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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.
If not, the name was inappropriate.
how long before someone comes up with a 'workaround'? As long as there are security measures, there are people with no goals in life but to circumvent those measures.
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Why would OEMs buy something that would piss off their customers? I can see Sony doing it to their VAIOs but would Dell?
If something like this sells, it just makes custom building of PCs more attractive IMO.
There is nothing inherently safe about liberty. That's why so many people died protecting it.
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.
Until no one sells one without DRM.
That's why opposition must be raised now.
Don't do it, you're pretty easy to replace.
Good people do not need laws to tell them to act responsibly, while bad people will find a way around the laws-Plato
Oh, glorious day. I was so concerned that our new entertainment industry overlords would be displeased.
This is going to be a big bitch and complain session about liberties and what not, and I agree. However complaining never solves anything. The simple and most effective solution is to *not* buy boards with these chipsets.
Also don't think that your purchase won't make a difference.
E.
Never rub another man's rhubarb - The Joker
I found their email address, contact them and tell them how much this sucks.
investor_relations@phoenix.com
And don't try to say, "Well, they'll need a subpoena." See how well that worked with the RIAA.
I had but a simple dream, to destroy all humans.
>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?
Since the US passed the DCMA.
The surprise isn't how often we make bad choices; the surprise is how seldom they defeat us.
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.
The OpenBios project has been in the works for a while now.
Time is what keeps everything from happening all at once.
I'm reminded of one of the only TV commercials ever published by 3dfx. An engineer introduces his new chipset, capable of billions of calculations per second. With pride and courage in his voice, he speaks of how this chip will allow them to revolutionize medicine and scientific research, saving billions of lives. An interruption over the intercom says, "Excuse me people, we changed our minds; we're going to use it to play video games."
We have remarkable technology at hand, capable of verifying the source and integrity of data transmissions, communications, financial records, all manner of irreplacable information. We're going to use it to keep people from listening to music. Irrespective of copyright and how poor and hungry Metallica and Dr Dre are right now... that's a totally different issue. We're going to use it to keep people from listening to music. I hope somebody's proud.
-j
Right, but the problem is that as DRM becomes an accepted technology, your non-DRM compliant computer will go the way of the personal check. It will be one large pain in the ass to buy something online from major distributors. You'll "need" DRM. Then of course there is even the possibility of further legislation in this arena that requires computers connected to the internet to have signed OSs that booted from valid BIOSs.
But thats not going to happen. There is no government agency that can legislate "only signed OS's can use the internet". There are no hardware manufacturers willing to piss away billions of dollars in revenue so the entertainment industry can make a paltry couple of extra million.
I don't do the conspiracy thing. This technology seems directly targetted at the office workstations of the world, and is a feature that PC's have been sorely lacking for much too long.
I don't need no instructions to know how to rock!!!!
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.
Is there any real benefit to the user with the inclusion of this technology. I know the article claims "rovides an enhanced BIOS that allows greater interaction with the operating system"; but does this affect the users experience? Or is this simply a move to force DRM down our throats? I'm not trolling; I just wonder if there is an upside to the consumer.
"Reality is a crutch for people who can't handle drugs" - George Bernard Shaw (1856 - 1950)
The truly big problem will be the need to repurchase your huge software investment each time you upgrade to a new machine. This will put momentum AWAY from buying new hardware. It seems the hardware OEMs will be shooting themselves in both feet if they use this.
I think you're missing the fact that in order to capitalize on the DRM feature in the BIOS, new applications have to be written. You would not be able to install(pirate) a DRM enhanced AutoCAD on a Windows98 PC. You'd need Windows 2010 or newer. Ditto for Linux. If Matlab for Linux is DRM enhanced, then it would require Linux w/ DRM as well.
Phoenix probably couldn't care less if you elect to install a DRM unaware OS. It's just one more feature in the BIOS that's going unused. But by including the feature, they're opening the door for others to build off of it.
But thats not going to happen. There is no government agency that can legislate "only signed OS's can use the internet". There are no hardware manufacturers willing to piss away billions of dollars in revenue so the entertainment industry can make a paltry couple of extra million.
You're vastly underestimating the momentum behind this thing.
You know the *AAs' current actions? Suing Napster, cracking down on Kazaa users, non-rippable audio CDs? Why do we think they're foolish? That's right, because they're a whole lot of effort for not much copyright enforcement.
The *AAs know this, too. These are really just treading-water exercises - making an attempt to squelch the big offenders, and plant the idea in peoples' minds that piracy = theft. It's all they can do, and everyone knows it.
Their long-term strategy has to focus on making media completely non-rippable. Digital encryption will be how digital media is distributed in the future. By digital media, I mean all digital media that big corporations want to protect - music, movies, streamed video (i.e., all TV shows), electronic texts, you name it. It's the big gun that media producers intend to wield in the future.
This isn't conspiracy-theory stuff. It's sound business sense. Just look at the trends and listen to the *AAs talk about the future of distribution - it's obvious.
- David Stein
Computer over. Virus = very yes.
Yes, I'm 100% positive. I used to be a BIOS developer and I have 10 years' experience in device drivers. The whole point behind a modern OS like Linux and Windows 2000/XP is to prevent apps from talking to any hardware resource (and memory and BIOS count as hardware resources) without the OS's permission. An app can't issue an interrupt, nor can it make a call into some fixed memory location in the BIOS. The CPU will just not allow these operations.
And the men who hold high places must be the ones who start
To mold a new reality... closer to the heart