Slashdot Mirror
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.
...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)
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