Whats wrong with... wait for it... a REAL book? One you can read in 20 years, doesn't need batteries, and you can share with anyone else?
Seems like this is a solution looking for a problem. I can't carry half a dozen or more on vacation with me easily, and I can't carry around the many volumes of references that I'd love to keep with me, in quickly searchable formats. Now that may not be something that interests a lot of people, but it's what I want.
I want no DRM, ability to read all the common non-DRM'd formats, search capabilities, highly readable screen, long battery life, and a form-factor small enough to fit in a jacket pocket.
If I could have a couple more wishes, I'd like the ability to tack notes onto the texts and have them retained along with it and also be able to create my own text files on the device for writing down my own thoughts.
In this case, it's not the game you're cracking, it't the 3rd party engine. unfortunately, all the game has to do is code validate (MD5 or similar) the engine itself, then make the appropriate request. The game update and content files you download can easily do the same. dual version matching. From reading through the comments from the Bioware rep, I'm still not exactly sure how this scheme works. These are the relevant quotes I found:
There are no external programs with SecuROM. It is completely contained in the wrap of the executable. There are no other programs or processes that run, other than was is with MassEffect.exe and also this:
Well, its not a download and its a conversation on a normal port. We haven't had anything special to do to get the game working for any of our testers, including places that have very restricted network access. And then I ran into this quote, which seems to sum it up:
Its the same system that SecuROM has been using for digital activation for years (if you have purchased through Direct2Drive, etc, they all use this same SecuROM system). We used the exact same system for Jade Empire PC when purchased through the BioWare Store. Ok, so it's the same as the Direct2Drive titles (which many people hate because it can cause all kinds of problems with mods and anti-cheating apps like Punkbuster) Now I don't know whether a Direct2Drive game has been cracked or not, because I don't know of any titles that used that method exclusively. Usually they were available through different sources having different DRM mechanisms. I have little doubt that it will still be cracked, and that updates will be made available, probably through additional cracked downloads, as they are for Steam games currently. They may be slower in coming if this scheme is particularly difficult to crack. Of course we've heard much the same thing about many other DRM schemes, but they always get cracked eventually.
millions of songs and videos are being traded on P2P and shared on hosting web sites, infringing the rights of the copyright holders. I don't know how you would choose to define a "major" violation quantitatively, but if making millions of infringing copies of a work doesn't count then I don't know what does. I consider this the pendulum swinging back the other way. Large copyright interests have lobbied their way to huge windfalls in copyright duration and degree of control for decades now, with the public getting absolutely nothing back in return for those concessions. There was bound to be a backlash, and all it took to start it was for record and film industries to get so fat and lazy that they didn't bother to respond to one of the biggest changes in our way of living, ever. Had they set up legal, reasonable ways for people to purchase music and use it as they wish on their various devices, we probably wouldn't be seeing the file-sharing culture that we are today. Since they didn't bother to respond, the market responded by bypassing their monopoly. What else could you really expect? There's a reason that we consider monopolies to be a bad thing. This was a good example of it.
Uhm, you may want to re-read what you replied to. He didn't say that you had used a keygen, he said that your key had later been generated by a keygen. Yeah, I see that now. I read it as meaning you better not be using a stolen or randomly generated key, because it would lock you out. Having your own key stolen or re-generated would definitely suck, as I say in my other response to him.
yes, nearly every CD and DRM encryption is hacked. With this, you can't hack the game client becuase it's relying on a seperate engine that self updates. That's really not how it works. What they're doing isn't really any different from what Steam does, except that they're requiring the check more often. Every Steam game has been cracked, quickly. They never try to authenticate with a Steam server.
You MIGHT be able to fol the system into getting valid responses, but if it's centrally controlled, it would be just as hard to hack as WoW's login servers are. The login servers are the easy part to crack with WoW. The hard part is the fact that the game world that the client interacts with exists only on those servers. That's not the case with Mass Effect or any other single-player game, which is why they are MUCH easier to crack.
