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Post-it Notes vs. Copy-Inhibited CDs
rjoseph writes "MacUser is running an article about how the new Celine Dion CD A New Day Has Come with copy protection mechanisms to prevent the CD from being played on a PC not only won't play on an iMac, but it will lock the CD tray (so it can't be removed) and fubar the firmware (so the machine can't be rebooted), effectivley killing the iMac. Ouch." We mentioned this interesting experiment in consumer relations last month as well, but now it's getting noticed a lot more. However, emkman writes: "What was first thought to be an April Fool's joke, now appears to be true. Some Audio CD protection schemes such as Cactus DATA Shield 100/200, KeyAudio, and perhaps others may be defeated by invalidating the outer ring of the CD with a black marker or post-it sticky note. www.chip.de has their report in German, here is a translation."
It's goddamn ridiculous that this CD can break a computer, when you are performing a legal action with it. This is illegal, and I think Sony should be fined extremely heavily for it.
Everyone who has an iMac. Go get the CD, fubar your iMac, and send it in for repair under warranty. Apple might just sue their asses.
-- Ken Kinder ken@_nospam_kenkinder.com http://kenkinder.com/
I'm sorry, that's the fattest load of bullshit I've ever heard in my life. That's like Apple putting a big tempting red button on the side of their iMac labeled "Self Destruct" and then trying to claim that they are somehow absolved of all liability if someone actually (or accidentally) pushes it.
You can't design a product with such a significant defect and then refuse to take any part of the blame. These things look like CDs, more often than not have CD logos on them, and in no way significanly warn users.
What Apple should do is update their code to detect and eject any non-compliant CD. Then if there was somehow a way for the user to force the CD to load, Apple could easily escape liability.
I smell class action. Apple, the only question is whether it's going to be aimed at Cactus or you. I suggest you do the smart thing and have a long hard talk with your CD-ROM vendor about updating their firmware and distribute the firmware fix IMMEDIATELY.
- JoeShmoe
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-- I wonder which will go down in history as the bigger failure: the War on Drugs or the War on Filesharing
They should develop a firmware fix that works around copy protection and "leak it". Anyone up for reverse engineering some cd-rom firmware?
An Education is the Font of All Liberty
HAHAHAHAHAHHAHAHA NICE TRY, but even a FOOL such as yourself should know that 3M doesn't make sharpies. THEY ARE MADE BY SANFORD. I HAVE NOW INVALIDATED YOUR ENTIRE ARGUMENT, HAHA AHAHAHAHAHA
Mod parent up
An Education is the Font of All Liberty
was the CD *designed* to destroy firmware? In fact, how on earth can it DO that?
Bad design on the part of the mac.. that's how.
Let's not put the blame in the wrong place. Copy protected CDs are one thing.. but a mac going braindead because it can't work with the CD? Rediculous.
Software should never crash, no matter what input you put into it. That's taught in every first year programming class I've ever seen, and it goes double for software that controls peripherals.
Apple has done shit like this before. In 1988, I owned a floppy with the interesting property that inserting it in a Macintosh while the Mac was running would crash the mac.
Yes, Sony are being horrible by breaking the CD standard. No, that doesn't absolve Apple for writing crappy driver software.