Imagine Microsoft Controlling your world

[ssj6akshat]

Imagine Microsoft Contolling your world.

http://www.gnu.org/philosophy/right-to-read.html

[Icehuck]

Imagine Microsoft Contolling your world.


Ok,

My Xbox360 would be integrated into my TV and I would be able to use SYNC to switch the tracks that my stereo was playing. I could do all this while owning n00bs on Modern Warfare 2 and eating buffalo wings.

[BenAshton24]

They already do in many ways... for example, they irritate me everyday when I hear people talking in class, repeating the utter propaganda that they are force fed along with the rest word through Microsoft's inundation of poor ad campaigns and near sovereign arrogance.

That article was an interesting read and to make matters worse, very easy to imagine. It really makes you wanna head over to TBP and download some music/movies doesn't it :P

[Grenage]

That story was God-awful!

[BenAshton24]

Ok,

My Xbox360 would be integrated into my TV and I would be able to use SYNC to switch the tracks that my stereo was playing. I could do all this while owning n00bs on Modern Warfare 2 and eating buffalo wings.

no you couldn't! XBox360s were banned in 2049 when Microsoft recognised the potential of illicit tips/tutorial sharing. Also the few game networks remaining are scanned by Microsoft LTD and anyone found to be violating the NPA (Noob Protection Act) will be imprisoned for 5 years minimum sentence. Violations include: ownage, pwnage and all other derivatives of said words. The usage of "Noob ***" and any other words deemed offensive to the "Leet impaired" are also forbidden on pain of disconnection.

Thank you for your time.

[Icehuck]

no you couldn't! XBox360s were banned in 2049 when Microsoft recognised the potential of illicit tips/tutorial sharing. Also the few game networks remaining are scanned by Microsoft LTD and anyone found to be violating the NPA (Noob Protection Act) will be imprisoned for 5 years minimum sentence. Violations include: ownage, pwnage and all other derivatives of said words. The usage of "Noob ***" and any other words deemed offensive to the "Leet impaired" are also forbidden on pain of disconnection.

Thank you for your time.

So Microsoft banned their own hardware and communication network? That's like creating a bank and not allowing any banking whatsoever. It doesn't have to make sense, it's FREE!!! OMG!!!!111222222

[chillicampari]

...

That article was an interesting read and to make matters worse, very easy to imagine. It really makes you wanna head over to TBP and download some music/movies doesn't it :P

Huh?

[Dr Belka]

Huh?

I think he means TPB? maybe?

[chillicampari]

Nah- I get that part, I just don't understand why disliking Microsoft would make someone want to download a movie or music, it just seems really unrelated.

[openuniverse]

.

[clanky]

I live in a world half controlled by microsoft and half controlled by Linux.

I am the chief engineer of a ship where the machinery control system runs in Windows and the nav systems run in embedded Red Hat Linux, so "my world" for 6 months per year is literally controlled by MS and Linux and to be honest they both suck just as badly as each other.

Neither system is particularly stable (they may be considered stable in an office environment, but not in terms of systems where lives depend on them), both have issues with the OS and with the software running on them, both require time and effort that could be better spent actually running the ship to maintain and keep secure.

Both hate each other and do not integrate well, personally due to the lack of a decent machinery management system which runs well in Linux I would prefer to see both systems running in Windows as I know there are good nav systems which will run in windows, that at least would solve compatibility issues between the 2 systems.

[the yawner]

Ah yes, nowadays, I'm more scared of Google.

[mivo]

They already do in many ways... for example, they irritate me everyday when I hear people talking in class, repeating the utter propaganda that they are force fed along with the rest word through Microsoft's inundation of poor ad campaigns and near sovereign arrogance.

As opposed to baseless FUD like this and the far-off-reality beliefs that Stallman preaches? :) (For which he gets paid, by the way.) Microsoft-paranoia is so 1990s, really. Apple with their "grooming" of college students and Google with their omnipresence seem more worrisome to me.


It really makes you wanna head over to TBP and download some music/movies doesn't it :P

Except there wouldn't be commercial movies and music if everyone did that. Those of us who live on our own and have families have learned an important lesson about life: You can't eat ideologies, and they don't pay your bills.

