Xbox Hacking Book Prepares to Fly Off Shelves

SecurityFocus posted an article today about a new book that covers hacking the Xbox. The book's author, Andrew "Bunnie" Huang, reports that it's selling well, even though the release date has not yet arrived. Presumably, this is because the book covers soldering techniques and adding features like blue LEDs and modchips to Xboxes, most of which violate the DMCA. If this stuff is interesting to you, you can order a copy from Huang's site. It amazes me that a book such as this could be banned, yet car service manuals can be sold in most bookstores.

Comments

Re:DCMA, what's next?

[Bendy Chief]

Modification of an X-Box, namely, with a modchip, constitutes a form of copy-protection circumvention, which is an offense under the DMCA. By installing your modchip, you circumvent bootup routines contained in the BIOS ROM which prevent you from playing pirated games, installing Linux, etc, etc.

The proprietary Microsoft BIOS ROM is what this whole DMCA spectre revolves around. You own the box but not the ROM inside. It's not your right to modify it. (As dictated by law. I'm all for mods)

Wrong, the DMCA does not outlaw information

[Tom7]

> the issue is distributing information about how to bypass copyprotection which is very illigal just ask the poor guy who made decss.

No. 2600 got in trouble for distributing the source code for DeCSS because the source code (while information, at some level) is a "circumvention device" (according to the judge). The functional aspect of the code (once run through a compiler) was key to this. It would be difficult to argue that a book is an actual "device," and the DMCA does not ban anything (relevant) other than the act of circumvention and circumvention devices.

Re:War is peace. Freedom is slavery. Ignorance is.

[Minderbinder106]

Liberal Democrats??? How about the entire Senate. Link

Re:The heart of the debate?

[ibsteveog]

The old "all consoles sold at a loss" myth... The best truth is told here: acts of gord, proclamation 2!