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Nikon Responds to Encryption Claims

ader writes "In a rare response to public complaints, Nikon has released a statement clarifying the use of encrypted white balance information in the NEF raw data from its digital cameras. They point out that this 'proprietary' format is accessible through the use of their 'proprietary' SDK, which is freely available to 'bona fide software companies' on written application. In other words: open source coders can butt out."

12 of 635 comments (clear)

  1. As if an open source zealot could afford a Nikon by AHumbleOpinion · · Score: 3, Funny

    With an attitude towards the community like yours I won't consider even purchasing a Nikon camera

    As if a typical open source zealot could afford a Nikon anyway. ;-)

  2. Hack the Planet! by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 5, Funny

    oh... wrong Nikon, sorry.

  3. Re:huh? by bird603568 · · Score: 2, Funny

    But of course "Help! Help! I'm being oppressed" makes great headlines. ;)
    If the D2x only used .jpg the head line would be "Help! Help! I'm being comppressed"

  4. Hackers... by Seoulstriker · · Score: 2, Funny

    I am sure this can be trivially reverse-engineered.

    I'm sure Lord Nikon could figure out how to do this...

    --
    I am defenseless. Use your button. Mod me down with all of your hatred.
  5. Re:Slashdotted... by belroth · · Score: 3, Funny
    I haven't been able to access the link to this article. Has it already been /.ed? If so, does anyone have another link so that I can read the article before I comment on it.
    I'm not sure I understand, you want to read the article before you comment on it? Oh, now I get it "you must be new around here!" :->
    --
    I hereby inform you that I have NOT been required to provide any decryption keys.
  6. Damn Cypherpunks by scenestar · · Score: 2, Funny

    outlaw those damn calculators and computers.
    Normal teens should drink and smoke pot instead of messing with the products of respectable corporations.

    --
    perpetually dwelling in the -1 pits
  7. Re:We may not *look* big, but... by NanoGator · · Score: 5, Funny

    "In other words, "Would all the tech-saavy people in the audience please discourage everyone they know from buying our products"."

    Yeah! That's how we took down Microsoft!!

    --
    "Derp de derp."
  8. Re:This just keeps getting better by mark_wilkins · · Score: 2, Funny

    Toshiba? Wow, I was just thinking of putting on some legwarmers and dancing around to the Pointer Sisters.

  9. Re:This just keeps getting better by andreyw · · Score: 3, Funny

    Didn't the Cold War end about 16 years ago, bub?

  10. adobe by Zlib+pt · · Score: 4, Funny

    Isn't it great that nikon SDK info is in adobe's pdf ?
    http://www.nikonusa.com/kdb/sdk/nikon_SDK_request. pdf

  11. Re:idiots by Qzukk · · Score: 4, Funny

    *somewhere in a badly-dubbed Canon underground research base*

    A: Sir! The decryption process is complete! We have their top secret white balance data!

    Captain: Hurry up boy, we haven't got all day!

    A: The numbers are... 32, 198, 53, 52, and 3.4253E-08!

    B: My God! Thats --

    Captan: Yes, its as I feared, the Japanese have mastered the ultimate ancient technique Silent White Tiger Balanced Fist of Left Justified Saturation. We must memorize these numbers so we may mimic their technique and use their own weapon against them in our final battle on the next episode.

    *meanwhile, in reality...*
    Nikon most definitely has some juicy technology here and there that a competitor would want to know about.

    Riiiight. And rather than take the camera apart and read the code straight off the ROM, they're going to stock up on AA's and take a thousand pictures and 2 thousand man-hours to figure out what that white balance data means.

    --
    If I have been able to see further than others, it is because I bought a pair of binoculars.
  12. Re:Wrong. by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 1, Funny

    You mean like a DVD ?