Curiouser and Curiouser! on drm

Palladium or bust

Sat, 29 Jun 2002 08:55:40 +0100

Dylan Tweney: Broken trust. The problem is that Palladium requires users to place a huge amount of trust in Microsoft. You don't get to decide what runs on your computer -- Microsoft does. You can't even open files unless you've been authorized by Microsoft, or by a third party. [Tomalak's Realm]

» Definitely a case where the cure is worse than the disease.

Spam : there is some evidence to suggest that P2P filtering will effectively reduce the spam problem down to manageable levels. Developments in this direction can start providing benefits now and without costing investment in hardware & OS.
Virii : I run Norton Anti-virus in the background. I use auto-update to keep NAV current. So far, I've not had a problem. I don't open attachments unless they are scanned. I trust that virus defence systems will continue to advance and provide greater and more seamless protection.

Palladium's safety mechanism sounds a lot like "pull the plug out of the wall." You'll be protected, because there will be no software to run on your shiny new computer except that from the Pravda like M$crosoft and it's allies.

Remember the pedigree of who we're dealing with here. If you're an ISV will you be happy to pay Microsoft to have your software certified for Palladium? Each time you release? Even for a patch? And what if your playing on Microsoft's turf or turf they have their beady eyes on, Think your customers might have just the odd extra problem that doesn't happen with Microsoft's possibly inferior entry? Want to take that risk? Remember who we're dealing with.

It's only Microsoft's monopoly on the desktop and Intel & AMD's lock on the CPU market that allows this kind of applied stupidity. In a healthy market for chips & OS's there would be too many options for one vendor to create a lock-in like this. Of course, trust Microsoft to manage to spin this carbuncle in a way that could appeal to people.

Remember the original MSN? Customers flocked to Microsofts new and improved internet in their... dozens. That's because they had a choice and the internet didn't suck ass. Between now and LongHorn we need Linux to establish itself on the desktop to provide some kind of realistic alternative. We need to be able to let M$crosoft and Disney go their way, hand-in-hand, whilst we go ours.

We need a choice.

Trust Microsoft?

Sat, 06 Jul 2002 18:12:24 +0100

Shawn Dodd: "Microsoft wants to know what they can do to regain our trust. The answer: give up DRM altogether. Microsoft can't push DRM and regain our trust at the same time; we can't and shouldn't trust someone who is planning to hurt us." [Scripting News]

Sun, 07 Jul 2002 10:43:35 +0100

More sharp notes on Palladium. Seth has posted further, in-depth notes about our meeting with Microsoft's Palladium team, going into great detail about the technical workings and intentions of the system -- and there's no Latin in sight this time! The closer you look at Palladium, the more civil liberties implications begin to surface. Again, Seth is the likely most technical person to have received a briefing like this without signing an NDA; his notes are lucid, accurate and well-informed.

When you want to start a Palladium PC in trusted mode (note that it doesn't have to start in trusted mode, and, from what Microsoft said, it sounds like you could even imagine booting the same OS in either trusted or untrusted mode, based on a user's choice at boot time), the system hardware performs what's called an "authenticated boot", in which the system is placed in a known state and a nub is loaded. A hash (I think it's SHA-1) is taken of the nub which was just loaded, and the 160-bit hash is stored unalterably in the PCR, and remains there for as long as the system continues to operate in trusted mode. Then the operating system kernel can boot, but the key to the trust in the system is the authentication of the nub. As long as the system is up, the SCP knows exactly which nub is currently running; because of the way the CPU works, it is not possible for any other software to modify the nub or its memory or subvert the nub's policies. The nub is in some sense in charge of the system at a low level, but it doesn't usually do things which other software would notice unless it's asked to.

Link Discuss [Boing Boing Blog]

Sure I'd trust Microsoft with my data again...

Tue, 11 Nov 2003 17:20:31 +0000

Good grief I can't even start Outlook now. It opens then immediately runs up to 100% CPU and sits there unresponsive. I'm not even sure it will work to the extent that other clients importers will be able to get the data out. What do I do then?

One thing you can be certain of. I will never buy into a world of Microsoft controlled DRM. They don't build the kind of software that I would trust not to lose my licenses, invalidate my data or lock me out of my system. If this was Outlook + Palladium then doubtless the PST files on my backup CD wouldn't be readable by now either.

I can't wait to say "Good riddance Outlook."

-----------------------

20.30 Update

Sure enough I tried to use Bloomba to import my Outlook mail and no go. It spent 2 hrs twiddling it's thumbs while Outlook just looked on and laughed it's fiendish laugh. My next step will be to do a final backup and then attempt to re-install Outlook so that I can export my mail archives into another application.

What a drag.

How DRM makes life better!

Mon, 12 Jan 2004 09:13:13 +0000

HP declares war on sharing culture. CES The open everything is dead [The Register]

HP stands up for it's pals in the media industry and tells us we are all thieves who won't be trusted.

In a sense I almost look forward to the day when all digital content is locked up behind it's DRM firewalls and user-hostile operating systems. It might galvanise me to read more books, go to the theatre, and so on. I'll also have more cash because I won't be buying all this expensive content.

So, DRM could actually improve my life.

Support your local file-sharers

Tue, 30 Mar 2004 12:50:35 +0100

Kazaa and co. 'not cause of music biz woes' say Profs. Statistical analysis supports file-sharers [The Register]

I have not bought a CD in over 6 months. It will be interesting to see whether the recording industry can respond to this or whether they will ignore, or spin it..

Catalyzes recurring revenue model, it says here.

Tue, 04 May 2004 19:09:23 +0100

Here's locking down you, kid - MS hawks vision of DRM future. Catalyzes recurring revenue model, it says here By John Lettice . [The Register]

Needless to say I won't be buying one of these devices, nor will I be licensing the legitimate content to go on them. I intend to boycott all such things until the industry takes a serious approach to consumer rights, i.e. forever.

Fri, 24 Feb 2006 21:08:48 +0000

None of the the more than [1 billion songs distributed thorugh iTunes Music Store] are on this computer. Apple DRM might not be the worst but I disagree with the rights of content providers to dictate terms to me about how I can enjoy music I am buying. So I made my choice, I won't buy it. Same thing goes for movies and like Mike of the Writers Block Live I shan't be buying any HD-DVD or Blu-Ray movies either.

If you can't live with me deciding how I will use it, don't bother trying to sell it to me!

Continuing on the path of divergence

Thu, 25 May 2006 12:20:40 +0100

It's not that I was really looking forward to buying a Playstation 3 but if the news that Sony are moving to individuals licensing, not buying, games (to stamp out the aftermarket we're told) is true then it will be enough to stop me buying one. BTW: Even if they do this I don't think it will be a technical solution, I think it will be a legal solution to stop public trading.

In the 4 years I've owned a PS2 I've never sold a game and I've bought 4 so my problem isn't my love of the aftermarket. The reason I don't like this is that it's yet another thin end of the wedge about the way content owners are trying to redefine their relationship with us would be consumers (or the enemy as they like to call us).

We must remember that this move is being taken by Sony who recently got into hot water (but not hot enough IMO) by secretly adding RootKit based DRM to their media products. We should consider very carefully the motives behind what they do and what they think they can get away with. Or, rather, you should if you plan to give them your money.

To be very clear I am not in favour of trying to stop Sony closing down the PS3 aftermarket. As long as they are up front and open about what they are doing and how it will be achieved then I think they have a perfect right to put whatever walls around their content will make them happy. I just won't go along with it as long as I have a choice and it will ultimately self correct as the network effects hurt their business.

What is Nintendo's attitude towards it's customers? Maybe I need to switch platforms.