My main concern with trusted computing is that it takes power away from me to use a computer for what it is: a tool.
Once I give up the right of saying what code is trusted and what is not then the hardware sitting on my desk becomes a platform for media, games and wordprocessing. Which fundamentally scares me, being a programmer who uses his computer to solve problems and answer questions.
A quote from the Windows 98 (I think) installer strikes me as becoming scarily close to reality; "Windows 98 redefines the computer as the entertainment centre of the home". I'm worried that that's all a personal computer will become.
I totally agree. The companies pushing for "trusted computing" are using language and marketing strategies aimed at the common user. The common user being the poor soul who wastes hours of their time each day closing pop-up windows, dealing with spyware, adware, viruses.
A magic bullet solution that "trusted computing" promises makes it very favourable, but it is also a wooden horse for badly thought-out DRM ideas which hamper the consumers' use of their purchased materials. My relatives have bought music legally, only to find that it is unsuitable for their MP3 player. I have bought CDs only to find that I cannot play them in my computer's CD drive. I need no more convincing that DRM and copy-protection (as it is currently implemented) only serves to hamper the end-user, and encourage illegally copying media. "Trusted computing" only stands to make this even worse.
It's good to see a reliable news source like the BBC bringing this matter to the attention of the general public. I only hope that enough people read and understand the issues raised in order to make sure that "trusted computing" never takes power away from the end-user, rather than having it taken away from them while they sleep.
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Bus? I don't fear no stinkin' bus!
A good point - I stand corrected, my friend :)
I wish the mass media would learn this.
My main concern with trusted computing is that it takes power away from me to use a computer for what it is: a tool.
Once I give up the right of saying what code is trusted and what is not then the hardware sitting on my desk becomes a platform for media, games and wordprocessing. Which fundamentally scares me, being a programmer who uses his computer to solve problems and answer questions.
A quote from the Windows 98 (I think) installer strikes me as becoming scarily close to reality; "Windows 98 redefines the computer as the entertainment centre of the home". I'm worried that that's all a personal computer will become.
I totally agree. The companies pushing for "trusted computing" are using language and marketing strategies aimed at the common user. The common user being the poor soul who wastes hours of their time each day closing pop-up windows, dealing with spyware, adware, viruses.
A magic bullet solution that "trusted computing" promises makes it very favourable, but it is also a wooden horse for badly thought-out DRM ideas which hamper the consumers' use of their purchased materials. My relatives have bought music legally, only to find that it is unsuitable for their MP3 player. I have bought CDs only to find that I cannot play them in my computer's CD drive. I need no more convincing that DRM and copy-protection (as it is currently implemented) only serves to hamper the end-user, and encourage illegally copying media. "Trusted computing" only stands to make this even worse.
It's good to see a reliable news source like the BBC bringing this matter to the attention of the general public. I only hope that enough people read and understand the issues raised in order to make sure that "trusted computing" never takes power away from the end-user, rather than having it taken away from them while they sleep.