Yes it can be done, but no, few will do it....and every time you update any ONE of the games that uses the system, you'll have to re-crack every game that got an update. if this same system is used for MMOs and Miltiplayer games, then you can crack it, but then you can't play those other games online... No, that's not the way it will be. The cracked executables will allow the game to run on your computer without even making any checks. They'll cut out or bypass the code that performs the checks, so that the game will run normally without them. Each game will be cracked individually, and any change to the online checking mechanism will have no effect on the games that have already been cracked.
Even with this, it's likely someone will find a way around the checking process, but FAR fewer people will be able to do that than can currently get a no-cd crack... Likely? It's already done. Practically every game out there has been cracked. The few exceptions tend to be MMOs that must be played online on the publisher's servers, and even some of those get cracked to play on alternate servers (like WoW). None of this impacts pirates at all. Only customers.
If that's their reasoning, then they should be patching the DRM out by the time a cracked version is released. They don't seem to do this very often though. It's often more than a year at least before they remove it, if at all.
But as the backlash against DRM grows, more and more people will be trying out "solutions" like keygens on legitimate media, often borrowed from a friend. These people either a.) don't know what cracked software is, or b.) are concerned that a cracked version off some warez site may be malware-infected. If the DRM is causing them problems, then yes, they'll search for solutions. They'll probably quickly figure out that a keygen is not a solution by itself. Then they'll figure out how to download a cracked executable from any of the numerous places you can get them, and all will be well.
As a legitimate owner of HL2 whose key was blacklisted because of a keygen somewhere, I understand the parent's concerns. I'm a legitimate HL2 owner as well (actually I own two copies now since I bought Orange Box), so I guess maybe I'm lucky that I haven't had any key problems yet. If I do have a problem, then I would expect Valve to solve it asap, as it is their DRM scheme that is depriving me of what I paid for. If it takes longer than a couple days, then I believe they should compensate me for the loss of access to the game I paid for. The fact that they aren't obligated to, and probably won't, just illustrates how screwed up our current IP laws are.
I'm surprised at the 10 days though. That seems kind of long to me. Sounds like something a cracker could exploit. If there is a timer there is a way to stop it. Even if there wasn't a timer, unless the server somewhere is providing some critical component of the game itself that can't be replaced, then the game will be cracked. It's that simple. Once people figured out how to create their own WoW servers, then it was possible to play a cracked version because they no longer needed the service provided by the real servers.
These are just the facts of life, and the game publishers are simply pissing people off with these stupid attempts to prevent something that they can't prevent. They aren't even making it harder for anyone really, except maybe the cracking groups, but they love this stuff and compete with each other. It's the legitimate customers that have to put up with all the crap, not the pirates.
They should look to Stardock as an example. Create a good game, and ask your users for their support so that you can continue to create good games. Treat your customers with respect and decency, and they'll respond to that. Especially for niche games, Stardock's titles have done very well with no intrusive DRM. They have a key that you use that gives you access to updates, that's it.
also, it checks your cd key against a growing 'blacklist' of abused keys...so you had better hope your key isn't stolen, or randomly picked by a keygen If you used a keygen, then you should have a cracked version anyway, which wouldn't even perform the checks. This is retarded.
I want to see someone ask them exactly how this prevents piracy to begin with, since the pirates just bypass their scheme altogether. Why don't they ask that?
Mostly because it won't do a thing to prevent piracy. I really don't understand how they can keep coming back to this idea of requiring a CD in the drive or an active internet connection for single-player games. It makes no sense and only inconveniences their customers. The pirates just replace the executable with a cracked version and have no trouble at all.
Sorry, but you seem to be confused. What he wrote and what he says he meant are two different things, which is why he had to clarify his meaning. I responded to what he actually wrote, which was that the Taser is a replacement for the gun.
He specifically says that the purpose of the taser is to replace the gun, and nowhere in his post does he mention it being just another alternative.
