ADE reader defeats the purpose

Question

Have been trying to send feedback to Adobe for ADE but apparently Adobe isn't interested: ADE isn't included in the list of software in the feedback form. Am hoping that perhaps someone is listening in here.
Here's my beef: I am a firm supporter of DRM, but Adobe's ADE is so bad of an ereader that it defeats its own purpose.
My book uses multiple images, most of which are screen shots of instructions and so legibility is critical. Many images have a height of 800 pixels and are thus too tall to fit on a typical 15.4" laptop screen, smaller tablet or mobile phone; and images set to 600 pixels wide are too wide for small devices. So in order for the images to be scaled, I cannot set a fixed pixel size; I have to use "height=100%" or "width=100%" value. Unfortunately, ADE interpolates the images so badly that they look like crap. I would expect ADE's image handling to be on par with at least Amazon's Kindle apps, but no; Kindle apps mop the floor with ADE.
If I then use a fixed pixel size so that the images are not interpolated, tall images are cut off the laptop screen at about 650 pixels while wide images are cut off at the sides on smaller devices. And unfortunately, ADE doesn't allow the user to scroll down between pages, or from side to side; it only jumps from page to page.
It's the same with the Nook, Sony,and Kobo for PC apps that can read ADE DRMed books: on my 15.4" laptop, the Sony reader app cuts off images taller than 525 pixels, and Kobo and Nook apps cut images off at about 500 pixels high.
Users can install popular free programs such as Calibre, which has an ereader that scrolls down as well as jumps from page to page. Unfortunately, Calibre cannot open DRMed ebooks. Ditto for Sigil.
So now the tablet, PC, or mobile user has to find an ereader app that will both open ADE files AND either does a better job of image handling or has a scroll function for viewing tall fixed-pixel images. By this time the user -- who has most likely purchased the book through Kobo, Nook, or Sony and is trying to read it on their app -- has said "screw this" AND is cursing the book publisher and vowing never to buy a DRMed book again. Or has gone instead to find an app to remove the DRM, again defeating the purpose.
Since the majority of tablets and all laptops have a screen width equal to or greater than 600 pixels, one can safely use a fixed image size for anything 600 pixels or less in width and not suffer the horrible uprezzing that occurs if one uses a "width=100%" value; and just leave mobile phone users to suffer.
But with tall images, it's not so simple. If ADE would just allow downward scrolling, the problem would be solved: one could safely use a fixed pixel value and let the laptop user scroll down through the image.
So why has Adobe missed such an obvious feature? And until ADE does a better job of image handling, its ereader will continue to be subpar. It's not good enough to assume most people have a dedicated ereading device; many are using tablets and it's as if Adobe is pretending these consumers do not exist.

Answer 1

I understand your frustration.  However, you're blaming the wrong things.
I don't think you understand a lot about ADE.  And I think you're confusing
much about the industry standards with what ADE does and is designed to
do.  Also, don't confuse ADE the epublication management software with DRM,
which is a set of specifications implemented by the Adobe Content Reader
software.  It's only a 'library management' application.
Let's look at your prime - perhaps only - point: 'oversize' images.  You
haven't told us what format the ebooks with these images are in, and I'm
going to guess that it's a .pdf, because many textbooks use that format.
ADE does not support some of the functions in the more advanced versions of
.pdf (see the HELP section for the specifics).  Neither do Amazon, SONY,
B&N and Apple.  That doesn't prevent a publisher from putting them out
there.  You can say that they should, because, after all, .pdf is an Adobe
format.  However, ADE was written in the 1990's, so its basic framework is
more than a dozen years old.  Lots of things change during that time.  The
latest version of Adobe Reader 'might' do the job for you.
Although old, Adobe hasn't kept ADE static.  ADE has embraced reader
software on tablets - Aldiko is the most popular.  But it doesn't support
most of them natively.  And it doesn't support all manner of other devices
- Apple's to be most obvious, but other Android powered devices also.  So,
ranting about what ADE 'should' do is probably not going to be productive -
it is what it is, and it's going to stay that way.
Yes, you can decide to 'eliminate' DRM protection - there are several
programs out in cyberspace that will do that.   And they all are helping
you break the law if you decide to do that.  But what does that
accomplish?  Not much, because there are better options.  If ADE isn't
doing it for you, try one of the other software suites that do the same
job.  Despite your comments, Calibre has a wide range of features that may
help your situation.  Bluefire Reader and Overdrive are the others I'd
suggest looking at.  If the ebooks are DRM-protected, each of these other
packages have implemented DRM protection according to the same rules that
Adobe used in ADE.  They have to - it's the way that the industry has
implemented copy protection.  Apple, SONY, B&N and Amazon have implemented
DRM differently, and their formats are not compatible with ADE.  However,
you can use them with their ereaders successfully.  I don't know, however,
whether they'll be any better at managing the images.  Try the latest
version of Adobe Reader if the texts are in .pdf format.  That might work
for you.
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