[clanky]

As opposed to baseless FUD like this and the far-off-reality beliefs that Stallman preaches? :) (For which he gets paid, by the way.) Microsoft-paranoia is so 1990s, really. Apple with their "grooming" of college students and Google with their omnipresence seem more worrisome to me.



Except there wouldn't be commercial movies and music if everyone did that. Those of us who live on our own and have families have learned an important lesson about life: You can't eat ideologies, and they don't pay your bills.

This, all of it. For the first time ever I can honestly say that I regret the fact that UF has removed the thanks button, have a free internet instead.

[jwbrase]

As opposed to baseless FUD like this and the far-off-reality beliefs that Stallman preaches? :) (For which he gets paid, by the way.) Microsoft-paranoia is so 1990s, really. Apple with their "grooming" of college students and Google with their omnipresence seem more worrisome to me.

FUD and off-reality, probably. But baseless and *far*-off, no. And while Microsoft is the subject of the article in question, and a favorite scapegoat, what worries me are the trends in modern society that this is an example of. Bill Gates is not the Anti-Christ, and Microsoft is not going to take over the world, but the course the whole electronic content industry is taking (whether Apple, Google, Microsoft, Warner Bros, CNN, or whatever other boogeyman you're after) is deeply disturbing. It's not any spooky conspiracy, either. It's just what happens when you try applying pre-digital, pre-internet economic models to information in the Information Age.

And while I may not be as paranoid as Stallman as to what Microsoft is *going* to do, I still am outraged by what I see they *have* done.



Except there wouldn't be commercial movies and music if everyone did that.

Truly, my heart *bleeds* for the entertainment industry.

I'm morally opposed to violating copyright by downloading anything, and I like what they put out too little to be willing to violate the law or my morals, or waste my time, downloading any of it, but statements like the one quoted above are about the one thing that *could* motivate me to download anything illegally. (Except of course, for the fact that since I hardly give them any business anyways, losing my business to downloading is hardly a threat to them).

[pwnst*r]

Nah- I get that part, I just don't understand why disliking Microsoft would make someone want to download a movie or music, it just seems really unrelated.

it IS unrelated, but in their head any excuse to make yourself feel better about downloading something you have no intention of paying for is good, right? right?!

[mivo]

I'm morally opposed to violating copyright by downloading anything, and I like what they put out too little to be willing to violate the law or my morals, or waste my time, downloading any of it, but statements like the one quoted above are about the one thing that *could* motivate me to download anything illegally.

The morals you mentioned can't be very deeply rooted then if what others say or do could so easily cause you to go against them.

You missed my point, I think. People who "illegally" download music and movies are a non-issue as long as other people pay for entertainment. If they stopped paying, there wouldn't be any reason to make new movies, compose commercial music, etc. and pirates would no longer have anything to download.

Unlike the entertainment industry, I don't consider downloaded copies to be lost sales. Pirating is a little short sighted, though, if you do enjoy the materials, software, games, etc. that you pirate, and if you would otherwise have bought the entertainment goods (or some of them at least, which applies to a large number of pirates).

I don't understand why so many posters here find it somehow morally unsound to make money or to want to get paid for one's work. No one expects rent to be free, or food. I think a lot of people are constantly having financial problems and "not enough money" because they have such a negative attitude towards making money. You tend to get what you focus on, and if it's resentment toward those making money, you just won't make any and face more situations where you can feel disgruntled about those who are better off.

[Frak]

Ok,

My Xbox360 would be integrated into my TV and I would be able to use SYNC to switch the tracks that my stereo was playing. I could do all this while owning n00bs on Modern Warfare 2 and eating buffalo wings.

Do want.

[openuniverse]

.

[cascade9]

As opposed to baseless FUD like this and the far-off-reality beliefs that Stallman preaches? :) (For which he gets paid, by the way.) Microsoft-paranoia is so 1990s, really. Apple with their "grooming" of college students and Google with their omnipresence seem more worrisome to me.

Agreed on 'apple and google are more worrying' but microsoft isnt exactly the nicest company either, they are just more hamfisted than apple of google.

