Because we got fed up with all the idiotic Flash-based adds that make buzzing sounds at random in background windows and make us jump straight out of our chairs.
Yes, but if Flash disappeared tomorrow, a few hours later we would have the same ads running in HTML5, which will be remedies by html5block.
Yes, I use flashblock. I do it because I do not want the ads to consume the CPU cycles, also so I have a choice which, if any, of the flash files to run. I also like flash games and video will be on flash for a long time (since Mozilla wants me to have freedom to either not go to any h264 sites or use flash).
Intel already does this. They already send you CPUs with features disabled when you buy the lower end model.
I was under the impression that the lower end models were in some ways defective, that is - maybe part of the cache does not work, maybe the chip does not work right at high frequencies, in which case they could throw it out, or disable access to the non-working parts and sell the chip for cheaper.
I remember some years ago it was common to unlock additional pipelines in a video card. The manufacturer would test some chips and if they had some defective pipelines, the whole platter would be sold with the pipelines disabled. You can try to unlock the pipelines but if your chip has some defective ones, you will have problems. If the chip was fully working, you'll get a better card for cheaper. Same thing about overclocking. If some chips cannot do the higher frequency the platter is set at a lower frequency, but some chips can actually work at the higher frequency or even higher than the max stock frequency.
However, with this, Intel will have to sell the chips that have been tested to be fully working, otherwise the $50 software won't work on them.
Actually, I think this is more like... your car came with a satellite GPS system, but you need an activation code to use it, or you need to buy software to use it.
OK, so I paid for the hardware, now I need to pay for the software, or find a way to install my own software. Same thing as a PC without an OS.
Or you need to pay an annual fee for the ability to use the radio receiver to pick up traffic data that is broadcast over certain frequencies.
As this is an actual service provided, as, say, paid TV or internet connection, I have no problems with it.
GPS manufacturers sell annual updates to map data, by the way, and if you happen to have 2 or 3 units of the same model number, you still have to buy the update 2 or 3 times.
Just like new versions of Windows. This is a service that is provided - that is, it costs money for them to create the update, just like it costs for Microsoft to create a new version of Windows.
What I object to is buying a three head tape deck, with wires to the record head cut off and having to pay for the permission to solder them back on. The head is there, the wires are there, the electronics are there but I still need to pay for the permission to use what already was in the tape deck from the time I got it from the store. It's not like they would save some money if I chose not to pay for the permission.
All this activation is like saying "Well, I make the more expensive chip cheaper than I ask for the cheaper chip, since both of them are the same, just with artificial locks put on".
No. This is pure money grab. You buy a CPU that cost the same to manufacture as the higher end CPU, but is crippled until you pay more money. Which means, that the higher end CPU also costs the same to manufacture, which means that the company is too greedy.
This is the same as buying a car with a lock placed over the radio, unless you pay some more money. The radio is still there, so the car with locked radio was not cheaper to make, yet they ask for additional money for it.
Yes, I know that the price does not really depend on the cost of manufacture, but the companies do not need to actually show that to everyone.
Well, at my work we use Linux (Debian) even though users do not like command lines. However, Linux is cheaper than Windows and users do not see command lines anyway.
At home I use Windows, but have a couple of Linux (again, Debian) VMs. I also like setting preferences in a program using GUI instead of editing Registry (Windows) or config files (Linux).
Oh, OK. Well, my video card (ATI HD2900XT) can output audio to the DVI connector (to which I can attach a DVI to HDMI adapter), so I would not need to buy a separate sound card just for HDMI, but I do not have any devices with HDMI input and all my amps (including a 5.1 receiver) are analog, so I would not think about using HDMI for audio.
If you can get unencrypted video from the DVI connector, then HDCP is entirely pointless - why bother with standalone Bluray players and HDCP when you can get unencrypted digital video using a computer?
The fact that I would watch the Bluray movie on my computer does not change the fact that my monitor can only accept VGA signal and as such, does not support HDCP.
I assume that software Bluray players would still require HDCP and not allow VGA output.
