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Intel Cutting Linux Out of Content Market
An Anonymous Reader wrote in to mention an Inquirer story suggesting that Intel is planning on cutting Linux out of the content market. From the article: "The vehicle to do this is called East Fork, the upcoming and regrettable Intel digital media 'platform'. The funny part is that the scheme is already a failure, but it will hurt you as it thrashes before it dies. Be afraid, be very afraid."
Yes DRM is evil. I choose not to buy this machine. I am saved. End of story... This guy sounds like a doomsday fanatic to me.
What happens once all cable/sat/OTA decoder boxes start to come with Windows Media Center features powered by the East Fork platform? Then how will you get your TV?
You won't? Can you live with out TV? I can. I mostly do now and losing the little I do watch doesn't scare me.
Pulp Audio Weekly - Geek News and Reviews
Intel has beginning making a number of bad choices like this lately. They need to focus what got them where they are - providing quality processors. Too much attention is being put into small niche additions like this.
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I've often said that you can always tell where the most objectionable regimes are, their names start off with "The Democratic Republic of .....". We now hear "Freedom" and "Democracy" dripping from the lips of politicians like the sweetest sauce. May be no one owns these politicians, but like whores, they are paid. Freedom is a straight-jacket and Democracy is more of a Shamocracry. Perhaps we are moving into a world where the unauthorised writing of software will be a criminal offence.
...or does fair use still exist? If they haven't, then ANY CD or DVD I buy I reserve the right to rip to another format for more easy use, keeping the original copy safe and secure. That simple. If they don't like it, petition the SCotUS to reverse itself. Otherwise, they can fark off.
No way, no how, will I use WMV or any other format w/DRM. Not now, not ever.
Am I surprised by any of this? Nope. They fought the VCR, the cassette tape, the eight-track, private ownership of film cameras, etc. Even after repeated court rulings setting down that the people had the right to make archival back-ups of media such as floppies, the software companies still tried to use copy protection that made it impossible to make such an archival or fair-use copy.
Here's fair-use compatible DRM: I get a file of information as usual such as name, address, phone, e-mail, secret questions I know the answer to, etc. I also pay them X$ for whatever. Public key encryption is used to ensure only the key holder can access it. I can copy the encrypted file to whatever device I like that can read and act on my key. Without my key, it won't work.
Want more security? A simple USB device with a unique hardware key adds an extra layer insuring that only the person with that dongle and password for both hardware and stored software keys can play it. If I lose it for good, I revoke my software key on the server and inform them and prove who I am and get a new copy issued when I get a new USB key. They don't give a new copy until I permanently revoke my software key and prove my identity and that I bought a copy previously attached to that key.
If I gave my USB dongle away with the previous copy, then when the system connects in and asks the server about my software key it finds it revoked, it won't play the file and suspends the old key on the USB fob.
An open community such as that operating the various PGP/GPG key servers would handle the software key side, the hardware keys would be made to adhere to an open standard using well documented public key encryption standards and algorithms, and the IP owners handing out encrypted copies would have no control over either. They'd not be able to unilaterally revoke your right to usage of the copy you paid for and you'd not get that encrypted copy until you paid.
Go ahead and P2P the encrypted files all you want. Unless you can break PGP encrypted files trivially, it won't help. They'd be useless without both the hardware and software keys that matched the file.
If they used this, and the content was what I wanted, I'd pay and get my personal copy.
Yeah, I know. I can dream though...
If my grammar and spelling are off, I am [distracted/tired/careless] (take your pick)
I've solved the drm problem for myself. When in less than a year, the denve stations all swtich to hdtv streams, I suspect that will be the last of broadcast TV in my house. My family doesn't pay for cable or satelite, we just get what we get. I don't even watch tv anymore, except in hotel rooms, So I don't care. I read papre newpapers and online journals, TV has eliminated my need for it. THere's never anything on, and I can do more interesting things without it. I congratulate the folks at RIAA who have removed my need to purchase anything at all, really. I can listen to broadcast radio if I'm REALLY bored, or I can continue to break the law by putting copies of the few remaning copyable cds on my music server. I hope they DRM even more, so I have even less motivation to pick up their crap. I go to theaters to watch movies and friends to watch DVD's but I won't be a consumer for much longer, there's just no point. If I break it it's gone. I'd still buy ut2k4, a great game becuase 6-months or so after release, I don't need a no-cd crack, it just doesn't require one, it runs on linux, and is just great. I say DRM it up make me buy it 3 or 4 times, You can keep it. I don't need it that bad.
