Text 16014, 382 rader
Skriven 2007-02-12 19:41:22 av Rich (1:379/45)
Kommentar till text 16005 av mike (1:379/45)
Ärende: Re: Why Vista's DRM Is Bad For You
==========================================
From: "Rich" <@>
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This is from Bruce Schneier. A long standing and well known =
Microsoft hater. BS from him is still BS.
Rich
"mike" <mike@barkto.com> wrote in message =
news:9162t2pe65cro1cnbo30p83i7k28cdk1bj@4ax.com...
=
http://www.forbes.com/2007/02/10/microsoft-vista-drm-tech-security-cz_bs_=
0212vista.html
=3D=3D=3D
Windows Vista includes an array of "features" that you don't want. =
These
features will make your computer less reliable and less secure. =
They'll
make your computer less stable and run slower. They will cause =
technical
support problems. They may even require you to upgrade some of your
peripheral hardware and existing software. And these features won't do
anything useful. In fact, they're working against you. They're digital
rights management (DRM) features built into Vista at the behest of the
entertainment industry.
And you don't get to refuse them.
The details are pretty geeky, but basically Microsoft (nasdaq: MSFT -
news - people ) has reworked a lot of the core operating system to add
copy protection technology for new media formats like HD-DVD and =
Blu-ray
disks. Certain high-quality output paths--audio and video--are =
reserved
for protected peripheral devices. Sometimes output quality is
artificially degraded; sometimes output is prevented entirely. And =
Vista
continuously spends CPU time monitoring itself, trying to figure out =
if
you're doing something that it thinks you shouldn't. If it does, it
limits functionality and in extreme cases restarts just the video
subsystem. We still don't know the exact details of all this, and how
far-reaching it is, but it doesn't look good.
Microsoft put all those functionality-crippling features into Vista
because it wants to own the entertainment industry. This isn't how
Microsoft spins it, of course. It maintains that it has no choice, =
that
it's Hollywood that is demanding DRM in Windows in order to allow
"premium content"--meaning, new movies that are still earning
revenue--onto your computer. If Microsoft didn't play along, it'd be
relegated to second-class status as Hollywood pulled its support for =
the
platform.
It's all complete nonsense. Microsoft could have easily told the
entertainment industry that it was not going to deliberately cripple =
its
operating system, take it or leave it. With 95% of the operating =
system
market, where else would Hollywood go? Sure, Big Media has been =
pushing
DRM, but recently some--Sony (nyse: SNE - news - people ) after their
2005 debacle and now EMI Group--are having second thoughts.
What the entertainment companies are finally realizing is that DRM =
just
annoys their customers. Like every other DRM system=20
ever invented, Microsoft's won't keep the professional pirates from
making copies of whatever they want. The DRM security in Vista was
broken the day it was released. Sure, Microsoft will patch it, but the
patched system will get broken as well. It's an arms race, and the
defenders can't possibly win.
I believe that Microsoft knows this and also knows that it doesn't
matter. This isn't about stopping pirates and the small percentage of
people who download free movies from the Internet. This isn't even =
about
Microsoft satisfying its Hollywood customers at the expense of those =
of
us paying for the privilege of using Vista. This is about the
overwhelming majority of honest users and who owns the distribution
channels to them. And while it may have started as a partnership, in =
the
end Microsoft is going to end up locking the movie companies into
selling content in its proprietary formats.=20
We saw this trick before; Apple (nasdaq: AAPL - news - people ) pulled
it on the recording industry. First iTunes worked in partnership with
the major record labels to distribute content, but soon Warner Music's
CEO Edgar Bronfman Jr. found that he wasn't able to dictate a pricing
model to Steve Jobs. The same thing will happen here; after Vista is
firmly entrenched in the marketplace, Sony's Howard Stringer won't be
able to dictate pricing or terms to Bill Gates. This is a war for
21st-century movie distribution and, when the dust settles, Hollywood
won't know what hit them.
To be fair, just last week Steve Jobs publicly came out against DRM =
for
music. It's a reasonable business position, now that Apple controls =
the
online music distribution market. But Jobs never mentioned movies, and
he is the largest single shareholder in Disney. Talk is cheap. The =
real
question is would he actually allow iTunes Music Store purchases to =
play
on Microsoft or Sony players, or is this just a clever way of =
deflecting
blame to the--already hated--music labels.
Microsoft is reaching for a much bigger prize than Apple: not just
Hollywood, but also peripheral hardware vendors. Vista's DRM will
require driver developers to comply with all kinds of rules and be
certified; otherwise, they won't work. And Microsoft talks about
expanding this to independent software vendors as well. It's another =
war
for control of the computer market.
Unfortunately, we users are caught in the crossfire. We are not only
stuck with DRM systems that interfere with our legitimate fair-use
rights for the content we buy, we're stuck with DRM systems that
interfere with all of our computer use--even the uses that have =
nothing
to do with copyright.
