(In the UK). In Plymouth we are using Secure Electronic Delivery as the default to deliver access to documents provided by the British Library. Internet Explorer 7 (and this is also known with Firefox and other browsers) causes an ebook reader detection error as part of the downloading process "Downloading this eBook requires Adobe Acrobat eBook Reader version 2.2 or later to be installed on your computer" (even though all our computers are on Reader 7.0.9). The page then provides a link to download the latest version. The problem is that, despite being told to ignore the link and scroll to the 'download your ebooks' link further down the screen, many users are clicking the update link and ending up with Adobe Reader 8 without ADE, or a misfunctioning ADE because they do not have administrator rights, or a screen which hangs and does nothing, or an ADE that will not allow them to print. In open access areas all computers are locked to a standard 'frozen' image which is restored after each log-out. Users, therefore, are unable to save any changes which means that they also have to repeat the steps every time they want to download an SED everytime they log-in. (Yes, because of 'easy activation', we also have to make it clear to these users that it is 'download and then print' or there is no further access to the document, despite a 14day access rule; and no-use of memory sticks too!). We would love to be able to maintain our ability to standardise these computers on the latest version of the Reader software, but are unable to do so because we do not have the manpower to manually install ADE on each computer (over 2,500!) to make it part of the 'locked' image. We know the eBook Reader detection error is most probably caused by the underlying software technology difference between IE7 and Adobe 7 and would hope that installing Adobe Reader 8 and ADE would restore the seamless process that we had long established using the Reader 7 series!
Could not Adobe please consider a means by which, say ADE 1.5, could be packaged and rolled-out centrally? Then also consider doing the same for future releases - it would really make life easier for everyone. If not we will have to remain on Reader 7.0.9 and users will 'suffer' as the technology becomes more and more obsolete, and suffers from more and more problems caused by a widening gap in software technologies. We understand the idea behind the decision to make ADE an IRA (internet rich application) but the growing use of DRM and the need to delivery these documents within closed environments, to people who cannot be given full access permissions, means that there should also be a concurrent method to allow updating in such situations. Our 'problem' rate for SED is beginning to climb (from under 3% (based on 16,000 transactions) before the release of Adobe 8, to 6% afterwards (based on 7,000 transactions). Before the release of 8, 70% of the problems were because people didn't read instructions we provided; after 8's release, 70% of the problems are caused by the technologies (eBook detection; downloading Reader 8 and not ADE; ADE not functioning due to local permissions etc etc). These seriously affect the value of the service and also the perception people have of the service and of Adobe products (eg: the IE7 error states "Adobe eBook Reader not detected" so, even though your product may not be to blame for the users' inability to get to their document, they blame Adobe Reader, especially if they know they have Reader 7 installed!
My apologies for a long post but I consider it an important issue as well as it being important to lay out some of the logic and arguement as to why.
Graham
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