Content-type: text/html Downes.ca ~ Stephen's Web ~ Princeton to Launch DRM'd Textbook Program

Stephen Downes

Knowledge, Learning, Community
A bit of a tempest has been launched with an announcement that Princeton University will now be selling DRM-enabled textbooks. "So let’s see — your laptop gets fried? Gotta buy a new book. Going home for break and the book is on your dormroom desktop machine? Tough luck — no printing, neither, y’hear? No returns or buybacks, either. Wow, what a deal!" Here is more coverage. It's not clear that this initiative is an official Princeton initiative, and several commentators wrote in to note many professors' anti-DRM stance. Bottom line? As one commentator reports, "Wow! I'm glad I'm not going to Princeton." Instructions on how to crack the DRM may be found in comment number 41. Princeton's response, meanwhile, was to have someone from the office of communications tell engadget to remove the image of the Princeton shield from the website. Yeah, atta make friends in the community.

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Stephen Downes Stephen Downes, Casselman, Canada
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Last Updated: Nov 24, 2024 7:29 p.m.

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