On Apr 9, 2006, at 1:06 AM, John Weir wrote:
Re NLS, maybe we need to start a campaign to contact our congress men and senators to get them to reconsider so there is Mac suitable SW available. Vickie Weir
Ah, now you're talking. I think lots of voices are the only way to maybe help tilt the odds in favor of having the NLS books supported more broadly...by multiple vendors and on multiple platforms. It's not just the closed system that is alarming but the apparent single- vendor situation proposed. In terms of DRM it's most important that they avoid a security-through-obscurity approach. A DRM scheme can be published for all to review and implement - without compromising the integrity of the security. In fact, it's the private, proprietary, non-peer-reviewed, security-through-obscurity schemes which are almost invariably least secure (often laughably so). The reasonable approach would be to publish the DRM scheme for peer review and then, upon completion of review, make available to the general public (again, this is not less secure this is more secure). After that, providing support for DAISY is, as developer types are so fond of saying, straightforward. The just-described approach would open up development on any and all platforms, ensure the broadest support, healthy competition and reasonable pricing resulting from same. The problem is, that means NLS would need to completely rework their proposed approach (as outlined in their business plan) - and void the contract they've already awarded to the single vendor selected to do the development.
Joe
