You not being able to read 1984 because of DRM isn't ironic.
But you not able to read the book, because of DRM, and then invoking some preconceived notion about 1984, to claim irony. About a book you can't read. That is ironic. And you won't know just how ironic until you read the book.
Having read it a long time ago I was having a hard time figuring out what's ironic about it, thanks for confirming I'm not forgetting something from the book.
I think OP was saying that a book that basically tells you to deny Big Brother, fuck the system, and think for yourself is being protected behind the system, in this case DRM
That's just my guess, though. Haven't honestly read 1984 since college
I might be wrong but isn’t a concern about DRM that it locks you into a specific ecosystem, which can spy on you? Sure, it’s not government surveillance, but I think that it’s still ironic.
Government surveillance is only what the zeitgeist has turned 1984 into. It isn't really the focus of the book. Sure, it's there, but it isn't the largest thing. The thing is, it's much better for the media to tell you that it's just about government surveillance rather than you actually learning what it's about, which is really also more what it's about. Now that's irony.
Not the easiest way(need to register, etc.), but I once cracked DRM on an e-book by using my old sony e-reader's software combined with adobe digital editions. I think my sony e-reader is too old to work with current DRM, so sony/adobe would allow you to convert it to a DRM free version.
Not only has DRM been cracked. It's possible to crack it using official software. Like someone complaining about piracy after chucking a copy of their movie on a torrent site.
Obviously, there are much easier ways. Or just pirate that shit after you've bought it.