I dont think that story is FUD, myself. Maybe its a bit over the top, and to be honest, its badly written IMO, but its possible....and its something that lots of the boogeymen (thanks jwbrase) would like to see.

Already we have DVDs with warnings like (paraphrased)-

Prohibited activities include-
Copying- Does this include copying to my hdd? Anyway, I'm legally allowed to make backups....of CDs and software, I fail to see the difference between backing up music and backing up video.
Editing- OK, fair enough.
Exhibition- Depending on what thats defined as, it could be OK. If 'exhibition' includes have a few friends around to watch something, then no way is that fair.
Renting- I agree, you shouldn't be able to rent a DVD you've bought
Hiring- See above
Public Performance- See above
Broadcasting- See above
Exchanging- What? I cant exchange my DVD at 2nd hand music shops, with friends, whatever? Why ever not? As long as I haven't made a backup, or destroyed any backup I have, thats not right
Lending- I cant even lend a DVD to a friend? Lame.

If you applied that to books, and allowed a bit of leeway, and/or apply the 'give em an inch and they will take you a mile' rule, this is the sort of future that could happen.

[mivo]

the reason people feel bad about making money is that so many people do it so dishonestly, that they figure you can't make money without getting your hands equally dirty.

I disagree that "so many people" earn money dishonestly. I think that most people earn money fairly. I know a number of relatively well-off people, and a majority of them share the drive to make money, the determination to succeed, and the appreciation of money (or rather, the freedom it allows them). Some had visions and worked hard for them to come true, some were in the right place at the right time and also put in a lot of time and effort, others made sacrifices and dedicated their lives to their goals.

Certainly, there are wealthy drug dealers and other criminals. There are also poor drug dealers and other criminals. By far most rich people, who didn't inherit their wealth, have been working hard for it, and put effort into it.

Ubuntu is a good example what you can do with money. If Shuttleworth had not made so many millions from his work, there'd be no Ubuntu. There's nothing wrong with making or having money. Learn to love it and it will come to you. ;)

[openuniverse]

.

[ZankerH]

Little by little, without our even realizing it, we're in the nightmare DRM world. Imagine waking up today after last being conscious in 1995. What, you need to be connected to
the network to play games you purchased? What, the operating system limits the number of hardware changes you can make? What, you TV and speakers have DRM built-in?
What, operating systems won't load kernel-mode code unless it's been approved by the OS vendor? Our books can be deleted out from under us? That's preposterous. That's fiction.

No, this was the stuff of dystopian fiction 15 years ago. Now it's daily life. Who knows what restrictions we'll see in the next 15 years? Will you finally stop thinking those of us who decry DRM are just crying wolf?

[alphaniner]

I'm no fan of Stallman's but I thought it wasn't such a bad read. The only thing that I found especially questionable was


The university security policies described above are not imaginary. For example, a computer at one Chicago-area university displayed this message upon login:

This system is for the use of authorized users only. Individuals using this computer system without authority or in the excess of their authority are subject to having all their activities on this system monitored and recorded by system personnel. In the course of monitoring individuals improperly using this system or in the course of system maintenance, the activities of authorized user may also be monitored. Anyone using this system expressly consents to such monitoring and is advised that if such monitoring reveals possible evidence of illegal activity or violation of University regulations system personnel may provide the evidence of such monitoring to University authorities and/or law enforcement officials.

Isn't this essentially the default ssh login message?

[ZankerH]

I'm no fan of Stallman's but I thought it wasn't such a bad read. The only thing that I found especially questionable was



Isn't this essentially the default ssh login message?

No, the default login message is


Last login: $date from $address

[mivo]

What, you need to be connected to
the network to play games you purchased?

Twenty years ago, when I started a video game, it would ask me for a certain word in a certain row on a certain page of the manual that came with the game. Or it wanted me to use an included paper wheel, turn it to a specific position, get a code and enter it. If I lost the manual or the wheel, I couldn't play the game anymore. Point being, copy protection schemes are nothing new.

