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Rating: 
Summary: Misleading
Review: Hour 15: Protecting your PDF files is misleading.The author details all manner of ways in which you can supposedly restrict a PDF file from printing, editing, viewing, etc. Unfortunately, he is wrong: PDF files cannot be securely protected from printing, viewing, or editing. He writes, "[b]e aware that there are some unscrupulous software developers who are working on creating software that will 'crack' the default security features discussed earlier in this hour." (p 240) Sorry, but programs that can crack PDF files have existed since at least 1991 (their primary purpose isn't to crack PDFs, but it just so happens that they can). A sample chapter is posted on InformIT.com, which just so happens to be "protected" using his techniques from copying or printing. It only took me about 90 seconds to disable the protections (thanks to the DMCA, I can't legally tell you how I did it). Ironically, this chapter explains how to protect your PDFs.
Rating: 
Summary: This is really bad.
Review: I wasted my money and I'm not wasting any more time on this review. This is a very poor book. Don't buy it.
Rating:
Summary: "misleading" is misleading
Review: PDF files can be securely protected from viewing. What they cannot be protected from is the "print, copy-paste" style protection since the data can obviously be accessed. So it's virtually impossible for Adobe to deliver that. However, their protection from opening/viewing etc is *good*. General tip on finding out what can be cracked or not (file formats, hard disks on laptops etc): use Google or other search engine for software or services that crack or unlock the file or device you're interested in. Then read their caveats: whatever they excempt (e.g. "we cannot unlock thinkpad harddisks if...") is indicative of what's safe behavior/usage.
Rating:
Summary: "misleading" is misleading
Review: PDF files can be securely protected from viewing. What they cannot be protected from is the "print, copy-paste" style protection since the data can obviously be accessed. So it's virtually impossible for Adobe to deliver that. However, their protection from opening/viewing etc is *good*. General tip on finding out what can be cracked or not (file formats, hard disks on laptops etc): use Google or other search engine for software or services that crack or unlock the file or device you're interested in. Then read their caveats: whatever they excempt (e.g. "we cannot unlock thinkpad harddisks if...") is indicative of what's safe behavior/usage.
Rating: 
Summary: Great Book
Review: This book made it easy to understand how to make PDF files exactly as I need them from all sorts of programs. I learned so much about Acrobat that I never knew like how to combine documents and edit or add securtiy. It did not babble on about useless things like some books do.
Rating:
Summary: Exceptionally clear and easy to follow
Review: This book made it so easy for me to understand everything about Adobe Acrobat. The chapters on all the ways to create PDF files were perfect for what I needed. The person complaining about security is off-base and it sounds like he only read one chapter. They make it pretty clear that security isn't perfect, and they make it easy to understand ways to add expanded security when you need it.
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