And so rather than clarify, you jump to conclusions and begin attacking him. You're a dick, I was right.
If he had meant what he wrote, then the harshness of my post was deserved. Since he claims he didn't mean what he wrote, but something else instead, then I am willing to accept that and regret being so harsh.
but that's not really what he said.
No, it's exactly what he said, you just assumed you knew what he meant. And were wrong.
Again. Confused. It's not at all what he said. He specifically said replacement. Go look up the definition. Then come back and apologize for being a dick, and wrong on top of it.
You're engaging in Nerd Logic -- the fact that a sufficiently motivated abuser could get around any of those things isn't the same as "none of the above does anything to stop abusers". Revenge is a powerful motivator. The abuser has to prove to you that you can't stop them. There really aren't a lot of casual abusers, judging from my experiences in various forums. It's the serious abusers that cause the real problems, because they enjoy it.
You'll not find any police departments even remotely considering having their officers carry tasers instead of guns because that would be ridiculously unsafe for them. The Norwegian police force is unarmed.
They can obtain weapons in special cases, but an officer on normal duty will not carry a firearm. Right. I should clarify then. You'll not find any police departments in the U.S. that are considering swapping guns for tasers.
Nothing you said in your post disagrees with him, you're just not good enough at reading to realize you misunderstood his post. Maybe I was a tad harsh, but I've read too many posts that have claimed that police should replace their guns with non-lethal weapons. I don't think the problem is with my reading. He specifically says that the purpose of the taser is to replace the gun, and nowhere in his post does he mention it being just another alternative. From his reply, I can accept that that was his meaning, but that's not really what he said.
Note that "less than lethal" is also used to describe things like Rubber Bullets and bean-bag rounds. Neither is designed to be lethal, but if you hit someone in the right place and they are at the right range, they will die. It's an interesting description, although I think that most anything can kill someone given the right circumstances. I'm suddenly quite wary of the spoon sitting next to me...
Add that to the list of things you can't say on Slashdot without riling up the citizenry. Whodathunkit? Ok, so... cops are bad, RIAA is bad, Microsoft is bad, paying for software or music is bad, Bush is bad, upholding any law is bad, copyrights are bad... Way to be an asshat there. You think you're special just because you take the side of the police? You didn't provide any facts in your post, right after you bashed the parent poster for not providing facts, and then you expect to get modded up? Come back when you can make an actual argument.
The point of the taser was to replace the gun.... A taser should only be used when a cop would normally use a gun, and the exact same procedure should used every time a cop discharges a taser as would be used if a cop discharges a gun. Umm... hell no. You're completely and utterly wrong. The point of the taser is to offer a non-lethal alternative to the gun in cases where it is safe for the officer to use it instead. That fact that it turned out not to be entirely non-lethal is the concern here. You'll not find any police departments even remotely considering having their officers carry tasers instead of guns because that would be ridiculously unsafe for them.
That said, there definitely should be more controls in place to ensure that the police show some restraint in the use of tasers, especially now that we've seen that they can cause death. We need more research into the effects of tasers too, in order to determine how dangerous they actually are and in what ways.
OK, but when that idea has been suggested before, it usually met with accusations of entrapment or claims that the download isn't infringing if it's authorised by the copyright holder...
It's not entrapment unless it's the cops doing it, and I don't believe that applies to civil suits at all.
All articles seem to point to a new 360 SKU with "built in" Bluray, so are we to believe that they have abandoned the "add-on" idea? It seems to me that an "add-on" would be better as it would prevent the alienation of the early adopters. Early adopters? I just got my 360 in December. I definitely don't consider myself an early adopter, but I would also be pissed if they didn't make an add-on blu-ray player available. That is, unless there aren't going to be any blu-ray games coming out. If it's just for movies and such, I don't really care.
that's a warranty, which they promised, presumably, before they knew it was going to fail on such a large scale. they're legally obligated to honor that warranty. if microsoft were to replace it for free, AND give us a half off coupon for the next time our 360s fail (by which time the warranty will be gone), i might consider giving them credit for that. Actually, they extended the warranty to three years after they found out how high the failure rate was.