So today we no longer get proper manuals ;), but we often have to be connected to the net the first time we start a game. Unless it's an online game, it's usually a one-time affair. I don't particularly like online activation, but I go with the time, and I find this more convenient than having to deal with SecuROM or Starforce. Yes, the companies may fold, and yes, there are privacy concerns, but it's an informed decision I make.

I am not convinced that we need copy protection systems for games and other software, though I believe they address casual pirating among buddies in a small way. But as long as the industry feels the need for them, online activation is less of a hassle than some of the alternatives.

[alphaniner]

No, the default login message is


Last login: $date from $address

Well that was constructive. :roll:

So I don't know what to call it, but there is a message built in to sshd that strongly resembles the quote used in the article.

[alphaniner]

Twenty years ago, when I started a video game, it would ask me for a certain word in a certain row on a certain page of the manual that came with the game. Or it wanted me to use an included paper wheel, turn it to a specific position, get a code and enter it. If I lost the manual or the wheel, I couldn't play the game anymore. Point being, copy protection schemes are nothing new.

Oh, man, you've gotten me all nostalgic. I had forgotten about those days. There used to be a few stores that rented software, too.

[ZankerH]

I am not convinced that we need copy protection systems for games and other software, though I believe they address casual pirating among buddies in a small way. But as long as the industry feels the need for them, online activation is less of a hassle than some of the alternatives.

And yet several gaming companies are doing just fine without any kind of DRM (ex: Paradox Interactive, Introversion Software). What you refer to as piracy (the correct, non-marketing term is "software copyright infringment", and has nothing at all to do with stealing stuff on the high seas) is obviously not hurting them at all. The companies that do implement DRM do so for no real reason other than to infringe on people's privacy rights - they probably lose a lot more money for the DRM implementation than they do from people who would otherwise have bought the game downloading it.

[alexfish]

Imagine Microsoft Contolling your world.

http://www.gnu.org/philosophy/right-to-read.html


as regards human rights and where the BBC stands at the momoment / and understanding what the BBC stands for

I read this

http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/6236612.stm

at present the BBC has an obligation to provide support for linux , apple as well as microsoft, this at present

its what we call a level playing field

how long will this remain in the future I can only guess !

the are talks /and rumours of part of the revenues for the BBC been divided

between independant broadcasters

I can presume what may happen , but a level playing field not

anyway on a lighter note ,,its my money and can choose where I spend it

[mivo]

And yet several gaming companies are doing just fine without any kind of DRM (ex: Paradox Interactive, Introversion Software).

Paradox Interactive creates games for a niche market, and their titles are so complex that you really need and want the manual. The games appeal to an audience that isn't all that likely to pirate software, and it is an audience likely to play the games for a long time (also an older audience). Introversion Software is a small company without major titles and only low-cost games.

I do not believe, or ever said, that software piracy equals stealing. In fact, I have been flamed many times for stating that it has nothing to do with theft because no property changes hands, meaning no one loses something they had before. I also do not believe that every downloaded copy is a lost sale.

But I'm also not naive to believe that software piracy doesn't hurt the developer. In some cases it is well deserved (shovelware without demo versions and no right to take back a game to the store, which needs to be addressed legally at some point in time, because it's quite ridiculous), but most decent and popular games do suffer from piracy. Some companies, like Ironlore, went down because too many just downloaded their stuff.

Many publishers and studios stopped making games for the PC and focus on the console. Besides the luxury of every gamer having the same hardware, pirating console games is also harder. If it is not, like for the Sony PSP before the latest model, see what happens to software sales vs. other systems and especially vs. hardware sales (hardware sales increased while software sales dropped!). Dreamcast is another example.

[cascade9]

Many publishers and studios stopped making games for the PC and focus on the console. Besides the luxury of every gamer having the same hardware, pirating console games is also harder. If it is not, like for the Sony PSP before the latest model, see what happens to software sales vs. other systems and especially vs. hardware sales (hardware sales increased while software sales dropped!). Dreamcast is another example.

You've got to be joking. Even on the PS3 there are mod chips, and its easier to play pirated games on modchipped ps3s/xbox 360s than it is on a PC. Wiis are so easy to mod that its not funny.

The mod chips arent just for piracy. I know a few people that have modchipped PS3s so they can play (legally bought) games from Japan and the US. True, modding ps3s is not common, but it is done, more than most people would guess.