Suppose I want to buy a Bluray movie and watch it. I buy a Bluray player, but most likely it does not have a VGA output. My highest resolution display is my CRT computer monitor (up to 2048x1536@80Hz), but it only accepts VGA input. So, I have to break HDCP in order to convert from DVI or HDMI to VGA (there are devices, like HDFury, that already do that).
Or, I could download a rip using BitTorrent and play it on my computer.
So, HDCP actually would prevent me from watching a movie that I bought on a monitor that I won.
My prediction is that media companies will start selling only executable packages that contain player-code, the movie itself, and rootkit, and the player program will erase the movie after it's been watched, leaving the rootkit installed, so they can monitor if the player program is altered by the user, or the movie is watched again.
That won't work at all. 1. some hard drives can be set to read only. 2. you can record the exe file to a WORM medium or just make a bunch of copies. 3. there's always analog hole. 4. virtual machines can be used. 5. I can make the image of my system drive before playing the movie and restore it after (removing the rootkit).
Also, this does not change the fact, that the exe file will contain: the encrypted content, the decryption algorithm and the key.
I can think of two DRM schemes that could work very well.
1. Place all copies of the movie in a secure location so that nobody can even look at the disk. If nobody has the disk, they can't copy it. Also, no streaming.
or 2. Make a shitty movie, so nobody would want to watch it, so nobody will copy it.
However because of the way my system works, the display output is mirrored, one copy via DVI to the screen, the other via HDMI to the soundcard, since it need a video signal to get clock from to send its sound.
If only that is the problem, just connect your sound card to your amp using analog cables.
The same deal is with those unskippable antipiracy and regular ads on DVDs. The only people who are forced to watch them are the ones who actually bought the DVD, pirates don't see that stuff.
But still new movies are being made even though BitTorrent and the pirate bay exist for a long time (9 and 6 years respectively) now. And before them there were Kazaa, Limewire, ed2k and others.
Music was killed by home taping soon after the invention of high quality cassette decks, but for some reason movies refuse to die.
But, there are other laws to try and stop you from making your own exact version of the original film.
So, why can I ^C ^V the mechanic's work, but can't do the same with Star Wars? Maybe because the mechanic actually works for a living so he does not care if somebody else is dong the same thing he is doing, while people who created Star Wars want to get paid for the work they did 33 years ago over and over again until 70 years after death.
Also, movies are not replaceable, that is:
If I want to get the carburetor in my car (yes, my car has it) retuned, I can do it myself or go to any mechanic that can do it for me. The result is that the engine in my car now works better. However, it largely does not depend on who I go to, assuming they all know what they are doing. OTOH, it would do me no good to go to a mechanic that only fixes newer cars that have computers in them. Or one that fixes the electrical system.
If I want to watch Star Wars, I cannot make it myself or go to some guy and ask him to make the movie for me. I pretty much have to watch that Star Wars. So, the only way for me to make my own Star wars is to copy the VHS tape or whatever.
I know that TPB stores no content and I know quite well how BitTorrent works.
However, TPB not storing any content does not prevent anybody from downloading the content using TPBs services. So why do legitimate distributors hang on the "everything is stored in our servers" model, when they can use BT or similar P2P protocol to distribute the content. And it is possible to control BT somewhat, private trackers are doing it.
And as far as watching him and learning how to fix it. No one is stopping you, just as no one is stopping you from learning how to write and sell your own Movies/Songs/Games.
Yes, the mechanic would not stop me from replacing him (at least for that particular problem) for my friends. I think some people would object to me creating my own Star Wars.
Also, copying is not stealing. Stealing implies taking something away so the original owner no longer has it. However, this is called "copyright infringement" or "piracy" because even though the creator does not get anything from me copying his work, he does not lose anything either. So, I can steal a CD from a store or a master tape from a studio, but I only pirate a movie on the internet.
If I wanted to watch a Bluray movie legally, I would have to buy the player. However, I would want to watch the movie on my computer monitor, since it has higher resolution than SDTV. My monitor is CRT and accepts only VGA input (up to 2048x1536@80Hz, supports 1080i 60Hz and 1080p 50-60Hz), so I would also have to buy a device that cracks HDCP and converts HDMI to VGA (for example HDFury). If HDCP was not required, the player would probably have a full resolution VGA output.
