From: "Seth Johnson" <[EMAIL PROTECTED]>
> http://www.slashdot.org/yro/01/02/23/2134255.shtml
> http://pcsupport.about.com/compute/pcsupport/library/weekly/aa030101a.htm
> http://www.theregister.co.uk/content/2/17230.html
Looks like the copy protection 'arms race' is set to flare up like never
before.
The copy-protection advocates, like IBM, 4C, BSA, RIAA etc will do
everything in their power and bloated budgets to lull the consumer into 'pay
per view', and accepting all levels of privacy violation and suppression of
intellectual freedom.
Thank goodness that universities, as opposed to (say) cable companies,
masterminded the birth of the internet. Their legacy of freedom of
information will prove hard to defeat, but the 'information capitalists' are
determined and extremely well funded. It's going to be one helluva fight.
I can envisage future versions of Windows which will firewall any
non-standard internet traffic (blocking protocols not approved by M$,
including Freenet), and which will require constant phoning home to
Micro$oft to keep tabs on users.
I can also see a heavy thrust towards 'web-ware', software which will simply
not run without the cooperation of central servers.
The first step in this is the new Windows XP and Office XP, which shut down
unless they are 'activated' via phoning home to M$. Soon, the only operating
system available with new computers will be XP. (I bet the cracking scene
has already found a workaround to this:) )
I guess the key to victory here is to make all efforts to keep the public
suspicious of the content industry - a process of education, from the
grassroots level of telling all one's friends and acquaintances, through to
larger-scale activism. Encouraging people to switch to Linux and free
software in general.
Optimistically, though, I can see Linux becoming so user-friendly that it
will ultimately emerge as the operating system of choice, with the majority
of PC buyers saying no to windows and promptly installing linux. Mandrake is
a leader in usable linux, with their 8.0 version delivering a class act in
ease of installation and usage. Not *too* far to go before Linux is truly
fit for mass consumption - 18 months perhaps?
(I'm tempted to publish some bumper stickers with the penguin logo and the
message "Say NO to Window$", in the style of the "Say NO to drugs"
campaign).
As soon as I see a Linux distro which will actually support all my devices
without me having to hack kernel, try to compile alpha drivers or go through
hours of searching howtos and messing with configs, I will proudly defect to
Linux once and for all.
Developers of Windows software can help push such mass migration by ensuring
that Linux versions of their software are easier and better than Windows
versions, and embedding messages in their Windows versions urging users to
switch to Linux - perhaps disabling features in windows versions and having
messages like "this feature is only available in the linux version".
(I'm not feeling good that FreeWeb in its present state is easier to use on
Windows than on Linux. It's high on my list to learn the KDE API, and RPM
construction etc, and make the Linux version superior).
Cheers
David
----- Original Message -----
From: "Seth Johnson" <[EMAIL PROTECTED]>
To: <[EMAIL PROTECTED]>
Sent: Friday, May 25, 2001 09:32
Subject: Re: [freenet-chat] Re: CPRM in BIOS
>
> I found it!
>
> http://www.slashdot.org/yro/01/02/23/2134255.shtml
>
> And here's a couple of more substantial bits on it:
>
> http://pcsupport.about.com/compute/pcsupport/library/weekly/aa030101a.htm
> http://www.theregister.co.uk/content/2/17230.html
>
> Seth Johnson
>
> David McNab wrote:
> >
> > you got any urls on that?
>
>
> _______________________________________________
> Chat mailing list
> [EMAIL PROTECTED]
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>
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