Digital Archive Not Accessible

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11 December 2020 at 12:47 #92646
Chris E
Participant
@chrise
I have a subscription to the digital archive but I cannot read any issues prior to March 2019 because they require Adobe Flash player.

Due to security issues this is not supported by Firefox and it will not be supported by Microsoft Windows etc from 1 Jan 2021 (3 weeks away). It won't just be not supported but will be blocked

Microsoft Flash Player Blocking Link

The pre March 2019 issues of the archive need converting to allow continued access for Windows users. As the change is due to concerns about the awful security problems of Adobe flash player this is not optional.

I understand this has already been done for the RCM&E archive but I might be wrong.

Edited By Chris E on 11/12/2020 13:11:37
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11 December 2020 at 12:47 #8492
Chris E
Participant
@chrise
14 December 2020 at 12:55 #92688
Chris E
Participant
@chrise
As nobody here has picked this up I have emailed the editor (for want of anyone else) and she has referred it to someone who will hopefully sort it out.
18 December 2020 at 10:00 #92752
Chris E
Participant
@chrise
I have had a reply that they hope to have it sorted by January. Fingers crossed.

This is not a Covid delay as the advise not to use Adobe Flash Player has been around officially for over 12 months and unofficially for much longer..
18 December 2020 at 11:03 #92753
Francis Macnaughton
Participant
@francismacnaughton39461
Thanks Chris for following this up and like you fingers crossed
18 December 2020 at 11:49 #92754
Colin Bishop
Moderator
@colinbishop34627
Yes Chris, thanks for sharing.

Colin
18 December 2020 at 11:56 #92755
Chris Fellows
Participant
@chrisfellows72943
That's good news. I did mention this awhile back on another thread but got no response. It shouldn't really be subscribers who have to highlight this type of technical issue. As said it's been known about for sometime. Problems due to Covid accepted.

Chris
18 December 2020 at 14:28 #92756
Colin Bishop
Moderator
@colinbishop34627
Actually, having done a bit of digging I'm not too sure about this. Apparently converting the files will be an expensive job and hard to justify given the amount of use made of them.

As far as MTM is concerned I can't find any reference in the RCME forum but there is a topic on the Model Engineer Forum which suggests that it might not happen but the last post was a while back.

**LINK**

I suppose we shall have to wait and see.

From around 2008 PDF files were created for each issue to send to the printers and these no doubt still exist. Whether it is possible to use these as a base for viewing the back issues remains to be seen. I believe there are ways of displaying PDF filesas images so that they are effectively read only. Also, Pocket Mags presumably have copies too as they will sell you individual issues.. Even if there is a technical solution there will still be piracy and copyright issues.

Colin
18 December 2020 at 14:56 #92757
Chris Fellows
Participant
@chrisfellows72943
Hmmm, part of the reason for me subscribing to Print + Digital was for accessing old editions!

Chris
18 December 2020 at 15:37 #92758
Colin Bishop
Moderator
@colinbishop34627
The original digital reader software used by MTM was a lot better than the present one. It had the incredibly useful facility of being able to do a global word search through all the issues in the archive which made it really easy to find particular articles or references. The download facilities were better too. But I think it was more expensive and MTM were concerned about piracy.

Colin
18 December 2020 at 17:41 #92759
The Long Build
Participant
@thelongbuild
May be wrong but I though the Digital issue really only gives you access to the issues you have received since a Dig Sub was taken out, if you view via Pocket Mags that is all you will see, The facility here will allow viewing back to Around 2007 but I thought that was more a perk than anything.

As Regards Piracy, I would have thought that the time and effort to Copy / print around 80 pages, less if you take the adds out is hardly worth it?. Especially when there over 2.5k on a well known site.
18 December 2020 at 18:04 #92760
Colin Bishop
Moderator
@colinbishop34627
Larry,

I think the concern was that people might rip off the digital copies and sell them as computer files but I agree that it hardly seems worth it for a low circulation magazine. However at the time there were around 16 titles in the MTM stable and now there are only 8.

