Libraries supporting DRM

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Vindictus

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Re: Libraries supporting DRM
« Reply #30 on: October 21, 2011, 02:07:12 PM »
I don't think windows live or steam constitute DRM since neither is required to actually play the game.

They are. You'll have to boot from steam, and sign in to WL. Otherwise you can't play, at all. BF3 is just as bad with Origin.

Should also remember that people have claimed to be boycotting the game based on the Origin requirements. Whether that means anything or not, I don't know. I doubt it.

This is my opinion on the use of non-free software in general.

But you can fly jets, and..
« Last Edit: October 21, 2011, 02:09:47 PM by Vindictus »

Re: Libraries supporting DRM
« Reply #31 on: February 05, 2012, 12:50:27 AM »

The fundamental difference in terms of economics between a physical thing (book, food, whatever) and a piece of digital information (bits, bytes, a text file of a book, a video file of a movie, a game) is that you can copy the digital information infinitely many times at no cost.

So then this DRM technology is introduced so that they can still base their business models on scarcity - if something is rare you can get a lot of money for it. This is done by having a "black box" computer program that only grants you certain types of access to the files/games and also enables the company certain types of privileges (e.g. upgrading or deleting it). [N.B. those old games that required the CD to play aren't considered DRM]

They could build a system that restricted certain actions (like copying the files to another computer or over the internet, or skipping adverts, for example) by technological rather than legal means while still doing everything just as the consumer wants.. but my view is that's not the end of it. There's still something I care about that's being threatened: freedom. If it becomes mandatory of have black boxes on your computer it'll be the end of computers being a tool we use, but instead we'll be at the mercy of computers.

My ideal would be that people distribute freedom-respecting software and put legal restrictions on it (like make it illegal to distribute it over the internet). [analogy warning] DRM to me seems like doing a retina scan on anyone that wants to drive a car, and confirming it with some third party organisation before letting the engine go. My biggest worry is that instead of putting legal restrictions on the files they distribute they start to put legal restrictions on the technology we use. Being able to use your computer freely for things like writing your own programs or running an operating system that you're able to check the source code of could become outlawed.

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Parsifal

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Re: Libraries supporting DRM
« Reply #32 on: February 11, 2012, 05:27:59 PM »
My ideal would be that people distribute freedom-respecting software and put legal restrictions on it

I'm going to side with the white supremacists.

Re: Libraries supporting DRM
« Reply #33 on: June 18, 2012, 11:01:20 AM »
This is a blog post called The Silencing of Maya http://niederfamily.blogspot.be/2012/06/silencing-of-maya.html

The girl can only speak via this certain program on the iPad, but the iPad is full of DRM and the software is non-free.. in particular it relied on a software patent and due to legal issues apple have recalled the program from the store. This is the situation her parents have to deal with:

We are now shadowed by a huge, impending threat.  With the removal of Speak for Yourself from the iTunes store, the SfY team has lost the ability to send out updates or repairs to the people who are currently using the app.  At this point, an update from Apple to the iPad's operating system (which gets updated semi-regularly) could render SfY useless (because if the new operating system was to be incompatible with the code for SfY, there would be no way for the team to reconfigure the app to make it compatible with the new OS and send out the updated version).  Our app could stop working, and Maya would be left unable to speak, and no one would be able to help us.

I recommend reading the rest of the article and keep in mind that this is the reality of non-free software.

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Parsifal

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Re: Libraries supporting DRM
« Reply #34 on: June 18, 2012, 04:19:54 PM »
I recommend reading the rest of the article and keep in mind that this is the reality of non-free software.

This has nothing to do with the software being non-free, and everything to do with software patents. While I agree that a non-free copyright licence could have the same ultimate effect, and it does make the impact of this problem worse in several ways, in this particular case it is not the cause of the problem.
« Last Edit: June 18, 2012, 04:23:18 PM by Parsifal »
I'm going to side with the white supremacists.

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Lorddave

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Re: Libraries supporting DRM
« Reply #35 on: June 18, 2012, 05:03:48 PM »
Aren't there like a thousand programs that do the same thing?
Gone.