Digital Editions "sucks the sweat off a deadman's back"

[_Jobewan_Canoli_]

I do not understand whether or not Digital Editions is flawed as a result of technical retardation on the part of its developers (unlikely), or because it represents a triumph somehow of the rights of publishers over those that pay for access to that published content.

The reason for doubting that the crippling navigational and other shortcomings of the product as a result of profound programming retardation comes as a result of comparing Digital Editions to Reader, Acrobat, and so forth. I guess it's cool to play at communist until the folks cutting the bigger check object.

I just spent for instance 85 bucks on an electronic text for a law class. The scrolling, inability to copy any text whatsoever, even though I can easily type out what I need in a time-consuming manner, the almost horrificly bad resizing tools and behaviours, I just don't know where to start.

Let me just finish by offering both a hearty and sincere, "thanks for a piece of crap".

[zoomer_0101]

I thought it was me !  I downloaded this, an adjunct from my Google Books, hoping for some better nav, a bookmark system, copy to printers.  Whoa -- Adobe put out a real stinker on this.  I guess when you're as big as Adobe, you can put out anything and the followers will gobble it up,. ex. microsoft operating systems.    Ok, don't need to get started on that rant. But thanks for the post, will be removing this Adobe product immediately.

[cookiez-_-]

No, you are totally right. This software is a piece of crap. I think it a severe memory leak or something, although, shut down and restarting computer didn't work. I spent $70 for a digital copy of my textbook to read. They required this program. Now I can't probably highlight. When I do it crashes (not responding) and then continues to function, after EVERY. SINGLE. right click to create note or highlight. Scrolling to the next page itself takes like 5 seconds. So this is my scenario: Reading, -right clicks-, program crashes-, -right click menu appears-, -selects option-, waits several seconds-, -text highlights-, -repeat-, I go to next page, wait another 5 seconds. Ok, its 5 seconds, but compared to nanoseconds programs are supposed to respond? I'm kinda annoyed. Please Adobe look into this. I have a midterm coming up and I am studying for it through this text.

[Guest]

Just used it for the first time and it is nothing but garbage, i wish i had tested this before buying a god damn book on google play. Horrible, how am I suppose to read this book now? anyone reading this, Dont even try ......

[kristinad50117029]

Like many others, I also bought a book of a few hundred pages for my studies. Imagine my shock when realizing that I can't highlight text, it just doesn't work; nor can I skip pages! I'm absolutely enraged!!!!!

[fharrington79]

Five years after the original post and users are still expressing their disgust with this application.  Let me add my complaint to the pile:  scrolling, zooming, and navigation in general are absolutely terrible.  The application is unpleasant in general.  The last complaint isn't directly Adobe's fault but the custom published material I'm viewing in DE is incredibly expensive and this terrible app is the only way to view it.  On top of that, my ability to print has suddenly disappeared despite the content still being authorized.  Adobe, if you could spare 0.01% of the resources you are devoting to Creative Cloud to fix this broken application you would improve the educational experience of thousands of students.  Right now, ignoring this problem is actually harming education in some quantifiable sense for those who are forced to use this DRM app.

[sam1029384]

I know!!! I absolutely cannot even fathom how this application is still in such a horrific state, and yet it is still being used by publishers!!

Adobe Reader can scroll and zoom normally, why is ADE so deficient in these simple functions? Isn't that the main function of an application like this? To allow one to view and navigate documents?? Zoom is locked to a couple terrible levels and does not allow free-zooming. Scrolling is slow and inefficient. Arrow keys to navigate randomly jump the page around and are inconsistent. Page links within documents bring you to a location where a portion of the section is cut off (and then you must try to use the horrific arrow key navigation to scroll up slightly, only to jump up several pages at intermittent keystrokes!!).

This unusable application is preventing me from learning!!! I will avoid ADE like the plague from here on out and tell everyone else I know to do the same!!

[mardster13]

I find that if I use an app like MemoryBoost, I can get some scrolling functionality back for a while. There must be a very bad memory leak somewhere in the application unless there's an algorithmic "feature" of some sort that says you aren't paying enough attention so we're going to slow your paging down.

[derickf46924605]

Really awful, practically unusable because of slow scrolling.

I am a university faculty member and am recommending to our library to avoid any ebook purchased that require ADE in the future.  I'd urge others to do the same.

