As unobtrusive as fairplay may seem, it does have it's shortcomings.
What this utility allows is someone to transfer the music they bought to a non "apple sanctioned" platform. It allows for someone to play this music on Linux, or other portable music players.
I hardly think this will encourage sharing of AAC music with the masses, as it is just as easy to rip a CD of the same music and share that with the masses. And there is a lot more music available via the CD than download at Apple's website.
So this utility does have it's applications, and they are not all illegal.
It's unfortunate that the bastard DMCA anti-circumvention clause has made anything useful "evil".
Aren't there more worthy causes out there to donate our CPU cycles to?
Like hitting reload on slashdot, or browsing your pr0n collection?
You have to remember when this was first done. The pentium was just being introduced, and people were lucky if they had a 486dx2 at 66 Mhz (running windows 3.1). Linux was still relatively unknown and Mosaic for the internet was just being released.
By redoing the picture with more people participating, we can get a historical perspective on how much our computing ability has improved. It also improves our knowledge on practical applications of distributed computing.
I am very interested to see how this picture would turn out. The raytraced picture will be a lot less "ugly" this time around.
Here is an earlier article discussing the Intertrust patents, and their apparent broadness. There are links to the actual patents themselves.
As other posters have noted, this settlement gives Intertrust a leg up on the competition (which they probably will sue now).
It would be an interesting exercise to see if there are any publications that discuss "trusted computing" prior to the Intertrust patents.
Also, Intel announced a mobile cpu that has a DRM coprocessor in the same package. Intel could head this direction with all their chips.
Given all the evils of DRM, I would rather see a chip from Intel with DRM succeed, rather than using Microsoft palladium, Phoenix DRM bios, or other software component. Having it in hardware makes it a level playing field for every developer, commercial or open source. I am not saying any of it is good, only what the lesser of evils would be.
Preferably their would be an open source competitive solution.
In every one of these cases they caught up before the rest of the market could do anything about them.
I wouldn't call it catchup. What I would call it is leveraging a monopoly position to force a product (that's often inferior i.g. outlook express) onto customers whether they like it or not.
That's what they did with the browser by integrating it deeply with the OS. That's what they are trying to do with the media player.
Standard oil tried to do it with refineries and railroads. The movie companies tried to do it by owning the movie theatres.
The only difference between now and then is that then politicians had enough spine to stand up against it, and take action that would promote meaningful change.
It is questionable if the EUs recent actions will be effective because the fine, as large as it is, represents a very small part of Microsoft's fortune that they can afford to pay.
I do not see anything on the horizon that would change their current business practices.
What is it, why can't we (I mean linux) have something that will even come close now without requiring at least 128 megs?
If linux (and free software advocates) wanted to really take over the world, they would ask themselves this question heartfully. And then find an easy (no command line but gui) solution for all these older machines. And something that doesn't thrash the entire 200 meg harddrive with swap space either.
It would be hard to do, and a lot less fun and glamorous than the MP3 player your working on, but it could be done.
Since when would installing 98SE onto a 3 year old machine be a newer OS?
As hard as it is to believe, their are a lot of machines that are three years (or more likely older) that have plain Windows 98(not Se), Windows 95 or Windows 3.1 installed on them.
I see them at the thrift store often (like a pentium 166).
You can put Windows 98Se on these machines and it would be a "newer" OS.
Granted, some of the 486/386/286 can't run Windows 98 (as they have only 4 meg of RAM - 286 is only a dos machine).
But the number that can is significant. It's rare to see a 286/386 these days, as most of them have reached the landfill (in my area at least).
Some charities also refuse to take donations of 286/386 (and often other hardware - like dot matrix printers), as they languish on the shelf unsold, take up space, and they end up having to pay for their disposal.
I have no sources here, but I believe the majority of solder used in consumer electronics (including PCs) is of the lead-free variety (mostly silver and nickel, I believe)
This might take the place of lead solder, rather than silver, as it can use similar temperatures as lead solder.
Lead free soldering represents a minority in manufacturing, with companies now only starting to switch over with pressure from Japan and eventually the EU.
Slashdot Mirror
Now I just have to figure out a way to get my car into the microwave...
Don't you know that you can't put metal in a microwave?
What this means is that you are going to have to wrap your car in tinfoil.
As unobtrusive as fairplay may seem, it does have it's shortcomings.
What this utility allows is someone to transfer the music they bought to a non "apple sanctioned" platform. It allows for someone to play this music on Linux, or other portable music players.
I hardly think this will encourage sharing of AAC music with the masses, as it is just as easy to rip a CD of the same music and share that with the masses. And there is a lot more music available via the CD than download at Apple's website.
So this utility does have it's applications, and they are not all illegal.
It's unfortunate that the bastard DMCA anti-circumvention clause has made anything useful "evil".
Take the vibrating alert.. Thats a good start. Why not improve on it?
Like using an electric shock than can go through clothes?
Good thing the other half of the world is in winter then, isn't it?
The other half of the world is in night time
So, that means that one quarter of the world is in the dark and cold.
Aren't there more worthy causes out there to donate our CPU cycles to?
Like hitting reload on slashdot, or browsing your pr0n collection?
You have to remember when this was first done. The pentium was just being introduced, and people were lucky if they had a 486dx2 at 66 Mhz (running windows 3.1). Linux was still relatively unknown and Mosaic for the internet was just being released.
By redoing the picture with more people participating, we can get a historical perspective on how much our computing ability has improved. It also improves our knowledge on practical applications of distributed computing.
