Yvonne

In most computing set-ups in UK Universities I understand there are two approaches.  Staff and researchers using computers in their offices are given static user profiles on that computer, usually with administrator rights.  Once installed into the profile for a specific user, ADE should always recognise that individual because their log-in profile packet is always the same.  The only time it changes is if the person chooses to 'hot-desk' and log-in to a different computer.  When this happens ADE's DRM will receive a different packet of identifying information when you log-in to your Adobe profile and it will then 'register' the computer as a new device.  You are allowed up to 6 devices.  (Note: If a computer previously registered is re-imaged and ADE re-installed, it too will be seen as a 'new' device).
However, in Open Access the log-in profile is a roving one.  This means that each time you log-in a different identifying packet of data is sent to Adobe for authentication and can mean that such users will quickly reach the 6 limit (currently only by raising a support incident through Adobe can you get your activations reset).  In Plymouth's case, ADE is not part of the core computer image, and if user installed it is not retained on the computer or as part of the roving profile.  This means that Open Access users in Plymouth must download the programme every time they log-in and want to open an SED.  We advise users to not use their registration with Adobe, and to not  authenticate the computer.  There is no benefit for such users in doing so - as they will lose access to the document the minute they log-out.  This is because the roving profile packet is different every time you log-in, so you can never be the 'person' you were (according to computer data) when you downloaded the document (as per your Point 2), hence the good practice guideline for Open Access users is: Test>Download SED>Print>Delete before logging-out.  (NB: we provide a URL link to BL's SED test document when forwarding the email to users).

It does appear that the forthcoming opportunity to centrally install ADE will mean that it can be added to a computer's 'core image' which in turn will mean it would always be available rather than having to be installed by each user on a computer.  But how it will then operate I don't know.  I  guess that each user will still have to chose to authenticate the computer or not, and if so I/we will continue to recommend Open Access users to not do so.   On this point we will have to wait and see if Adobe can deliver something simple and seamless (or clunky and complicated!).

Digital Editions, like Adobe Reader before it, is simply a means to manage your e-documents in one place - a catalogue - if you like the analogy.  However, ADE also provides you with the ability to create 'shelves' of material, allowing you to arrange your e-documents as you wish.  But it only operates with preview shortcuts to documents, the actual document being physically stored elsewhere on the same, or a different, drive linked to the computer or network.  In the case of SEDs these documents are always stored in a folder called "My Digital Editions" which is in turn a sub-folder of your "My Documents" folder.  In order to remove SEDs you have to first delete the shortcut in Digital Editions AND then go the My Digital Editions folder and delete the actual pdf.  Deleting SEDs has always been a two stage process and is one we have to really underline to students.  If they do not delete the actual document then their shared area of 50Mb can quickly become full of dead documents, which in turn prevents them saving course work.  Only through continuous, repetitive education can you drive this message home - although the lack of drive space at the end of term reinforces it!

Accessibility issues are the subject of a large number of complaints to Adobe about ADE.  Digital Editions, in most people's eyes, was a retrograde step that made a perfectly good, stable process (Adobe Reader 7) worse.  The new version of ADE, version 1.6, is at least making inroads into accessibility issues - it allows bookmarking. highlighting and underlining (although not for double-strike fonts, eg Japanese).  But it is an oh so slow process to get us back to what we had 2 years ago!

Regards
Graham


Graham Titley
Document Delivery and Copyright Librarian
University of Plymouth
Drake Circus
Plymouth
PL4 8AA

Tel: 01752 587162 or 587161
Email: [log in to unmask]


-----Original Message-----
From: For interlibrary-loan and document supply services. [mailto:[log in to unmask]] On Behalf Of Yvonne Osler
Sent: 23 September 2008 16:21
To: [log in to unmask]
Subject: Re: SED support through Adobe Reader 6 and 7 being withdrawn in 2009

Hi
Can anyone help with our problem and Adobe Digital Editions?

I am struggling to tell whether this will deal with the issues which we have with the current Adobe Digital Editions software.  Our Computing Services summed it up as follows.  Allowing central installation will probably deal with point 1 below, but we may well be left with all the other problems still.  Points 2 and 3 mean that we are unable to deploy Adobe Digital Editions at this university.

Does anyone know whether these points are likely to be addressed in the new version of Digital Editions?  I have looked at the information on the Adobe site but it doesn't really say anything about using the software in a networked environment with Novell.

1. Functionally, Adobe Digital Editions installation is pretty good - it's entirely user-specific, so is nicely contained in a user's profile.  Unfortunately for staff, being user-specific is not such good news because Digital Editions adds at least 7.5mb to a user's roaming profile (which has to be downloaded on login and uploaded on logout).

2. Additionally (because of how users and logins work), Digital Editions doesn't understand that the FBloggs logging in on Monday on Computer A is the same FBloggs who logs in on Tuesday on the same computer and this appears to cause problems for Digital Editions' DRM mechanism. Basically, it results in any downloaded Digital Editions content requiring to be re-downloaded before it can be viewed and results in the user's H: drive space being taken up with multiple copies of the same content.

3. Digital Editions also doesn't manage content very sensibly. Electing to delete the unrecognised content from within Digital Editions doesn't remove the content from the user's H: drive. I didn't test this, but it's possible Digital editions just doesn't understand what a networked drive is.

4. Additionally, as it's Flash-based, Digital Editions is very unfriendly regarding accessibility.

Any advise would be gratefully received!!
Kind regards
Yvonne


Yvonne Osler
Reader Services/IT Support
Main Library
University of Dundee
Dundee
Scotland
UK

Tel: 44 (0)1382 384087
E.mail: [log in to unmask]

>>> Graham Titley <[log in to unmask]> 23/09/2008 12:49 >>>
Hi
If you use BLDSC's SED service and Adobe Reader 6 or 7 (without having installed Adobe Digital Editions) you need to know that from April next year these versions will no longer be supported.  This is because the document encryption standard is being permanently migrated from content server 3 to content server 4, which will not support earlier encryption standards. This means that SED will only work with Digital Editions from April 2009.
The British Library have announced in their FAQs that Adobe will be making available a standalone installer for ADE from April 2009 - which will allow central installation (AT LAST!!!).
Like to know more then go http://www.bl.uk/sed and click the FAQs link on the right of the webpage.

Graham Titley
Document Delivery and Copyright Librarian
University of Plymouth
Drake Circus
Plymouth
PL4 8AA

Tel: 01752 587162 or 587161
Email: [log in to unmask]

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