[Quenaelin]

I am just starting using ADE 4.0 and it sucks, you can't drag pages and pages are moving very very slowly when you try to scroll them, it is real pain, nothing has changed or improved I guess. I am using DL Reader for Windows 8, but for Windows 7 there doesn't seem to be good reading software available.

[antonh49599210]

5 years later and it still sucks. srsly it's busting my balls. i can't scroll farther than 10 pages without freezing for a minute. it's horrible

[AtonMusic]

2018 and it still sucks.

As with all their applications the quality is diminishing every week and with every update. Their interfaces were never really good but in 2016 they made their interfaces look as if a 5 year old had designed them.

Their apps crash constantly and are the slowest around.

What was a great company in 2008 has a decade later managed to mess it all up.

CEO of adobe is 100% NOT using adobe software. Either that or he has zero taste !

[kkksss!!!]

I just spent $200 on a book that I am required to use for my work and I cannot highlight the parts I want. It's infuriating and it makes the book nearly worthless.

Then, to add insult to injury - there is no support and there are a number of questions about this same problem on this forum that have been unanswered for months.

I will never buy another ADE book again.

[Patricia Childers]

It's not only ADE. I just updated to 2016. I've been using photoshop and am searching to alternatives to photoshop and indesign. I've already found an alternative to illustrator. although I and most people are paying over $700/year adobe continues to excel at incompetence. I'm having problems from selecting elements to trying to revert to my preferences and everything in between? And the reason i'm on a site about ADE is that in searching on the adobe site for photoshop help I was connected here. This further reinforces Adobe's reputation as a bloated monster that excels at nothing. They don't even check their links? No wonder Dreamweaver, Muse, ADE, . . . fail.

[david_heinrich]

I was also forced to use this unforgivable piece of garbage for a law class. Not only is the program every bit as unpleasant to use as the above post(s) state, but sometimes the program won't even open on a 1-year-old laptop running Windows 8.1.

Despite the headache the program is to use, I thought that it would be worth it to finish the last 20 pages of reading for class today on my computer instead of having to lug the actual book around. Much to my surprise, Adobe Digital Editions managed to aggravate me with an even more critical flaw than the ones already well known.

I also find it ironic that the readings it's locking me out from are for an Intellectual Property class!

PS: I didn't realize until after I'd posted that this thread was started 8 years ago. How many times a year do I get updates from Adobe for Reader or Acrobat? Honestly, it seems like it's every other month, and they haven't addressed any of these DE issues in almost a decade. I would be thoroughly ashamed to be on the team responsible for this, and/or whomever decided to completely ignore users' needs in favour of the profiteering gluttons who have the gall to charge what they do for textbooks, with the "privilege" of access to the Digital Edition for 1 year. Did they think digital textbooks would be a fad??

[Guest]

Adobe DRM Removal, Remove DRM from ePUB&PDF on Adobe Digital Editions

Trust me, download and get on with your studies!

[Quentandr]

totally agree. A piece of shit.

[melissad36983579]

Terrible terrible terrible. I'm so frustrated - can't copy, won't print the correct pages I need and will only let me print 19 pages of the book in total. I'm removing it from my computer and will never again buy an ADE book. 

[Guest]

Popped my ADE cherry about 10 minutes ago and it's unclear when the full extent of how bad this program is will sink in for me....

[ndenker]

I just made the mistake to install this software after getting a free license to an ebook protected by this drm junk. My experience confirms what users report here. I will simply delete the software and stop bothering about it.

[eddiehurstable]

It's...it's not a good experience, putting my hand in a blender that is. But I still prefer it to using Adobe Digital Editions.

[Peg_Dog]

Your reply is the only reason I've had to smile since installing this gawd-awful piece of s---. Where's my blender when I need it???

[jlyche]

Here we are in 2016 (The original post was 2008) and Adobe still hasn't improved the program. I have had the program for one week and already am having to contact the publisher to reset something on their end so I can access the book I need for work. It would be nice if they could at least improve scrolling and zooming. How hard is that? Garbage, Garbage, and more Garbage.

[anthonyd12205639]

Downloaded ADE and set up my account 15 minutes ago. I'm now uninstalling ADE because it's bloody awful.

[WebOfWebs]

I wonder how long Adobe will push this 'crap' when 99% of the world hate it !!!!!

(the other 1% dont use Adobe products, just cash their dividend checks)

[yeny]

that's exactly what i did just now, I spent $60 a on book thinking I could copy and paste some stuff for my notes and I am UNABLE to do that. The was the only reason why i bought the book, I already have the hardcover.

WASTE of money.