"As Vista's deployment ramps up, news has begun to circulate that its highly regarded Protected Media Path has been defeated. The Protected Media Path is an array of Digital Rights Management technologies that allows 'premium content' to be 'enjoyed' by the consumer. The individual that has been labeled responsible for this feat is Alex Ionescu. Alex Ionescu is highly experienced and talented programmer whose primary work concentrates on the community-based ReactOS project. ReactOS is an open source operating system based on the Windows architecture. To get a better understanding of his work, Slyck.com interviewed Alex who dispelled many of the myths surrounding his work, while also providing insight into his accomplishments."
To read all comments associated with this story, please click here.
Member since:2005-11-13
Remember that by running Vista, you are actively supporting the companies who utilise these anti-consumer measures, and by running Vista you are agreeing to let them continue doing so.
Alright, so you tell me which one is worse:
- Person A buys Vista, but doesn't purchase any DRM'd content by the RIAA/MPAA
- Person B boycotts Vista in order to stick it to 'the man', but then goes out and buys a Playstation 3 (includes a Blu-Ray player) and/or and Xb0x 360 with the HD-DVD addon, and a buttload of movies to go along with it
A quote from the article:
This hardware requirement has infuriated consumers across the globe, as Microsoft has stated the movie and music industry have demanded this level of protection. However, it appears that no one has offered any advocacy on behalf of the consumer
So why doesn't the consumer do their own advocacy by voting with their damn wallets, instead of expecting others to do the work for them? If you want to boycott something, then boycott the entertainment industry.
Edited 2007-02-02 15:01
Member since:2005-07-06
Member since:2005-07-09
Member since:2006-08-02
So why doesn't the consumer do their own advocacy by voting with their damn wallets, instead of expecting others to do the work for them? If you want to boycott something, then boycott the entertainment industry.
Or you can boycott all DRM which means if, like me, you consider WPA and WGA as a form of DRM you can boycott Vista too.
Member since:2005-07-06
Why say no to Vista? how about an easier way - just say no to DRM music - thats what I have done; I don't purchase music via the internet because of DRM and the low quality; as I've said in the past, until they come out with DRM-free FLAC encoded music, I'll stick to purchasing music cds that are unencumbered by DRM and the likes.
Same goes for a mirade of other things that are out there, that will utilise DRM and the secure path; I've said this once and say it again, what is BlueRay/HD-DVD actually bringing to the media world besides bigger storage? have these media companies ever thought about purging their DVD's of that free behind the scenes crap to free up space?
I'll be purchasing Vista along with Office 2007, but I won't be purchasing any of the DRM music or videos - I hardly think that Microsoft should be punished for the decisions of the media company; did Microsoft have a choice? sure, if they wanted to lose out to a rival, and for the management team to lose their jobs for making what the shareholders would consider an irresponsible business decision.
It is YOU the consumer that decide whether DRM succeeds by whether YOU purchase DRM encumbered media - only YOU have that power; Microsoft may provide the DRM facilities for media companies, but it still rests on us the consumer to decide whether or not to purchase the said media.
Member since:2006-10-10
Member since:2006-03-12
Member since:2005-06-29
@Kroc
I never get pissed off. I am treated like a criminal...
LOL I am kidding. I always thought that phrase was retarded at best.
I don't use DRM (except for DVDs) because I don't buy online songs. Nor any media content. I never buy medialess stuff. And I makes sure people never do. IMO this is a place where the government should intervene and set a standard for medialess goods. But then we'd be removing rights/freedoms from companies like Apple. And that's wrong.
But I respect DRM. It's the content providers right. We should respected what they need. People who are against DRM have no right to impose themselves on content providers. When we do, we're no better then the average bully. People who download songs they haven't bought put themselves at risk. They know what they're doing isn't legal. They didn't pay for that media. It's called being a freeloader. DRM that is inefficient will get removed from the market. It's the natural way of life.
But I will get Vista. Because it's better then XP and it runs all my stuff. And that is what I want. DRM won't affect me one bit. Nor remove my rights. lol
Member since:2006-04-14
It is interesting to note that there has been recent news to the effect that content providers are starting to re-assess the use of DRM on medialess content due to the lagging sales of same. We'll see...
I also never buy medialess content, and really don't expect to change my position on this anytime soon.
Member since:2005-07-06
I was about to answer your post with a long tedious message that slowly turns your "I don't buy media/DVD/etc, so I don't care about DRM and DRM doesn't affect me" argument into dust but then I saw your last sentense... "Nor remove my rights lol" - which left me with one question.
How old are you? *
- Gilboa
* Reason for asking question: I don't waste time on 13 y/o that spend their days starting flame wars.
Edited 2007-02-02 23:33
Member since:2005-07-06
... In case the "LOL" part was an honest mistake.
I'm a Linux developer. I will use Vista (as a development platform) but it will always run on emulated hardware (Xen, vmware) in a secure sandbox.
In short, I'm the last man on earth to care about DRM.
However, I -should- care.
Why?
Because DRM will force my LCD display manufacturer to include useless (customer wise) HDCP connector on my next LCD - increasing the price by a few percent.
DRM will also force my next audio or graphics card manufacturer to include DRM support hardware that will increase the complexity of Windows Vista drives by an order of magnitude - increasing the price of the hardware yet again.
... and while I couldn't care less about the stability Vista drivers, having a DRM enable hardware will most likely reduce the chances of having an open source driver to zero and will double complexity of the binary Linux drivers (which, given the added DRM work-load, will be less likely).
In short:
I will pay more for my next LCD display.
I will pay more for my next sound card.
I will pay more for my next video card.
And in return, I will get:
Less performance. (DRM enabled hardware will require DRM enable drivers - even under Linux [E.g. bus encryption])
Less stability. (DRM enable hardware and software is bound to be buggier)
Less support. (No OSS drivers. Less binary blob drivers)
If you think DRM doesn't effect you because "I don't use DRM (except for DVDs) because I don't buy online songs. Nor any media content. * I never buy medialess stuff"... *
Think again.
- Gilboa
* You assume that in 5 years you will find anything that's not DRM infected. (OS, Software, hardware, media, etc). Somehow, that term "naive" seems like an understatement right about now.
Edited 2007-02-03 00:02
Member since:
2005-11-10
Remember every time you're pissed off that the RIAA has sued somebody's dead friend / mother / cat. Remember every time you're pissed off that Sony are screwing you over with DRM at every corner. Remember every time you're pissed off with Starforce and not being able to play your own games.
Remember that by running Vista, you are actively supporting the companies who utilise these anti-consumer measures, and by running Vista you are agreeing to let them continue doing so.
Say no to buying all new hardware just because DRM told you so. Say no to non-revolutionary technologies that only seek to make you repurchase all your existing media over again.
Say No to Vista.