Or I can just download the movie for free and watch it using my PC.
Just because you invested time and money does not mean that you will get anything in return. You can make a crap game (ET for Atari 2600, Big Rigs Over the Road Racing to name a few) that nobody buys. Also, in general, piracy of a particular game etc is dependent on its popularity and so is buying. Usually the most popular games are both bought and pirated the most, so the creators still make money.
Also, musicians can make money from performances, and not just doing some work for a few hours (recording the song) and get paid for the rest of their lives and some years after death.
However, I was replying to your analogy that copying is the same as stealing time, which it isn't (a person has finite time, while the copies are infinite).
Yet ThePirateBay seems to manage to maintain their distribution network quite well, even though a lot of movies/games/music/etc is available there. Physical DVD would take up much more space and making them would cost much more than the servers do. And still, they survive by using ads and getting donations.
If legitimate distribution costs more than TPB model, maybe the studio is doing something wrong...
Stealing a movie/song/game whatever, is the same as if you hired a mechanic to fix your car and the drove off and stiffed him for the payment.
Actually, no. While the guy was fixing your car, he could not fix someones car (who would have paid him) or just do what he wanted (free time). On the other hand, let's say that I saw what he did to fix my car and fixed it myself the next time. Or fixed the same problem with my other car/my friend's car etc. The mechanic did not get more money, but more cars are fixed. OTOH, he did not spend time fixing them.
Same thing happens with movies. I did not go to the studio and ask them to make a unique copy of a movie for me. They made the movie before I even expressed my interest in it (in some cases before I was even born), so the fact that I made myself a copy does not cost the studio anything. Nobody in the studio had to spend even a microsecond to make my copy.
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So, the problem is not the downloads themselves, but DRM.
And DRM is usually included with the DVD-ROM discs too.
Because we got fed up with all the idiotic Flash-based adds that make buzzing sounds at random in background windows and make us jump straight out of our chairs.
Yes, but if Flash disappeared tomorrow, a few hours later we would have the same ads running in HTML5, which will be remedies by html5block.
Yes, I use flashblock. I do it because I do not want the ads to consume the CPU cycles, also so I have a choice which, if any, of the flash files to run. I also like flash games and video will be on flash for a long time (since Mozilla wants me to have freedom to either not go to any h264 sites or use flash).
Or just disable javascript for google.com
Intel already does this. They already send you CPUs with features disabled when you buy the lower end model.
I was under the impression that the lower end models were in some ways defective, that is - maybe part of the cache does not work, maybe the chip does not work right at high frequencies, in which case they could throw it out, or disable access to the non-working parts and sell the chip for cheaper.
I remember some years ago it was common to unlock additional pipelines in a video card. The manufacturer would test some chips and if they had some defective pipelines, the whole platter would be sold with the pipelines disabled. You can try to unlock the pipelines but if your chip has some defective ones, you will have problems. If the chip was fully working, you'll get a better card for cheaper. Same thing about overclocking. If some chips cannot do the higher frequency the platter is set at a lower frequency, but some chips can actually work at the higher frequency or even higher than the max stock frequency.
However, with this, Intel will have to sell the chips that have been tested to be fully working, otherwise the $50 software won't work on them.
Actually, I think this is more like... your car came with a satellite GPS system, but you need an activation code to use it, or you need to buy software to use it.
OK, so I paid for the hardware, now I need to pay for the software, or find a way to install my own software. Same thing as a PC without an OS.
Or you need to pay an annual fee for the ability to use the radio receiver to pick up traffic data that is broadcast over certain frequencies.
As this is an actual service provided, as, say, paid TV or internet connection, I have no problems with it.
GPS manufacturers sell annual updates to map data, by the way, and if you happen to have 2 or 3 units of the same model number, you still have to buy the update 2 or 3 times.
Just like new versions of Windows. This is a service that is provided - that is, it costs money for them to create the update, just like it costs for Microsoft to create a new version of Windows.
