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Microsoft Preps 'Janus' Music Copy-Prevention Scheme

An anonymous reader writes "Microsoft is expected to unveil copy-protection software this summer that will for the first time give portable digital music players access to rented tunes from all-you-can-eat subscription services -- a development that some industry executives believe will shake up the online music business." Janus is the Roman god of doorways, gates, passages, preventing people from copying music, etc.

24 of 466 comments (clear)

  1. More on Janus by spoonboy42 · · Score: 5, Funny

    Lest we forget, Janus is also two-faced.

    --
    Anonymous Luddite: "What do you think of the dehumanizing effects of the Internet?"
    Andy Grove: "Not Much."
  2. what will happen by enrico_suave · · Score: 2, Funny

    what will happen to my music when this little fly by night company "microsoft" goes under?

    =)

    e.

    --
    Build Your Own PVR/HTPC news, reviews, &
  3. An MS product named after a two-faced god. by Trespass · · Score: 2, Funny

    How appropriate. So, have the eastern europeans hacked it yet?

  4. One Question by MrRuslan · · Score: 5, Funny

    Can you "disable it" by holding the shift key while inserting the cd?

  5. There's Irony in there naming... by sTalking_Goat · · Score: 4, Funny
    Janus is the Roman god of doorways, gates, passages, preventing people from copying music, etc.

    Society of Janus is a San Francisco based BDSM education/support group...

    know what it is exactly you're consenting to when you click accept on EULA.

    --

    My days of not taking you seriously are certainly coming to a middle...

  6. Janus? by arevos · · Score: 4, Funny

    Sounds more like a name of some diabolical, secret plot to rule the world.

    "Launch project Janus!"
    "You'll never get away with this!"
    "I already have, Bond! Within minutes, the world will have no choice but to bow to my demands... or face the consequences."
    "You fiend!" ...Maybe I've had too much caffeine recently.

  7. yeah. right. by kulakovich · · Score: 2, Funny

    "a hacker-resistant clock"

    Like that water-resistant watch I used to have.

    It wasn't water-proof

    kulakovich

  8. Re:Are they kidding? by mlush · · Score: 5, Funny
    This will get hacked very quickly

    and the bettings good that the cracking program will be called Hugh allowing one to Hugh .....

  9. Re:Are they kidding? by dragoncortez · · Score: 5, Funny

    oh come on, the article says, "Janus would add a hacker-resistant clock to portable music players for files encoded in Microsoft's proprietary Windows Media Audio format." We all know that when Microsoft makes something hacker-resistant there's just no way to crack it.

    --
    Making stupid comments so you don't have to.
  10. Re:When will they learn.... by sTalking_Goat · · Score: 4, Funny

    Everytime I hear someone use the phrase "hacker-proof". I think of the Titanic's designers calling it "unsinkable"

    --

    My days of not taking you seriously are certainly coming to a middle...

  11. Re:Are they kidding? by Oliver+Wendell+Jones · · Score: 5, Funny

    This would be about as bright robbing a bank naked, in broad daylight, and using your own car as the getaway vehicle.

    Think about the kind of people who are reading this right now...

    Now picture them naked.

    Ok, now think about what kind of sick, twisted, perverse people are actually going to take a good look at those kind of naked people and ask yourself, "Do any of those sick, twisted or perverse people work at my bank".

    If the answer is no, then this might actually be a feasible plan...

    --
    A computer once beat me at chess, but it was no match for me at kick boxing -- Emo Phillips
  12. Since it has the word "anus" in it... by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0, Funny

    I assume it will be an outlet for all the crap the music industry can't sell.

  13. -1, Wrong by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0, Funny

    No, It never left digital, so there is no loss of quality.

  14. Re:Are they kidding? by Cumstien · · Score: 3, Funny

    Bart: Uh, yes I'm looking for a friend of mine. Last name Jass, first name Hugh.
    Moe: Hold on, I'll check (to crowd) Hugh Jass. Hey, I wanna Hugh Jass. Oh, someone check the men's room for a Hugh Jass.
    (A man approaches Moe)
    Hugh: Uh, I'm Hugh Jass
    Moe: Telephone
    (Moe Hands hugh the receiver)
    Hugh: Hello, this is Hugh Jass
    Bart: Uh, hi
    Hugh: Who's this?
    Bart: Bart Simpson
    Hugh: What can I do for you, Bart?
    Bart: Uh, look, I'll level with you, mister. This is a crank call that sorta backfired and I'd like to bail out right now.
    Hugh: All right. better luck next time

  15. Re:Completely off topic by Bombcar · · Score: 2, Funny

    The god Janus has a first name.

    Hugh.

    And Microsoft's copy protection will soon look like the goat guy. :)

  16. original project name was changed... by JBG667 · · Score: 5, Funny

    ...and "J" was added, after marketing determined that it would divert the focus from the real purpose of the project...which is railing consumers up the rear end...

    --
    There are 10 kinds of people in the world > > Those who understand binary and those who don't
  17. Absolutely Uncrackable DRM: Here's How by Didion+Sprague · · Score: 5, Funny

    I'm surprised no one is mentioned that 100% uncrackable DRM: refusal to release.

    If more record companies would simply *NOT RELEASE* music, there would be nothing to crack. In fact, I'd urge record companies to examine this carefully. Take Janet Jackson, for example. If they *refused to release* 'Damita Jo' -- or, better yet, refused to record it -- there would be nothing to crack, nothing to leak, and no filesharing problem.

    The fact that record companies have recorded Damita Jo and actually released it indicates (to me, at least) that the record companies are as complicit in the problem as anyone else.

    My two cents.

  18. Are they kidding? Yes... by vwjeff · · Score: 2, Funny

    Come on people. Look at your calendar. Today is April...2nd? I guess this is real.

  19. Re:Are they kidding? by Bull999999 · · Score: 3, Funny

    Dude, some people view slashdot while eating.

    --
    1f u c4n r34d th1s u r34lly n33d t0 g37 l41d
  20. Re:Guaranteed hard-failure of player? by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 1, Funny

    it's kind of like buying a car with a pre-wired explosive charge under the hood set to go off in severeal years.

    These already exist, they are called Volvos.

  21. Re:Are they kidding? by Bingo+Foo · · Score: 3, Funny
    J-ANUS


    So it's written in Java, then?

    --
    taken! (by Davidleeroth) Thanks Bingo Foo!
  22. BDRM! by Coulson · · Score: 2, Funny

    Society of Janus is a San Francisco based BDSM education/support group...

    No no no, it's BDRM: bondage/dominance/rights-masochism.

    Only buy this if you enjoy watching your rights suffer!

  23. Re:Serious question by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 1, Funny

    M$: "Where do you want to go today...as long it's where we tell you."

    Have you ever heard of janus being two faced?? [:evil grin:] Is it any wonder why it is Microsoft's new patron diety.

  24. Re:Reminds me of something else... by Zhe+Mappel · · Score: 2, Funny
    I recently tried out the Wal-Mart 99c per song download and found it pretty cool, DRM and all.

    Dude, Wal-Mart is to cool as Iraq is to WMDs.