I am very interested to see how this picture would turn out. The raytraced picture will be a lot less "ugly" this time around.
There could always be a Beowulf cluster of Windows machines.
Here is an earlier article discussing the Intertrust patents, and their apparent broadness. There are links to the actual patents themselves.
As other posters have noted, this settlement gives Intertrust a leg up on the competition (which they probably will sue now).
It would be an interesting exercise to see if there are any publications that discuss "trusted computing" prior to the Intertrust patents.
Also, Intel announced a mobile cpu that has a DRM coprocessor in the same package. Intel could head this direction with all their chips.
Given all the evils of DRM, I would rather see a chip from Intel with DRM succeed, rather than using Microsoft palladium, Phoenix DRM bios, or other software component. Having it in hardware makes it a level playing field for every developer, commercial or open source. I am not saying any of it is good, only what the lesser of evils would be.
Preferably their would be an open source competitive solution.
If there was ever a thread where it would be "ok" to threadjack, this would be it.
Anyone can use x86, but any improvements they do to it are free for Intel to incorporate.
This generalization is not entirely true, as the landscape has been littered with lawsuits.
Intel even sued over the usage of the term "x86" and lost, hence the 'pentium' name was born.
VIA tried to escape the lawsuits (unsuccessfully) by buying cyrix and IDT, who had licensing agreements with intel.
It is safe to say that if your x86 processor can plug into one of Intel's sockets, you will be sued. That's why AMD has "socket A".
The only reason Trnansmeta has not been sued over x86 is because of the funky "code morphing" that it does.
If you are a meaningful x86 competitor, it would be stupid to not be looking over your shoulder.
This hard fought compatibility has brought lower prices and better performance for the consumer, unlike the OS arena.
I think it needs more cowbell.
And of those, only 1 is willing. It's that guy who likes getting spam who was on Slashdot a few weeks ago!
And that's because he was off his medication.
They are annoying, but I think they HAVE stopped being sneaky with their 3rd party stuff
Yes, and I have a bridge that I want to sell you.
Gator still does deceptive "drive-by-downloads", and people still unkowingly get infected with their crapware
Sorry/Claria/they will always be gator to me.
I'm suprised that our technology in desalinization isn't better
There are (and have been for many years) top scientists in the world working on this problem.
It is because it is extremely difficult to remove the salt molecule out of water that the technology is not better - not that nobody is working on it.
In every one of these cases they caught up before the rest of the market could do anything about them.
I wouldn't call it catchup. What I would call it is leveraging a monopoly position to force a product (that's often inferior i.g. outlook express) onto customers whether they like it or not.
That's what they did with the browser by integrating it deeply with the OS. That's what they are trying to do with the media player.
Standard oil tried to do it with refineries and railroads. The movie companies tried to do it by owning the movie theatres.
The only difference between now and then is that then politicians had enough spine to stand up against it, and take action that would promote meaningful change.
It is questionable if the EUs recent actions will be effective because the fine, as large as it is, represents a very small part of Microsoft's fortune that they can afford to pay.
I do not see anything on the horizon that would change their current business practices.
Walmart.
What about by a well-placed highly skilled sniper?
I say we take off and nuke the entire site from orbit. That's the only way to be sure.
Unlike copyrights, patents expire.
No, it means simply that MS doesn't care one way or the other.
I don't think they have any people working on W98 in Redmond.
As the parent poster pointed out, many if not most people have made up their minds unconditionally that they want windows.
And in a sense, you can't blame them. You walk into any department store and you see a wall of windows applications.
Not linux apps.
What is it, why can't we (I mean linux) have something that will even come close now without requiring at least 128 megs?
If linux (and free software advocates) wanted to really take over the world, they would ask themselves this question heartfully. And then find an easy (no command line but gui) solution for all these older machines. And something that doesn't thrash the entire 200 meg harddrive with swap space either.
It would be hard to do, and a lot less fun and glamorous than the MP3 player your working on, but it could be done.
but they get good free publicity because of this announcement
And more people "hooked" on windows that will be future customers. And more developers writing software in third world countries for Windows.
Brilliant really.
Since when would installing 98SE onto a 3 year old machine be a newer OS?
As hard as it is to believe, their are a lot of machines that are three years (or more likely older) that have plain Windows 98(not Se), Windows 95 or Windows 3.1 installed on them.
I see them at the thrift store often (like a pentium 166).
You can put Windows 98Se on these machines and it would be a "newer" OS.
Granted, some of the 486/386/286 can't run Windows 98 (as they have only 4 meg of RAM - 286 is only a dos machine).
But the number that can is significant. It's rare to see a 286/386 these days, as most of them have reached the landfill (in my area at least).
Some charities also refuse to take donations of 286/386 (and often other hardware - like dot matrix printers), as they languish on the shelf unsold, take up space, and they end up having to pay for their disposal.
It's the result of scientists ignoring Zero Point Energy for so long. Now it is rearing it's ugly head.
I have no sources here, but I believe the majority of solder used in consumer electronics (including PCs) is of the lead-free variety (mostly silver and nickel, I believe)
This might take the place of lead solder, rather than silver, as it can use similar temperatures as lead solder.
Lead free soldering represents a minority in manufacturing, with companies now only starting to switch over with pressure from Japan and eventually the EU.
The secret life of your computer illustrates what went in to make a computer.
Don't forget, this can be said for a lot of other things as well, like consumer electronics.
Trash and waste abounds at both ends of the equation.