I don't see the market righting this wrong, because Microsoft's =
monopoly
position gives it much more power than we consumers can hope to have. =
It
might not be as obvious as Microsoft using its operating system =
monopoly
to kill Netscape and own the browser market, but it's really no
different. Microsoft's entertainment market grab might further =
entrench
its monopoly position, but it will cause serious damage to both the
computer and entertainment industries. DRM is bad, both for consumers
and for the entertainment industry: something the entertainment =
industry
is just starting to realize, but Microsoft is still fighting. Some
researchers think that this is the final straw that will drive Windows
to the competition, but I think the courts are necessary.
In the meantime, the only advice I can offer you is to not upgrade to
Vista. It will be hard. Microsoft's bundling deals with computer
manufacturers mean that it will be increasingly hard not to get the =
new
operating system with new computers. And Microsoft has some pretty =
deep
pockets and can wait us all out if it wants to. Yes, some people will
shift to Macintosh and some fewer number to Linux, but most of us are
stuck on Windows. Still, if enough customers say no to Vista, the
company might actually listen.
=3D=3D=3D
"...most of us are stuck on Windows...."
Imagine if General Motors had a similar attitude... wait, they did.
/m
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<DIV><FONT face=3DArial size=3D2> This is from <FONT=20
face=3D"Times New Roman" size=3D3>Bruce Schneier. A long standing = and
well=20
known Microsoft hater. BS from him is still = BS.</FONT></FONT></DIV>
<DIV><FONT face=3DArial size=3D2></FONT> </DIV>
<DIV><FONT face=3DArial size=3D2>Rich</FONT></DIV>
<DIV><FONT face=3DArial size=3D2></FONT> </DIV>
<BLOCKQUOTE=20
style=3D"PADDING-RIGHT: 0px; PADDING-LEFT: 5px; MARGIN-LEFT: 5px; =
BORDER-LEFT: #000000 2px solid; MARGIN-RIGHT: 0px">
<DIV>"mike" <<A =
href=3D"mailto:mike@barkto.com">mike@barkto.com</A>> wrote=20
in message <A=20
=
href=3D"news:9162t2pe65cro1cnbo30p83i7k28cdk1bj@4ax.com">news:9162t2pe65c=
ro1cnbo30p83i7k28cdk1bj@4ax.com</A>...</DIV><BR><BR><A=20
=
href=3D"http://www.forbes.com/2007/02/10/microsoft-vista-drm-tech-securit=
y-cz_bs_0212vista.html">http://www.forbes.com/2007/02/10/microsoft-vista-=
drm-tech-security-cz_bs_0212vista.html</A><BR><BR><BR>=3D=3D=3D<BR>Window=
s=20
Vista includes an array of "features" that you don't want. =
These<BR>features=20
will make your computer less reliable and less secure. They'll<BR>make =
your=20
computer less stable and run slower. They will cause =
technical<BR>support=20
problems. They may even require you to upgrade some of =
your<BR>peripheral=20
hardware and existing software. And these features won't =
do<BR>anything=20
useful. In fact, they're working against you. They're =
digital<BR>rights=20
management (DRM) features built into Vista at the behest of=20
the<BR>entertainment industry.<BR><BR>And you don't get to refuse=20
them.<BR><BR>The details are pretty geeky, but basically Microsoft =
(nasdaq:=20
MSFT -<BR>news - people ) has reworked a lot of the core operating =
system to=20
add<BR>copy protection technology for new media formats like HD-DVD =
and=20
Blu-ray<BR>disks. Certain high-quality output paths--audio and =
video--are=20
reserved<BR>for protected peripheral devices. Sometimes output quality =
is<BR>artificially degraded; sometimes output is prevented entirely. =
And=20
Vista<BR>continuously spends CPU time monitoring itself, trying to =
figure out=20
if<BR>you're doing something that it thinks you shouldn't. If it does, =
it<BR>limits functionality and in extreme cases restarts just the=20
video<BR>subsystem. We still don't know the exact details of all this, =
and=20
how<BR>far-reaching it is, but it doesn't look good.<BR><BR>Microsoft =
put all=20
those functionality-crippling features into Vista<BR>because it wants =
to own=20
the entertainment industry. This isn't how<BR>Microsoft spins it, of =
course.=20
It maintains that it has no choice, that<BR>it's Hollywood that is =
demanding=20
DRM in Windows in order to allow<BR>"premium content"--meaning, new =
movies=20
that are still earning<BR>revenue--onto your computer. If Microsoft =
didn't=20
play along, it'd be<BR>relegated to second-class status as Hollywood =
pulled=20
its support for the<BR>platform.<BR><BR>It's all complete nonsense. =
Microsoft=20
could have easily told the<BR>entertainment industry that it was not =
going to=20
deliberately cripple its<BR>operating system, take it or leave it. =
With 95% of=20
the operating system<BR>market, where else would Hollywood go? Sure, =
Big Media=20
has been pushing<BR>DRM, but recently some--Sony (nyse: SNE - news - =
people )=20