What I object to is buying a three head tape deck, with wires to the record head cut off and having to pay for the permission to solder them back on. The head is there, the wires are there, the electronics are there but I still need to pay for the permission to use what already was in the tape deck from the time I got it from the store. It's not like they would save some money if I chose not to pay for the permission.
All this activation is like saying "Well, I make the more expensive chip cheaper than I ask for the cheaper chip, since both of them are the same, just with artificial locks put on".
No. This is pure money grab. You buy a CPU that cost the same to manufacture as the higher end CPU, but is crippled until you pay more money. Which means, that the higher end CPU also costs the same to manufacture, which means that the company is too greedy.
This is the same as buying a car with a lock placed over the radio, unless you pay some more money. The radio is still there, so the car with locked radio was not cheaper to make, yet they ask for additional money for it.
Yes, I know that the price does not really depend on the cost of manufacture, but the companies do not need to actually show that to everyone.
And those who want perfect
copies can just buy the bluray. Me? I'm OK with 1080p h264 encodes, I can't see any difference and they take up less space.
Well, at my work we use Linux (Debian) even though users do not like command lines. However, Linux is cheaper than Windows and users do not see command lines anyway.
At home I use Windows, but have a couple of Linux (again, Debian) VMs. I also like setting preferences in a program using GUI instead of editing Registry (Windows) or config files (Linux).
Oh, OK. Well, my video card (ATI HD2900XT) can output audio to the DVI connector (to which I can attach a DVI to HDMI adapter), so I would not need to buy a separate sound card just for HDMI, but I do not have any devices with HDMI input and all my amps (including a 5.1 receiver) are analog, so I would not think about using HDMI for audio.
If you can get unencrypted video from the DVI connector, then HDCP is entirely pointless - why bother with standalone Bluray players and HDCP when you can get unencrypted digital video using a computer?
The fact that I would watch the Bluray movie on my computer does not change the fact that my monitor can only accept VGA signal and as such, does not support HDCP.
I assume that software Bluray players would still require HDCP and not allow VGA output.
HDCP has nothing to do with piracy.
Suppose I want to buy a Bluray movie and watch it. I buy a Bluray player, but most likely it does not have a VGA output. My highest resolution display is my CRT computer monitor (up to 2048x1536@80Hz), but it only accepts VGA input. So, I have to break HDCP in order to convert from DVI or HDMI to VGA (there are devices, like HDFury, that already do that).
Or, I could download a rip using BitTorrent and play it on my computer.
So, HDCP actually would prevent me from watching a movie that I bought on a monitor that I won.
My prediction is that media companies will start selling only executable packages that contain player-code, the movie itself, and rootkit, and the player program will erase the movie after it's been watched, leaving the rootkit installed, so they can monitor if the player program is altered by the user, or the movie is watched again.
That won't work at all.
1. some hard drives can be set to read only.
2. you can record the exe file to a WORM medium or just make a bunch of copies.
3. there's always analog hole.
4. virtual machines can be used.
5. I can make the image of my system drive before playing the movie and restore it after (removing the rootkit).
Also, this does not change the fact, that the exe file will contain: the encrypted content, the decryption algorithm and the key.
DRM for non-interactive media does not work.
I can think of two DRM schemes that could work very well.
1. Place all copies of the movie in a secure location so that nobody can even look at the disk. If nobody has the disk, they can't copy it. Also, no streaming.
or
2. Make a shitty movie, so nobody would want to watch it, so nobody will copy it.
However because of the way my system works, the display output is mirrored, one copy via DVI to the screen, the other via HDMI to the soundcard, since it need a video signal to get clock from to send its sound.
If only that is the problem, just connect your sound card to your amp using analog cables.
The same deal is with those unskippable antipiracy and regular ads on DVDs. The only people who are forced to watch them are the ones who actually bought the DVD, pirates don't see that stuff.
But still new movies are being made even though BitTorrent and the pirate bay exist for a long time (9 and 6 years respectively) now. And before them there were Kazaa, Limewire, ed2k and others.
Music was killed by home taping soon after the invention of high quality cassette decks, but for some reason movies refuse to die.
But, there are other laws to try and stop you from making your own exact version of the original film.
