In Arthur C. Clarke's Against the Fall of Night there was a city wide transit system that operated like this, only it could move each person at a different speed by being able to control arbitrary areas of the walkway, and move them through the surrounding surface. An explanation involving materials that could be translated between different dimensions was given, if I recall correctly.
Microsoft's stance is quite understandable. The only way they are going to make money is through licensing software developers and selling their own software for the XBox. This business model is necessary because the market is not accepting of a huge initial investment in hardware (other consoles are cheaper, quality and availability of future gaming titles is uncertain, hardware depreciates rapidly).
Because of this, they must ensure that the software for the platform cannot be pirated. However, the need to base the unit around established technologies such as DVD, USB, and PC architecture makes this extremely difficult. The common man is immediately empowered to manipulate the device, and copy the software, because the tools to do so are widely available. A system based completely on proprietary technology would provide more protection, but would also remove a number of strong selling points and increase development and manufacturing costs dramatically.
I don't know. It seems like a sure fire method of copy protection at the level of the medium would stop a lot of the BS in modern entertainment, because it would allow companies to give the consumer greater flexibility while still protecting their (and the artists/developers) interests. The problem is that all the copy protection mechanisms right now stomp on what would seem to be our right to fair use of our property. If we could distance the two (fair use, preservation of copyright) so that both could be fullfilled at the same time, then maybe we could move forward and stop wasting so much time fighting fires...
My take, anyway! I like the talk of black and white hats, it covers my otherwise normal world in exciting metaphors:)
Slashdot Mirror
In Arthur C. Clarke's Against the Fall of Night there was a city wide transit system that operated like this, only it could move each person at a different speed by being able to control arbitrary areas of the walkway, and move them through the surrounding surface. An explanation involving materials that could be translated between different dimensions was given, if I recall correctly.
*encourages scientists to develop such things*
Microsoft's stance is quite understandable. The only way they are going to make money is through licensing software developers and selling their own software for the XBox. This business model is necessary because the market is not accepting of a huge initial investment in hardware (other consoles are cheaper, quality and availability of future gaming titles is uncertain, hardware depreciates rapidly).
:)
Because of this, they must ensure that the software for the platform cannot be pirated. However, the need to base the unit around established technologies such as DVD, USB, and PC architecture makes this extremely difficult. The common man is immediately empowered to manipulate the device, and copy the software, because the tools to do so are widely available. A system based completely on proprietary technology would provide more protection, but would also remove a number of strong selling points and increase development and manufacturing costs dramatically.
I don't know. It seems like a sure fire method of copy protection at the level of the medium would stop a lot of the BS in modern entertainment, because it would allow companies to give the consumer greater flexibility while still protecting their (and the artists/developers) interests. The problem is that all the copy protection mechanisms right now stomp on what would seem to be our right to fair use of our property. If we could distance the two (fair use, preservation of copyright) so that both could be fullfilled at the same time, then maybe we could move forward and stop wasting so much time fighting fires...
My take, anyway! I like the talk of black and white hats, it covers my otherwise normal world in exciting metaphors