Colin
18 December 2020 at 18:26 #92761
Chris E
Participant
@chrise
Larry

A digital subscriber gets access to all back issues 2004-current issues. Some can be downloaded and some can only be put up on screen. This is a good reason to want a digital subscription.

I guess that is why they are so worried about piracy.

I think that you can download new issues but I am not due for one yet!

Edited By Chris E on 18/12/2020 18:35:02
18 December 2020 at 18:59 #92762
The Long Build
Participant
@thelongbuild
Hi Chris

Yes on here you do, But if MB Forum site ever closed you would lose everything.

On Pocket Mags You only get access to when your Subscription Started, or at least I do. you can download them on to your pc on Pocket mags so you can view offline but you try to find the file !!.

Also if you can see back to 2004 I am Impressed as mine only goes back to 2007.

Regards

Larry

Edited By The Long Build on 18/12/2020 19:11:21
18 December 2020 at 19:35 #92763
Colin Bishop
Moderator
@colinbishop34627
The files were only digitised from 2007.

Colin
18 December 2020 at 23:17 #92766
Chris E
Participant
@chrise
If they don't convert the files from 2007 I will very much feel that I have been cheated.

My email stated that they hoped to have them available before January and I expect them to honour that. I trust that they will.
19 December 2020 at 10:01 #92768
Chris E
Participant
@chrise
The actual words from my email:

" Thank you for your email, please be assured that I am working through this as fast as I can to get everything up and running on the new platform before January. "
19 December 2020 at 10:35 #92769
Charles Oates
Participant
@charlesoates31738
Chris, thanks for raising this issue, the access to back issues is an important part of the digital subscription for me.

I think the clear reply that the problem is being sorted out, that you copied on here is reassuring, although I don't envy the person who has to convert all those magazines. I'm patient enough to not worry if they aren't all done by January 1st, as long as it's being done.

Charles.
19 December 2020 at 10:54 #92770
Colin Bishop
Moderator
@colinbishop34627
Who was the email from Chris?

Colin
19 December 2020 at 14:13 #92773
Chris E
Participant
@chrise
Posted by Colin Bishop on 19/12/2020 10:54:04:

Who was the email from Chris?

Colin

Colin – you have a message.

email from

Beth Ashby-Njiiri

Subscriptions Executive

Edited By Chris E on 19/12/2020 14:35:40
23 December 2020 at 11:33 #92831
Chris E
Participant
@chrise
Colin

Did you pursue this and find out anything?
23 December 2020 at 12:07 #92834
Colin Bishop
Moderator
@colinbishop34627
I have emailed Beth but no reply yet. I suspect a number of MTM staff are not working full time at the moment. If I hear something I will post it otherwise there is nothing more I can do.

Colin
1 January 2021 at 08:34 #92955
Chris E
Participant
@chrise
They have missed the Jan 1 promised changeover to something other than Flash Player. As this is now unsupported and is not on my computer at all I am hoping that something happens soon. Hopefully as Monday is the beginning of a normal week something might happen then.
1 January 2021 at 10:48 #92959
Charles Oates
Participant
@charlesoates31738
That doesn't seem very fair Chris. I've just re read the reply you got, it said they were doing everything they could to get it up and running, not a promise. Also note that flash support doesn't finish untill 12 January, source for that is adobe themselves. My magazines are still working perfectly this morning. I think we need to cut them some slack, not be over ready to berate a small number of people doing their best in difficult times.

Charles.
1 January 2021 at 10:58 #92962
Chris E
Participant
@chrise
OK – promised might be a little strong.

Flash is going to be removed from Windows computers 13 Jan but it is unsupported now and it has been recommended that you remove it from your computer for a long time (12 months?)

If you can see the October 2019 and previous issues from the digital archive you are still running Adobe Flash which it is strongly recommended that you should not be doing.

Adobe Flash End of Life
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