I have a PDF document (from the British Library via interlibrary loan) which is password protected via some sort of remote validation of the password. I tried to open it on Ubuntu 14.04, which failed.
It seems that the ADE (Adobe Digital Edition) is needed and not available for Linux. I will report on the problem and some attempted solutions.
The Problem:
- Acroread (version 9.5.5) opens with a message "you need to be connected to the Internet" (which I am) and closes immediately.
- Evince (version 3.10.3) asks for a password and has a console error "Syntax Error: Couldn't find the 'Adobe.APS' security handler". I suspect I am missing this "security handler".
What the instructions for the PDF say:
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Can I read my documents on a different PC than the PC I downloaded it to?
Yes, as long as the PC is activated with the same Adobe ID as the first PC you opened the document on. When you click your link, you are sent an acsm file which is a 'key' to download the PDF file from our servers. This acsm file is not the document itself. It can however be saved onto a memory stick and transferred to another PC for use. As with FileOpen, the other PC needs to have Internet connectivity. We would advise you not to take this approach and to simply click on the link you were sent on the other PCs on which you wish to open the document (remembering they must be activated with the same Adobe ID).
Attempted Solutions:
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My Acroread may be missing a suitable plugin (I found generic suggestions of this kind), but I cannot see which one this should be nor where and how to add it to my Acrobat Reader.
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http://www.avilpage.com/2014/10/how-to-install-adobe-digital-editions.html suggests installing the Windows emulator Wine and then installing ADE1.7 as a Windows program on Ubuntu. The emulation of ADE1.7 works but does not recognize this remote-validation of the PDF.
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The next-higher version, Wine ADE_3.0_Installer.exe from
https://appdb.winehq.org/objectManager.php?sClass=application&iId=6326,
does not work on my Ubuntu system, which means the Wine program is insufficient.
Best Answer
First download version 8 of Adobe Reader in your language from the archived ftp site (version 9 does not work):
ftp://ftp.adobe.com/pub/adobe/reader/unix/8.x/8.1.7/
Then download FileOpen plugin for Linux:
http://plugin.fileopen.com/
After extracting the archive, install using
commandline_installer.sh(open terminal, navigate to folder, type./commandline_installer.sh) or copy theFileOpen.AR7.apiandFileOpen.AR8.apifiles to the Reader plugin folder with:You should hopefully then be able to open the file.