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Phoenix Bios to Incorporate DRM
defishguy writes "Extreme Tech is reporting that Phoenix Technologies is shopping a DRM-capable BIOS to OEMS. Reportedly the BIOS with DRM enabled allows for software to be tracked and traced from one PC to another." See also this older story about AMI.
I guess this means goodbye to BIOS flashing?
do() || do_not();
Ah, but will we be able to use it to track Virus writers, spammers and other unpleasant people?
:)
If so.. its probably a good thing. Just make sure you don't steal anything, and if you do, use a mate's PC
Could this kill Linux or even Windows XP if it doesn't have the ability to work with the bios?
Slashdot, home of supporters of free software, free music, and free speech.Except for Moderators that disagree with you.
An OEM will also have to decide whether or not to allow an end user to turn the DRM feature off, Eades said.
This option is most likely be available for a while. You will have the option to turn off the default enabled DRM system in your computer. As more and more people become comfortable (and ignorant) of the fact that DRM is enabled (and more and more companies start enforcing restrictions via the DRM'd BIOS) we will have less and less choice but to have it enabled.
This *IS* scary. DRM in Word is *NOT*. Just to clear that up.
A few questions..
1) Are there any?
2) How much bios code is reusable between completely different motherboards?
3) Will we always need a bios?
I'm just begining to wonder how LinuxBIOS is getting on. That project could prove prophetically useful, soon.
The DRM software will be shipped as a default option inside the cME package. "It's up to the OEM whether or not to insert it on the machine," he said. "We are offering it as a default option and it's up to them to remove it."
An OEM will also have to decide whether or not to allow an end user to turn the DRM feature off, Eades said.
Since when does these schmucks start thinking that I as a consumer doesnt have the right to take apart, enable/disable features, and smash to smithreens whatever shit I buy from them?
Every other product or service that we are seeing these days for sale are increasingly tipping the balance in favor of the seller. Let buyer go to hell, be the new motto.
I can understand the importance of having digitally signed code and safe code, but tracking software across PC's sound a lot like 1984 than 2004.
Rapid Nirvana
... if it's ignored on another level. Remember, even if there is DRM capability, if it's not implemented *cough*linux*cough* then it doesn't matter.
Remember, Intel's Processor ID was supposed to do this too, and everyone that I know turned it off. And if this Phoenix BIOS DRM technology prevents large-scale installations from repairing computers by swapping out bad hardware, like motherboards, corporate IT won't buy it.
Do not look into laser with remaining eye.
...Apple becomes the only computer maker with its hands clean.
Think about it: most PC enthusiasts around here build their own computers. However, now they will be faced with DRM at the motherboard layer. No matter of software liberation, from Linux to FreeBSD, will be able to cleanse motherboards of this impurity. Apple, on the other hand, has never incorporated any form of DRM into their basic system. Sure, there's iTunes music store, but its DRM is limited to the application level. I boycott iTunes because I care about the Right of First Sale, for example.
I know that it hurts to pay an additional $2,000 for the convenience of a computer company that respects your Freedom, but trust me: once you go Mac, you don't go black, Jack!
I'm not Seth Finkelstein. I still speak the truth.
The best opposition to this would be and Open Source BIOS. I've no idea if this is possible, likely, or already being done. It simply seems like the best response to DRM enabled BIOS.
I metamoderate, therefore I am
how exactly can the BIOS track the software on the machine? Seeing as to how the type of file system used is bios independant.... can they see my .mp3 files if the drive is formatted as a novell partition, or an os2 partition?
I dont really see how the BIOS can have anything to do with DRM. and no, I didnt rtfa.
Open Source "BIOS" Its basically a very small wrapper around a Linux kernel. The kernel is ungziped and booted at power on, and they have reported boot times of 3 seconds. Smart.
I'm not so opposed to DRM as long as, like you say, I can go buy a non-DRM motherboard somewhere else.
Think about it. Putting aside copying issues, trusted computing is about designing hardware that everyone else can trust to behave responsibly.