Can I be a Luddite too?
Right you are. I can definitely imagine living without listening to the next Britney clone yapping, or seeing the next Spielberg "blockbuster" with Tom Cruise alternating between his two facial expressions.
:)
(If I seem to be a bit scathing, that was intentional.)
In any case, I have a feeling that this is going to end much the same way as it did with DVDs: in theory, it is illegal to crack CSS, but nobody gives a damn as long as you don't make a torrent out of it afterwards (which is something entirely different from fair use).
So far for my 2 cents.. (Eurocents, of course
It's not as evil as it may seem. Surely the intent can be viewed as outrageous to those of us who know and love linux and all the free stuff that comes with it. But this will be good for linux and open source in the end.
There will spring all sorts of new inventions from this. Who knows, maybe we'll see a whole new industry spring up to fill the void that was once completely covered by the current industry giants.
I can imagine though this is going to create many problems. Major ISPs may not allow you on their networks if you're not "secure". You will undoubtedly have to use MicroTel hardware at work, therefore if you try to work at home, you'll have to have at least one "secure" computer just to be able to edit your Word document.
I can see Apple gaining a wider audience on the other hand. They're moving TOWARDS open source, not away from it. They seems to have their finger on the pulse of the people.
I'm a bit nervous.. change is always tough.. especially when you've grown up with this industry. But in the end the great spirit of the geeks will emerge. It's too strong.
You're nothing; like me.
But is AMD's Linux audience bigger than AMD's Windows audience?
Personally, I'm an AMD-Linux user.
The government which is strong enough to protect you from everything is strong enough to take everything from you.
The mafia is always ready to feed the people when the law goes too far. Like prohibition, prostitution, gambling. The problem is that the mafia shoots people to protect their access to the market. And their product liability amounts to "tell it to the fishes". When our government and its corporate sponsors drive us into the arms of the mafia, we're screwed, not saved.
--
make install -not war
There's some uber-paranoia going on in that article, but it was an interesting read.
Fortunately, due to human nature being so wonderfully inept at controlling anything successfully for lengthy periods of time, I don't think we need worry about "Intel Cutting Linux Out of Content Market" or your more wild theories about lack of choice in terms of your media.
Other markets always open up which counter DRM.
Case in point is DVD-R, worth billions for the companies that sell the units and the media.
Before that CD-R, before that VHS, Betamax, Cassette tape.
These companies can afford to own Congressmen and can also afford to make DRM meaningless.
If DRM means that people won't be able to copy their media, or record TV, then a MASSIVE segment of the entire home entertainment industry will go bust.
Obviously that isn't going to happen.
A slashdotting - you get the stick first and then the carrot !
Why did the author make a big deal about it cutting Linux out of the content market? What about, say, Apple Computer, which has it's own eye on that market? What this is really all about is Microsoft trying to sew up the home desktop market as completely as has already done with the corporate world. Want to watch a movie? You'll have to boot up Windows, and don't even think about using one of those "alternative OSes" because it is effectively illegal under U.S. Federal law to play any commercial content on those platforms. Geez, how do convicted monopolists keep getting away with this stuff?
... Congress. It was a rhetorical question anyways.
I know, I know
The higher the technology, the sharper that two-edged sword.
There are several problems with that, and it is being slightly disingenuous to say what you did. Intel's official position is that they are putting out roughly a framework, and you can do with it what you want. www.dlna.org is the vehicle for this, as I am sure you know.
The thing that you don't address is, is Intel going to put out a free (beer) or free (speech) version of the DRM'd WMV codecs? Not on your life. Since they are only officially blessing the MS DRM scheme, that is a heavy bias as to what people should encode in, and if history is any guide, they will. MS will quickly become the defacto standard.