Other people have. Should the fanfict authors be sued? There's a big difference between "should they be sued?" and "can they be sued?". I generally don't think it's wise for an author to sue his fans for enjoying the world that he created and wanting to explore that world as fully as they can.
Similarities in plot/storyline are not the same as using actual characters, names, and places. Rowling has a point and and profit from the encyclopedia are hers. Seems like explanation and commentary on the work to me. Should be fair use. They didn't write a new novel using her characters and setting.
Slashdot Mirror
Oh yeah, one more thing to add. External storage such as flash memory. Can never have too much memory.
Seems like this is a solution looking for a problem. I can't carry half a dozen or more on vacation with me easily, and I can't carry around the many volumes of references that I'd love to keep with me, in quickly searchable formats. Now that may not be something that interests a lot of people, but it's what I want.
I want no DRM, ability to read all the common non-DRM'd formats, search capabilities, highly readable screen, long battery life, and a form-factor small enough to fit in a jacket pocket.
If I could have a couple more wishes, I'd like the ability to tack notes onto the texts and have them retained along with it and also be able to create my own text files on the device for writing down my own thoughts.
If that's their reasoning, then they should be patching the DRM out by the time a cracked version is released. They don't seem to do this very often though. It's often more than a year at least before they remove it, if at all.
These are just the facts of life, and the game publishers are simply pissing people off with these stupid attempts to prevent something that they can't prevent. They aren't even making it harder for anyone really, except maybe the cracking groups, but they love this stuff and compete with each other. It's the legitimate customers that have to put up with all the crap, not the pirates.
They should look to Stardock as an example. Create a good game, and ask your users for their support so that you can continue to create good games. Treat your customers with respect and decency, and they'll respond to that. Especially for niche games, Stardock's titles have done very well with no intrusive DRM. They have a key that you use that gives you access to updates, that's it.
I want to see someone ask them exactly how this prevents piracy to begin with, since the pirates just bypass their scheme altogether. Why don't they ask that?
Mostly because it won't do a thing to prevent piracy. I really don't understand how they can keep coming back to this idea of requiring a CD in the drive or an active internet connection for single-player games. It makes no sense and only inconveniences their customers. The pirates just replace the executable with a cracked version and have no trouble at all.
Sorry, but you seem to be confused. What he wrote and what he says he meant are two different things, which is why he had to clarify his meaning. I responded to what he actually wrote, which was that the Taser is a replacement for the gun.
If he had meant what he wrote, then the harshness of my post was deserved. Since he claims he didn't mean what he wrote, but something else instead, then I am willing to accept that and regret being so harsh.
Again. Confused. It's not at all what he said. He specifically said replacement. Go look up the definition. Then come back and apologize for being a dick, and wrong on top of it.
They can obtain weapons in special cases, but an officer on normal duty will not carry a firearm. Right. I should clarify then. You'll not find any police departments in the U.S. that are considering swapping guns for tasers.
Ok, so... cops are bad, RIAA is bad, Microsoft is bad, paying for software or music is bad, Bush is bad, upholding any law is bad, copyrights are bad... Way to be an asshat there. You think you're special just because you take the side of the police? You didn't provide any facts in your post, right after you bashed the parent poster for not providing facts, and then you expect to get modded up? Come back when you can make an actual argument.
That said, there definitely should be more controls in place to ensure that the police show some restraint in the use of tasers, especially now that we've seen that they can cause death. We need more research into the effects of tasers too, in order to determine how dangerous they actually are and in what ways.
OK, but when that idea has been suggested before, it usually met with accusations of entrapment or claims that the download isn't infringing if it's authorised by the copyright holder...
It's not entrapment unless it's the cops doing it, and I don't believe that applies to civil suits at all.