[ticopelp]

Imagine this giant straw man. And now it's burning... it's burning!

[Simian Man]

I can't believe that Communications of the ACM actually published this drivel...

[phrostbyte]

We were very close to a future like this, especially in the late 90s. This is about ubiquitous DRM and laws like the DMCA which criminalizes interfering with DRM, no matter what it does to your computer. This story is as much about the RIAA/MPAA/BSA as it is Microsoft. As they are were all strong proponents of DRM.

The FSF also has a site Defective By Design (http://www.defectivebydesign.org/), that is an anti-DRM advocacy group. DRM was not really synonymous with evil until the FSF got involved. I think they had a lot to do with the recent trend of unDRMing things (eg iTunes).

[mivo]

You've got to be joking. Even on the PS3 there are mod chips, and its easier to play pirated games on modchipped ps3s/xbox 360s than it is on a PC. Wiis are so easy to mod that its not funny.

It is much easier to pirate a game for the PC because downloading it is all it requires. Yes, once you have a modded console it's just as easy, but you have to get a modchip (mostly sold only online) and/or have someone mod the console for you. It also costs money. A PC doesn't require any hardware changes, expenses or special effort. You just torrent the game and you can play.

I'm not saying pirating console games is hard. It's just harder than pirating PC games, and a large number of console owners are young and don't have an easy time to get a modchip (or a credit card).

[alphaniner]

DRM was not really synonymous with evil until the FSF got involved.

You might want to choose your wording more carefully...:P

[phrostbyte]

You might want to choose your wording more carefully...:P

Really?

I think DRM has become an evil thing in the minds of a massive amount of people, unpopular enough that even organizations who really like DRM were compelled to stop using it on a wide variety of media.

And yes I think the FSF was the responsible party. Such terminology like "digital restrictions management (DRM)", "defective by design", to refer to something with DRM is being "infected" by DRM. FSF knows the power of words. So they twisted what the media companies invented to be in "positive" terms (eg "digital rights", "protection") into negative terms and I think they were successful.

The opposite argument (eg. "think of the artists!") argument is largely ideological. Well me personally, I have the ideological argument of "think of a world where all the world's information is accessible to all the world's people". We can have this world tomorrow if we abolish copyright.

[cascade9]

It is much easier to pirate a game for the PC because downloading it is all it requires. Yes, once you have a modded console it's just as easy, but you have to get a modchip (mostly sold only online) and/or have someone mod the console for you. It also costs money. A PC doesn't require any hardware changes, expenses or special effort. You just torrent the game and you can play.

I'm not saying pirating console games is hard. It's just harder than pirating PC games, and a large number of console owners are young and don't have an easy time to get a modchip (or a credit card).

Download, find a crack, hope its not rootkitted, hope it works, sod around with keygens...no-where near as easy as to get a chip shoved into a ps3/xbox, and more risky. The cracks for PC games are so nasty that they are probably giving me more "arghhh, fix my PC" business than even porn sites + IE + windows firewall give me.

No idea how hard it is to get modchips done where you are mivo, but I can imagine that every major city in the US and Europe would have places to get modchipping done. I know of several individuals and one shop (I think theres 2-3 shops but I'm not 100% sure about that) just where I am. Either drop your console off at the store, or ring up and get it picked up, or even 'we come to you and install it at your place'. Last I checked it was about the cost of 1 game, so its not a huge expense. You dont need a credit card, they take cold, hard cash ;)

Thats just modchips for xbox 360/ps3, for the wii...well, I wont go into details but lets just say all you need is access to a net connection and a SD card. ;)

You can get the modchips online, but seriously, its a very fiddly job, lots of fine soldering, so its not something that many people even can do. Besides a lot of consoles are a right pain to get open. Thats why I'm certain that there will be modchippers in every major city..and probably most of the minor ones as well. If your not 'in the know' then it might seem hard, but the 'service' (LOL) is out there.

BTW, I live with a wii, and havent felt the need to mod it. Its not mine, dont play many console games...but when the DVD player with USB and .avi playing capabilities dies, cause its going to soon, I'm going to get asked to mod to the wii to put geexbox on it.