Now, Intel very well may release the framework for Linux, and if you can comment, will they spend the time and effort to port the proprietary codecs? If not, you can be pretty sure that MS will not. So, you end up with something about as usefull as an uncustomised CRM package, IE pointless.
Also, can you care to explain to me how the MS and Intel co-marketing scheme will not lead to a pro-MS bias?
It is a really subtle sort of alienation the kind that MS is _SO_ good at, and I mean this in the most respectful way, they are good. Intel could have fixed this problem, a $300 mil campaign for a media PC without DRM would have been just as effective. I have debated this with several Intel people in positions of power to do things about this, and they repeatedly show an unwillingness to display any sort of backbone here.
There are two companies that are in a position of stop this DRM evil, Intel and MS. We can pretty safely assume MS will not go there, but I was honestly hoping Intel would. My bad.
If they had stood up and planted a stake in the sand, used their massive (really) software engineering team to build a better mousetrap without DRM, they would have won the day. They are cowards and money grubbers, and they sold us all out.
-Charlie
The problem is there is nothing that stops software providers from forcing you to have an upgrade which is a downgrade. Or worse ..
I'm still trying to figure out what people mean by 'social skills' here.
I'll just buy a $400 windows machine with Intel for the occasions I want to watch tv or a movie or listen to a new CD.
You've hit the nail on the head. Windows is quickly becoming a media os, useful only for (high-priced) entertainment. As Windows bloats and restricts, it becomes more useless for actual computing and business purposes. If you want a fancy TV/stereo system, use Windows. If you want a useful computer, use Linux.
3 things about computers: they're alive, they're self-aware, and they hate your guts.
If I'm the type of guy who reads The Wire magazine, buys electronica albums, and makes excuses for lazy music, then this sort of stuff should be right up my street, but with the exception of an album by a guy called "Izmar", the stuff on Legal Torrents was sub-ambient claptrap.
All that said, this complaint holds no water because, bandwidth or internet connection aside, I got it for free under an open license. Which is cool and groovy. And while I'm a proponent of such distribution methods for music that would never sell off its own bat, people should have a little knowledge that if you get stuff for free, it's likely to suck.
Notable exception, the BBC's recent 9 Beethoven Symphonies. But then again, that does exactly what it says on the tin. Most legal free music downloads don't even have a tin for a description to be plastered on. (Concerning the write up on Legaltorrents.com a paragraph for as much as 20+ albums isn't going to give you much to go on. And if it's zipped, you may not be able to pick or choose the albums you get.)
Final note: legaltorrents has an excellent openly distributable movie (independent) called Blue. Simple stuff, nothing memorable, but it was done really well in Maya and Photoshop with good production values. Using Legal Torrents to reach an audience is smart, and great for those that would risk downloading a big file to see and indie animated movie. Link goes straight to download of torrent, beware Opera 8.02 users: Blue: A Short Film (DivX).
After reading the article, why would Intel create any DRM solution tied to MSFT when apple has pledged support for Intel? I think that more research with actual facts would provide a better view into the problem.
Also, maybe I don't fully understand DRM, but how would dropping the DRM into hardware help? Other than offloading a CPU during playback / record, I can't figure out the advantages. Having the DRM in hardware would require constant firmware updates to enhance the DRM / stay ahead of the pirates. If they are hoping to get a "lock" on the media PC, this is really a bad way to start.
I'm sure this will all work out once the **AA gets involved and protects our rights to listen to their products.
--WooooHoooo--
You have not been paying attention to (American) music or movies for the last four decades. While in theory artistic effort cannot be commoditized, in practice, formulaic works sell very, very well.
There is a very well-defined production path for 'pop' music, as well as a few other mature genres. Specifically, check out the 'boy-band' scene.
Many movies released are 'safe', i.e. derivatives with a guaranteed low payoff rather than a potential high payoff. This is how it has to be if movie studios are to assure their stockholders that they will pay the bills.
Do not think for a minute that artists will rise up against this. Artists will complain and go their own ways, but way more than enough artists will go along with it.
Playing pornographics games during the day is evil! Play at night!
I agree with this completely, and had you not written it, I was about to write the exact same thing.
-Charlie