[CS-FSLUG] NI: Is open DRM possible, or even desirable?

[Nathan T.]

I share Don's sentiment although probably for different reasons. DRM
is hardly limited to making piracy difficult and making sure that
"unsafe" code isn't run on some unsuspecting user's computer, there
are already example of it being used today to rip off unsuspecting
consumers.

Some laptops made today lock out hardware, whether there are drivers
for it or not doesn't matter since it's done through some BIOS
"feature" if I'm not mistaken. Only hardware that is recognized by the
BIOS and allowed to run will work and it's more like vendor lock-in
than protection. How about DRM, I recently had a real hard time
getting my Age of Empires CD's copied thanks to Microsoft imposing
copy protection without warning me beforehand, some music CD's won't
play on computers and even some CD players any more due to a copy
protection measure which isn't mentioned in the slightest on the
packaging or even the disk itself. How about trusted code, Microsoft
internet explorer will only run "signed" code, that has resulted in a
very expensive pay-for signing service for developers, and how about
Microsoft certified drivers, I wonder how much that certification
costs.

DRM provides means for all this and more in such as way as to make it
much easier to implement and control while also being touted as harder
to circumvent. People right now are putting their guard down because
companies are sugar coating the entire thing knowing full well that an
educated public wouldn't accept such restrictions. The fact that
people would be willing to accept what they are being told by the same
companies trying to slip DRM collars around their necks and RFID tags
under their skin is really scary.

Isn't the world great
- we have permanent records about us we don't even get to see
- we have people trying to stuff GPS chips and black-boxes in cars
that would be illegal to remove
- there are people trying to cram RFID tags in us so we can be tracked
and identified
- governments are telling us to curb our morals and religion or else
- we have to pay several times over for the same song in order to have
it on more than one device or media
- God's creations such as Apple trees, grape vines, etc... are being
patented by companies who then take away our rights to that
- Schools get to tell parents what they can and can't teach their
children, thus creationism is omitted and the hypothesis of evolution
is blown up into a big glorious flawless picture of how life began
- advertisements are being forced upon us, use up a lot of our time
and overwhelm our throughts, yet we don't even care
- we have companies trying to control everything that happens on our computers.

Personally I don't blame people for wearing tinfoil hats, maybe I
should get one.

Crazy? me? no! you're crazy! ahahahhaahhahahhahahahah! ;-)