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New Chips Keep Tight Rein on Consumers

Posted by timothy on from the happy-independence-day-fellas-keep-it-down-willya dept.

banannaslug writes "NYTimes (subscription, etc.) talks about Microsofts Palladium. The article addresses how applications of controlling technology affect competition as well as the consumer, can be used to extend monopolies to new markets and has very serious implications for what happens to user driven innovation. We'd have the people's operating system, the people's web browser and the people's media player, and 'computers' would be as useful to innovation as a bicycle to a fish. This is the kind of behavior you expect in a mature industry that tries to add 'law' to preserve failing market models dependent on a lack of competition. Next thing you know they'll want to force customers to upgrade periodically." Point it out to your boss.

5 of 375 comments (clear)

  1. Re:forced upgrades by kipple · · Score: 3, Funny

    yes, probably it was sarcasm.... so I'm the one who looks stupid right now :)

    --
    -- There are two kind of sysadmins: Paranoids and Losers. (adapted from D. Bach)
  2. Re:Just a few thoughts... by 0xdeadbeef · · Score: 2, Funny
    Everything here is in the details. With hardware enforced security, MS *could* use it to take complete control over your PC - allowing only MS tested and approved code. But that doesn't benefit them, and so, it won't ever happen.
    Ok, CRACK ADDICT, here is a GUN, see, and I want you to guard my BIG ROOM FULL OF CRACK.
  3. Re:What I think by Jeremi · · Score: 4, Funny
    Not really, I am almost certain people will buy this crap by the truckload for pennies of savings. I also think most people would rather complain about their rights being taken away then spend pennies buying the unencumbered hardware

    Have you heard of DivX? (the hardware, not the file format) No? Why not? ;^)

    --


    I don't care if it's 90,000 hectares. That lake was not my doing.
  4. Re:Mac OSX Rules ! by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 1, Funny

    "I say every body should by a mac and run mac OSX !"

    Why?? because they ALREADY have a monopoly on the software AND hardware???!?!

    why not just say:"I say my country is turning into a dictatorship!! Let's all run to cuba..."

    pffhhtt...

  5. Re:Just a few thoughts... by cheezedawg · · Score: 2, Funny

    You have a basic misunderstanding of the technology. The hardware support is not dependant on Microsoft in any way. The standards will be published and available for any os designer. If the software does not use the security features in hardware, they are simply not used. It in no way dictates what os you can run on a pc.

    There are many attacks that are impossible for an os to guard against. What if a bus master is trying to access "secure" memory? The os has no control over that access and can do nothing to prevent it. Hardware support is needed.

    Time will tell how Microsoft implements it. If they decide to place more limits on what you can do then don't buy the software (you probably don't buy any Microsoft software now anyway). If enough people don't like it, Microsoft will give alternatives. Bottom line is that they are going to do what they think will sell the most software. I personally agree with danheskett- Microsoft is probably not going to implement your worst case scenario because it is not in their best interest.

    --
    "The defense of freedom requires the advance of freedom" - George W Bush