Edit- you should be able to get them done anywhere, if your in the know see here (scroll down to "We Now Have Clients in the Following Countries")-

http://www.blade.cc/faqs/ordering-faqs.htm

[openuniverse]

.

[alphaniner]

Really?

You missed my point. The statement was ambiguous at best. Even knowing the context, the choice of words makes it seem like you are vilifying the FSF. I thought it would be immediately apparent when I quoted it. Apparently not, and I don't mean to be a grammar Nazi, so carry on.

[phrostbyte]

You missed my point. The statement was ambiguous at best. Even knowing the context, the choice of words makes it seem like you are vilifying the FSF. I thought it would be immediately apparent when I quoted it. Apparently not, and I don't mean to be a grammar Nazi, so carry on.

But I am not an English expert and I don't claim to be. Maybe it's not the best grammar, but I ment: "DRM = evil, when FSF got involved".

I guess it be constructed as a negative thing about the FSF if one really likes DRM. :)

[jwbrase]

The morals you mentioned can't be very deeply rooted then if what others say or do could so easily cause you to go against them.

I think you missed the undercurrent of sarcasm running through my statement.

I threw in another statement in parentheses directly after what you quoted: "(Except of course, for the fact that since I hardly give them any business anyways, losing my business to downloading is hardly a threat to them)."



You missed my point, I think. People who "illegally" download music and movies are a non-issue as long as other people pay for entertainment.

I did not miss that point. My hyperbole just fell flat.


If they stopped paying, there wouldn't be any reason to make new movies, compose commercial music, etc. and pirates would no longer have anything to download.

Unlike the entertainment industry, I don't consider downloaded copies to be lost sales. Pirating is a little short sighted, though, if you do enjoy the materials, software, games, etc. that you pirate, and if you would otherwise have bought the entertainment goods (or some of them at least, which applies to a large number of pirates).

I agree, but given my opinion of the entertainment industry, the idea of them being destroyed by short-sighted fans doesn't arouse great feelings of sympathy for them...



I don't understand why so many posters here find it somehow morally unsound to make money or to want to get paid for one's work. No one expects rent to be free, or food.

But I do expect rent and food of a quality commensurate with the price I'm paying, and without any strings attached, which both the entertainment industry and the commercial software industry generally fail to provide, despite that that's what I expect from them.

But somehow the FOSS industry manages to produce "free rent" and "free food" despite the fact that nobody expects it from them.

Who do you think people are going to like more: The people that perform below expectations and manage to stay in the market through sheer economic and legal bullying, or the people that perform above expectations? I've found honest for-profit software ventures before that provided quality software, and I've paid them for it. I've even paid Microsoft for a title or two, though I'd never call them honest or trust them as far as I could throw them. But I'm using more and more FOSS, because it's easy to get, cheap to get, often (not always) competitive with or superior to equivalent proprietary software, often *has* no competing proprietary software, and the licenses are generally short, understandable, and agreeable enough that you don't have to lie to click the "I have read, understand, and agree to the terms of this license".

[DeadSuperHero]

Eh, it can't be as bad as IBM running the world.

*ducks*

But seriously, the horrible reality of life is that many corporations run the world already. Especially in the United States, lobbying exists in obscene volumes. Corporations buy up all these little companies and integrate them. Ever since accountants and bookkeepers were put under legal protection, corporations have decided to pay them top dollar to fib on the returns and tell them where to put the expenses of top executives so that it goes unnoticed from the shareholders.

You want vendor lock-in? Go to Olive Garden. Everything there is produced and sold by General Mills. Microsoft may have a series of products, but none of it completely circles around your lifestyle and vitality quite like that of oligopolies.

[Bachstelze]

Imagine Microsoft Contolling your world.

http://www.gnu.org/philosophy/right-to-read.html

Google is much closer to this right now.

[BenAshton24]

Nah- I get that part, I just don't understand why disliking Microsoft would make someone want to download a movie or music, it just seems really unrelated.

