Topic: DRM specs on WinTel's new VIIV/Media Center Edition Vista nightmare

[The Postman]

My cousin sent this to me:

READ THIS!  It will try to hit us all.  Anytime you see "EF" substitute "VIIV", as Intel hadn't come up with the "VIIV" name when this was written:
 
http://www.theinquirer.net/?article=24638
 
 
Then read this recent follow-up article:
 
http://www.theinquirer.org/?article=29849
 
 
Granted, Charlie's a little upset and sarcastic here, but that doesn't make his points any less valid.

[Nemesis]

Its not just intel.  I posted the following in Hot and Spicey:

Link to full article

DRM customers are already locked into a single vendor: A DRM-restricted Word document can only be read by Word (not OO.org, WordPerfect or Writely), just as a DRM-restricted iTunes download can only be played on an iPod. Present versions of Word and iTunes still let customers escape by using the Windows clipboard or a CD burner, but that capability can be removed at any time.

This has some interesting effects.

1/ The copyright owners have total control over what they have copyright over.  No fair use.  Copyright effectively never expires.

2/ Once the copyright owner stops paying for verification you can no longer use the copy that you bought and own.  If this was already in use SFC would be dead. 

3/ The corporations get your fingerprint. 

4/ Copyright holders (and the intermediaries that handle validation) get detailed per person usage stats.  "Sorry you have played SFC as many times as you paid for please pay for a new subscription".

5/ You can only switch software (without losing your data) with the consent of the company that controlls that software.

You won't actually be buying materials with copyrights any more you will be subscribing to them with total control in the hands of the company who owns the copyrights.   

Trusted computing was presented as a means to fight spyware, viruses and other forms of malware.  Now those who objected to this from the beginning on the grounds that it is aimed at the user of the products not attackers are being shown to be right.

[Bonk]

Use notepad. (or xywrite or vim or...)

[Commander Maxillius]

Use notepad. (or xywrite or vim or...)

..or openoffice.  Who cares about DRM word documents.  If company A uses word and company B uses wordperfect, xywrite, and openoffice, and A and B need to be able to read each other's stuff, and B is more powerful and without B, A will fold, then by golly A will stop using Word.

Also, I have a distro of Mandrake Linux 10.0 Community edition that came on 3 CDs that I'll burn copies of and mail to whoever wants them.  The only thing better than an entire productivity pack is a FREE productivity pack.  With 30 screensavers.  And 30 games.  And 6 Desktop environments.  Yeah, get in touch if you're interested