after their<BR>2005 debacle and now EMI Group--are having second=20
thoughts.<BR><BR>What the entertainment companies are finally =
realizing is=20
that DRM just<BR>annoys their customers. Like every other DRM system =
<BR>ever=20
invented, Microsoft's won't keep the professional pirates =
from<BR>making=20
copies of whatever they want. The DRM security in Vista was<BR>broken =
the day=20
it was released. Sure, Microsoft will patch it, but the<BR>patched =
system will=20
get broken as well. It's an arms race, and the<BR>defenders can't =
possibly=20
win.<BR><BR>I believe that Microsoft knows this and also knows that it =
doesn't<BR>matter. This isn't about stopping pirates and the small =
percentage=20
of<BR>people who download free movies from the Internet. This isn't =
even=20
about<BR>Microsoft satisfying its Hollywood customers at the expense =
of those=20
of<BR>us paying for the privilege of using Vista. This is about=20
the<BR>overwhelming majority of honest users and who owns the=20
distribution<BR>channels to them. And while it may have started as a=20
partnership, in the<BR>end Microsoft is going to end up locking the =
movie=20
companies into<BR>selling content in its proprietary formats. =
<BR><BR>We saw=20
this trick before; Apple (nasdaq: AAPL - news - people ) pulled<BR>it =
on the=20
recording industry. First iTunes worked in partnership with<BR>the =
major=20
record labels to distribute content, but soon Warner Music's<BR>CEO =
Edgar=20
Bronfman Jr. found that he wasn't able to dictate a pricing<BR>model =
to Steve=20
Jobs. The same thing will happen here; after Vista is<BR>firmly =
entrenched in=20
the marketplace, Sony's Howard Stringer won't be<BR>able to dictate =
pricing or=20
terms to Bill Gates. This is a war for<BR>21st-century movie =
distribution and,=20
when the dust settles, Hollywood<BR>won't know what hit =
them.<BR><BR>To be=20
fair, just last week Steve Jobs publicly came out against DRM =
for<BR>music.=20
It's a reasonable business position, now that Apple controls =
the<BR>online=20
music distribution market. But Jobs never mentioned movies, and<BR>he =
is the=20
largest single shareholder in Disney. Talk is cheap. The =
real<BR>question is=20
would he actually allow iTunes Music Store purchases to play<BR>on =
Microsoft=20
or Sony players, or is this just a clever way of deflecting<BR>blame =
to=20
the--already hated--music labels.<BR><BR>Microsoft is reaching for a =
much=20
bigger prize than Apple: not just<BR>Hollywood, but also peripheral =
hardware=20
vendors. Vista's DRM will<BR>require driver developers to comply with =
all=20
kinds of rules and be<BR>certified; otherwise, they won't work. And =
Microsoft=20
talks about<BR>expanding this to independent software vendors as well. =
It's=20
another war<BR>for control of the computer =
market.<BR><BR>Unfortunately, we=20
users are caught in the crossfire. We are not only<BR>stuck with DRM =
systems=20
that interfere with our legitimate fair-use<BR>rights for the content =
we buy,=20
we're stuck with DRM systems that<BR>interfere with all of our =
computer=20
use--even the uses that have nothing<BR>to do with copyright.<BR><BR>I =
don't=20
see the market righting this wrong, because Microsoft's =
monopoly<BR>position=20
gives it much more power than we consumers can hope to have. =
It<BR>might not=20
be as obvious as Microsoft using its operating system monopoly<BR>to =
kill=20
Netscape and own the browser market, but it's really no<BR>different.=20
Microsoft's entertainment market grab might further entrench<BR>its =
monopoly=20
position, but it will cause serious damage to both the<BR>computer and =
entertainment industries. DRM is bad, both for consumers<BR>and for =
the=20
entertainment industry: something the entertainment industry<BR>is =
just=20
starting to realize, but Microsoft is still fighting. =
Some<BR>researchers=20
think that this is the final straw that will drive Windows<BR>to the=20
competition, but I think the courts are necessary.<BR><BR>In the =
meantime, the=20
only advice I can offer you is to not upgrade to<BR>Vista. It will be =
hard.=20
Microsoft's bundling deals with computer<BR>manufacturers mean that it =
will be=20
increasingly hard not to get the new<BR>operating system with new =
computers.=20
And Microsoft has some pretty deep<BR>pockets and can wait us all out =
if it=20
wants to. Yes, some people will<BR>shift to Macintosh and some fewer =
number to=20
Linux, but most of us are<BR>stuck on Windows. Still, if enough =
customers say=20
no to Vista, the<BR>company might actually =
listen.<BR>=3D=3D=3D<BR><BR><BR>"...most=20
of us are stuck on Windows...."<BR><BR><BR>Imagine if General Motors =
had a=20
similar attitude... wait, they did.<BR><BR><BR> =20
/m</BLOCKQUOTE></BODY></HTML>
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