Re: [tlug] iPod considered harmful

["Josh Glover" <jmglov@example.com>]

On 02/08/06, Stephen J. Turnbull <stephen@example.com> wrote:

> Precisely what are your objections to current DRM implementations?
> What would your goals for a DRM that you might use?

My biggest objection is that most DRM implementations do not run on
all the pieces of hardware I want to use.

I don't see any need to buy physical media any more, since I wind up
ripping it as soon as I get it home. I would rather purchase my music
and movies in digital format, so the only space taken up by them is
hard drive space and not space in my too-small apartment.

However, I cannot purchase music and movies from iTMS since I run
Linux (I have heard that iTMS works in Wine, but read on). Even if I
could purchase music, my computer cannot play the music without first
removing the DRM (which is a DMCA violation, as far as I know). Same
with my Signeo portable media player. Same with my Tivx media
appliance. Even if I could purchase movies, my Signeo and my Tivx
cannot play them (my computer can, AFAIK--I know mplayer can handle
the MPEG4 flavour that Apple uses on the iPod, but I don't know about
the DRM).

So I want DRM that can be implemented in all the places I want to use
my legally bought (or "licenced") media.

Also, I like open standards for philosophical reasons. And for
economic ones: an open standard for DRM would allow for more
competition, thus leading to more bang for my entertainment dollar.

Again, I could be overlooking something, but it seems that an open
standard DRM would solve my problems, and also some of the problems of
the media corporations themselves.

-Josh