So, why can I ^C ^V the mechanic's work, but can't do the same with Star Wars? Maybe because the mechanic actually works for a living so he does not care if somebody else is dong the same thing he is doing, while people who created Star Wars want to get paid for the work they did 33 years ago over and over again until 70 years after death.
Also, movies are not replaceable, that is:
If I want to get the carburetor in my car (yes, my car has it) retuned, I can do it myself or go to any mechanic that can do it for me. The result is that the engine in my car now works better. However, it largely does not depend on who I go to, assuming they all know what they are doing. OTOH, it would do me no good to go to a mechanic that only fixes newer cars that have computers in them. Or one that fixes the electrical system.
If I want to watch Star Wars, I cannot make it myself or go to some guy and ask him to make the movie for me. I pretty much have to watch that Star Wars. So, the only way for me to make my own Star wars is to copy the VHS tape or whatever.
I know that TPB stores no content and I know quite well how BitTorrent works.
However, TPB not storing any content does not prevent anybody from downloading the content using TPBs services. So why do legitimate distributors hang on the "everything is stored in our servers" model, when they can use BT or similar P2P protocol to distribute the content. And it is possible to control BT somewhat, private trackers are doing it.
And as far as watching him and learning how to fix it. No one is stopping you, just as no one is stopping you from learning how to write and sell your own Movies/Songs/Games.
Yes, the mechanic would not stop me from replacing him (at least for that particular problem) for my friends. I think some people would object to me creating my own Star Wars.
Also, copying is not stealing. Stealing implies taking something away so the original owner no longer has it. However, this is called "copyright infringement" or "piracy" because even though the creator does not get anything from me copying his work, he does not lose anything either. So, I can steal a CD from a store or a master tape from a studio, but I only pirate a movie on the internet.
If I wanted to watch a Bluray movie legally, I would have to buy the player. However, I would want to watch the movie on my computer monitor, since it has higher resolution than SDTV. My monitor is CRT and accepts only VGA input (up to 2048x1536@80Hz, supports 1080i 60Hz and 1080p 50-60Hz), so I would also have to buy a device that cracks HDCP and converts HDMI to VGA (for example HDFury). If HDCP was not required, the player would probably have a full resolution VGA output.
Or I can just download the movie for free and watch it using my PC.
Just because you invested time and money does not mean that you will get anything in return. You can make a crap game (ET for Atari 2600, Big Rigs Over the Road Racing to name a few) that nobody buys. Also, in general, piracy of a particular game etc is dependent on its popularity and so is buying. Usually the most popular games are both bought and pirated the most, so the creators still make money.
Also, musicians can make money from performances, and not just doing some work for a few hours (recording the song) and get paid for the rest of their lives and some years after death.
However, I was replying to your analogy that copying is the same as stealing time, which it isn't (a person has finite time, while the copies are infinite).
Yet ThePirateBay seems to manage to maintain their distribution network quite well, even though a lot of movies/games/music/etc is available there. Physical DVD would take up much more space and making them would cost much more than the servers do. And still, they survive by using ads and getting donations.
If legitimate distribution costs more than TPB model, maybe the studio is doing something wrong...
Stealing a movie/song/game whatever, is the same as if you hired a mechanic to fix your car and the drove off and stiffed him for the payment.
Actually, no. While the guy was fixing your car, he could not fix someones car (who would have paid him) or just do what he wanted (free time). On the other hand, let's say that I saw what he did to fix my car and fixed it myself the next time. Or fixed the same problem with my other car/my friend's car etc. The mechanic did not get more money, but more cars are fixed. OTOH, he did not spend time fixing them.
Same thing happens with movies. I did not go to the studio and ask them to make a unique copy of a movie for me. They made the movie before I even expressed my interest in it (in some cases before I was even born), so the fact that I made myself a copy does not cost the studio anything. Nobody in the studio had to spend even a microsecond to make my copy.
And 180Hz screw up the strobe disks for record players.
Also, the small variation in light output of a incandescent lamp does not affect a video camera recording at 50Hz interlaced.
The phosphor would need to be applied to the inside of the CFL, so I cannot do it, while I could install some kind of filter around the lamp.