As I cleaned a few hundred infected e-mails out of my inbox for the nth time, I have to admit that my trust in the average computer user to act responsibly is diminishing. For the average joe/jane who buys a computer from Dell, I'm all in favor of DRM if it means that he/she will be forced to operate that computer responsibly. Do these people need root access? Is it even safe to give it to them? I am forced to think that the answer is no. These are people who treat the computer like an appliance; after all, they don't need the schematics of their TV or toaster to use it properly.
In a lot of cases, putting your faith in the goodwill of the average, non-technically-literate person to keep their OS updated and virus-free is an absurd proposition. As long as I can have my linux, I say: bring on the DRM.
Toronto-area transit rider? Rate your ride.
Pre-DRM enabled motherboards. I have quite a few Asus boards here, good up to (IIRC) Athlon 3000s. Should be good enough for a long time to come for the average customer.
What concerns me, is the addition of DRM into, say, the next generation video cards. It's all well and good to "merely" have an Intel P4 3.0 Ghz, or Amd Athlon 3000+, but what happens when Doom3 or beyond comes out and a new video card is needed? What is said new card has DRM on it, and decides not to play any videos you happen to own?
In short, where do we draw the line? Corps have finally started to get wise on the old adage about a frog and boiling water, it's high time Joe Generic does as well.
So rise up, all ye lost ones, as one, we'll claw the clouds.
When did a better user experience get lost? Even BIOS used to get better over time (more flexible boot options, software jumper settings, etc).
Now it seems the "magic money" isn't in making it better, but in making it more crippled. Unfortunately I can think of a lot more things that should be done before that one.
...this is different than Intel's rather public gaffe in touting the processor serial number? Won't it face exactly the same customer outrage?
Crippled CDs
BIOS
motherboards
Hard Drives
Consumer Audio (Minidisk, MP3 players)
Music (Buymusic.com - I have a special grudge against these guys, see my journal.)Itunes (gotta be fair, eh?)
Video Players
ect. ect. (Don't forget MS!)
This would be an excellent way for others to be educated on the general poo that is DRM, and also give regular joes a list of stuff *NOT* to buy. Perhaps a forum reviews and on breaking/ circumventing/ turning DRM back upon its evil creators would be in order as well.
Sadly, the only way to vote and be heard is with $$$, these days.
Sure, it'd be violating the DMCA, but that law is so draconian that we're probably violating it almost constantly these days, just by being computer users.
I, for one, welcome our new Antichrist overlord.
When you have to register your unique computer ID with the police by law then it's game over. Won't that be fun? And it WILL happen, it's inevitable in my opinion. Not trolling, just pointing out how human affairs go. Wonder what the end game in all of this is?
Do you see that on any P4 motherboards? Of course not. Will we buy the crap MB's that ship with the DRM crap? Of course not.
Will that stop RIAA & MPAA from trying to grease the pockets of MB manufactures into accepting this? At first no. But it will become too expensive for them and be considered a loss soon enough.
~~I went to battle M.C. Escher, but drew a blank...~~
I bought a new Toshiba notebook (Satellite A15-S127) recently, and I found C-dilla DRM software by the Macrovision people running in the preinstall of WinXP. I must say I was rather offended :(. But I had no problem uninstalling it, along with all the other "trial version" and "sign up for internet" crap on there. I bet it's still running on as many clueless users machines as Gator :(
By the way, no, I would not have rather installed Linux, even if it did clean out C-dilla faster :P
I can well imagine a certain company producing a version of its Office suite that works 'best' with DRM enabled in the BIOS or a DVD/Video/Audio player that requires DRM for certain operations.
This would give machine manufacturers a strong incentive to buy DRM-enabled Bi-i (or is that BIOSen?)
Last week, despite the fact that finances are tight for me at the moment, I had this odd urge to go and buy the motherboard/CPU/memory combo for my next computer (I always build my own).
As I was contemplating 'why,' considering that my current system does pretty well, I realized that one big reason was that I wanted to get something that was (1), somewhat future-proof; and (2), that did not currently implement DRM ANYwhere in the mom-board's hardware, all because I hate the idea of a bunch of MBA's/CEO's/whatever telling me what I can or cannot do with my computer.
