection purposes or digital distribution generally.

And if I'm not clear enough, I'm absolutely not (nor was I ever) "suggesting a form of theft."
 

dur

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Again, I don't think it is necessary to debate the legal implications of removing DRM from products you own outright. It's complicated and it doesn't really matter -- if you as a mod don't like what was posted, you're well within your right to delete it.

That being said, you've certainly misrepresented what I posted. I did not explain anything about erasing a watermark. I suggested a tool that allows for decryption of encrypted pdf files -- what anyone does with that is their own decision. In fact, my suggestion was in direct response to people who were interested in editing the file to add in their own text or reflow the text however they see fit. Likewise, I definitely never suggested MMP makes anything "totally free". Rather, I echoed the sentiment that distributing the files without DRM would be preferable -- it is very simple to work around the DRM for those interested in pirating the content, so it only ends up serving to annoy those who have paid for the product and wish to manipulate it in some way. It's not like there aren't a rash of publications (not to mention other media) being distributed without DRM these days; it isn't a requirement for copyright protection purposes or digital distribution generally.

And if I'm not clear enough, I'm absolutely not (nor was I ever) "suggesting a form of theft."
Agreed. I, too, was never advocating theft or piracy in any way, shape or form. I'm talking about a legitimate, paying customer wanting full access to do whatever he wants to do with his purchase. This has been an ongoing debate in the world of DRM ever since mass media became a thing.
 

von Marwitz

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A freely updated eASLRB is already a nice improvement over the necessity to purchase new revised editions.
Not speaking of the fact that one can have multiple copies on different machines.
MMP earns to make some money with the rulebook.
Wanting to make the rulebook totally free is wanting to weaken MMP as a business.
Well, I think it is a bit like 'tit for tat':

I believe that the eASLRB offer by MMP is a fair one:
  • It is not a subscription (which would have been IMHO the equivalent of a rip-off).
  • It does include free updates (though we don't know how often and of which content yet).
  • The price is fair for the 'value' you get.
  • You can use copies on more than one of your machines.
  • You've got the full Chapter H.
Therefore it is also fair to pay MMP the price. Probably, I am going to buy it despite having acess to various private eASLRBs, having bought two ASLRB 1st ed., two ASLRB 2nd ed., a Pocket ASLRB, and definitively going to buy the Pocket Chapter H when it becomes available.

Were the business model different in a rip-off style (say, a subscription with neverending payment), I would have no qualms at all using a 'cracked' version.

von Marwitz
 
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