Chris Posted February 7, 2007 Report Share Posted February 7, 2007 This afternoon, Apple CEO Steve Jobs may have set off an anti-DRM powder keg that has been building over the last six 12 months. His essay, "Thoughts on Music" contends that "DRMs haven't worked, and may never work, to halt music piracy." He said that Apple would embrace "wholeheartedly" the licensing of "DRM-free" music from the major labels. The letter clearly is meant as a call to action and to further ignite the debate over DRM. Strangely, Jobs' call for DRM freedom comes as Microsoft has tacked on more rights protection to its products, particularly Windows Vista. In the music realm, Microsoft's Zune is a startling example. Microsoft's "Welcome to the Social" device is supposed to be able to share music with other Zunes. But rights restrictions prevent sharing of many tunes carried on the Zune Marketplace. Additionally, Zune sharing wraps DRM on music, even the stuff without rights protection. Restrictive rights functions are core attributes of Vista's support for HDMI or Cable Card. The new operating system also comes in with built-in anti-piracy controls that periodically check to make sure the software is, in Microsoft parlance, "genuine." To meet this burden, many businesses will need to set up license servers and ensure Vista computers check in within every 180 days. Otherwise, after 30 days, for all practical purposes, Vista will turn off. For Microsoft, rights protection is an off switch.More | HereThoughts on Music Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
-pops- Posted February 7, 2007 Report Share Posted February 7, 2007 - - - and there I was thinking that Bill Gates and Steve jobs had almost kissed and made up after all these years.I think Jobs is right and DRM will become something that Microsoft comes to deeply regret as more and more restrictions are placed on what MS think you should be able to do with the software that you have paid for.OK, it will be argued that you only pay for the licence to use software and not the software itself and by paying out the money and using the software, you are agreeing to the licence but how many users really understand that? Few, I would think. As users find their software (and computers) less and less functional for reasons they don't understand, the more the users will move away to software and hardware that doesn't do this - Linux and Apple possibly. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
catgate Posted February 7, 2007 Report Share Posted February 7, 2007 In the light of AlanHo's "Second Thought of the Day" this could all prove that 'The word of Gates passeth all understanding"? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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