Now, seeing this story as I'm getting ready to put the new system together, it makes me wonder all over again if there really is any such thing as a coincidence.
For the benefit of the curious: I got a Tyan Tiger MPX, a pair of Athlon MP 2400+'s, half a gig of Corsair ECC memory, and a PC Power & Cooling 510ATX supply. Should keep me going for another 5-6 years at least.
Bruce Lane, KC7GR,
Blue Feather Technologies
...I can buy a different motherboard with that on it, thank you very much.
Assuming you mean "without that on it", I think the problem is that DRM will evolve into a "feature". When Windows or DVD playback starts to require DRM hardware people will pay extra to get it.
Incidentally, "Digital Rights Management" is pretty poor marketing. It kind of suggests someone in a suit sitting behind me. Something like "Digital Freedom Key" would net more suckers.
Here's a clue: the Ukrainian ogvernment don't give a fuck about what the RIAA wants. Neither does Russia. neither does China. Not even, I would venture, does France. If you spoke french or russian (or cared to try to understand it) you would find a preponderance of stuff on the net that lies well outside the control of the **AA. And if you were capable of using proxies, that would allow you to surf these sites without revealing a US-bound IP, you would find a considerable amount of "free" or "nearly free" content.
Lots of talk lately about US based sites offering music downloads. HA! I can show you at least three russian sites that have been offering all-you-can-eat MP3 downloads for years. All 100% legal within the laws of Russia, despite the fact the RIAA would have such a site padlocked within minutes of its US launch.
I am a bit more worried about DRM than you are. An unfortunate property that keeps Capitalism from being a perfect economic system is that companies get to decide what they will offer for sale and consumers can only choose among the alternative that are offered. If companies decide they will no longer sell software that works without DRM, you will have a mighty hard time buying new software. I also wouldn't be too sure that you'll be able to keep you existing software either; Microsoft just has to slip DRM in with its next security update, leaving you with a choice between Hackers owning your machine or Microsoft.
Now Open Source software can still work with or without DRM; but Open Source is not going to work for all types of software. In addition, people buy computers to do something with them, if open formats are replaced with DRM-enabled ones; a non-DRM O/S is not going to be able to do much.
I have a personal rule that I will never buy a copy-protected CD, an electronic device that can be "updated" automatically without my permission, or a device with DRM. We'll see if those rules have any affect on what companies offer for sale; I have already bought a DVD player despite its DRM system.
-- Pot is safer than Beer
Don't underestimate the power of un-educated people. How long do you thing it would take for legislators to mandate for U.S. based companies to sell only DRM-enabled computers after they hear from companies that piracy is hurting them and from constituents that viruses are hurting them, and someone whispers into their ears that DRM will fix all that?
The german c't computer magazine has created a database sometime ago.
It doesn't only list CDs, there is also information about the used copy protection and how well different players/drives can handle those (UN-)CDs.
Database
I think the project was started because of the growing number of "protected" CDs especially in Germany, as the music industry is convinced to get away with it here, due to the lack of organizations like ACLU (related (german) article here).
Done.
My email:
To whom it may concern,
Now that you are supplying DRM Bios's I will no longer consider products containing your Bios's in any form. If you choose to help companies attempt to circumvent my civil rights, I will simply opt to circumvent your product.
Yours Sincerely and without regret,
In response to my email:
Hello *******,
Thanks for your thoughtful comments about Phoenix BIOS and DRM. I will pass them along to the appropriate people here at our company headquarters. We always appreciate comments from our users even if they disagree with us.
Thanks again for writing...
One of my older Phoenix BIOS boards had an early version of some other of their DRM technology built in. It wouldn't wouldn't allow me to install my legal, licensed copy of Windows 2000 Professional, though ironically, it was perfectly happy with my illegitimate pirated copy of Windows 2000 Server. *sigh*
You are close to how it works, but not exactly. They don't use a "magic number" they use encryption and keys. The BIOS will only check and start up a "trusted" operating system, and the operating system will decide whether or not to copy the files. These days the BIOS doesn't run the show at all, it just boots another operating system.