Did you even read the article? It's all about sharing becoming unthinkable & thus it makes one feel inclined to fight the current restrictions on sharing... and yes I did mean TPB

[chillicampari]

Did you even read the article? It's all about sharing becoming unthinkable & thus it makes one feel inclined to fight the current restrictions on sharing... and yes I did mean TPB

Yes, I did read it, but the jump you are talking about seems misdirected. If the postal carrier loses my mail, why would I get angry with the gas station attendant over it?

[BuffaloX]

Little by little, without our even realizing it, we're in the nightmare DRM world. Imagine waking up today after last being conscious in 1995. What, you need to be connected to
the network to play games you purchased? What, the operating system limits the number of hardware changes you can make? What, you TV and speakers have DRM built-in?
What, operating systems won't load kernel-mode code unless it's been approved by the OS vendor? Our books can be deleted out from under us? That's preposterous. That's fiction.

No, this was the stuff of dystopian fiction 15 years ago. Now it's daily life. Who knows what restrictions we'll see in the next 15 years? Will you finally stop thinking those of us who decry DRM are just crying wolf?
You are absolutely right, not to mention simple copyright infringement may destroy your life. USA want the ACTA agreement to include very serious penalties for any copyright infringement, disregarding the seriousness of the infringement, to scare people from doing it.
All USA strategies regarding ACTA, is to "protect" the industry. It contains nothing about users rights, artists or any other interests, it's only about protecting IP rights of industries.


Eh, it can't be as bad as IBM running the world.

*ducks*


You are probably right, that could easily have been much worse.
On the other hand IBM's attempt to get back control of the PC market, was clumsy and rejected by the market.

Microsoft's methods are much more subtle, and has been much more successful.

[ssj6akshat]

I can't imagine my books being deleted right under my nose.I Love Reading Books.

[frenchn00b]

Imagine Microsoft Contolling your world.

http://www.gnu.org/philosophy/right-to-read.html

it would be disaster and decline of human race to dinosaurs

[Dr. C]

that's so 90's. i worry more about google taking up-kilts with Google Shoecam, and amazon erasing our kindles. oh, except that amazon has been pretty dead to me ever since then, and while bezos' apology was remarkable and seemed extraordinarily off the cuff, i won't accept anything short of him declaring war on drm. then i will go back and all is forgiven. (he really needs to rename that stupid thing though.)

This is a very valid story about the evils of DRM and the likes of reader / user control by big copyright. Since the turn of the century it is perfectly legitimate to bash Microsoft over DRM. Windows Vista / 7 being the perfect examples.

In the 1990's however bashing Microsoft over DRM would have made no sense at all. In fact one way to avoid the evils of DRM during the late 1980's and the 1990's was to purchase Microsoft products. Microsoft turned to the dark side over DRM in a big way after the passage of the DMCA in the US in 1998 and first products to be impacted were Windows ME (support for Audio DRM) and Windows XP / Office XP (product activation and a creeping DRM support) The real evil became apparent in Windows Vista. But where for example is the DRM in Windows NT4 or in Windows 3.1?

[alexfish]

it would be disaster and decline of human race to dinosaurs


Never a truer statement


this really sums it up

[cascade9]

In the 1990's however bashing Microsoft over DRM would have made no sense at all. In fact one way to avoid the evils of DRM during the late 1980's and the 1990's was to purchase Microsoft products. Microsoft turned to the dark side over DRM in a big way after the passage of the DMCA in the US in 1998 and first products to be impacted were Windows ME (support for Audio DRM) and Windows XP / Office XP (product activation and a creeping DRM support) The real evil became apparent in Windows Vista. But where for example is the DRM in Windows NT4 or in Windows 3.1?

DRM in the 1980s? o.O Err.....Windows Media DRM was introduced in 1999, so its pretty hard for it to appear before that. True, there was no DRM before that (ell, apart from macrovision for VHS tapes, and DVD CSS from 1996)

While there wasnt any DRM in windows pre-1999, 'buying microsoft products' was NOT a way to avoid DRM. Who started the whole 'DRM for computers' ball rolling? Microsoft. If redmond had of said 'no way, you can keep your filthy DRM' then I would bet that DRM on computers would be limited to a few nightmares of a certain Mr. R. Stallman.