You must be having quite a bad time at the moment - maybe that's mainly because Vista is coming - dispite all your comments

Where did Gartner actually state that? Wasn't it more Bill Gates who said last year that Vista will be the last OS delivered in a classic way via optical media?

I bet you smile yourselves when you read that. Just look at all the new products that will be released in the near future. New version of existing products as well as new applications altogether. It must be sheer desperation that MS does that and customers buying the products only ever do it because they are forced to.

First part: True, because they are not just both of that but also a lot more. Second part: Wrong, perception is everything on the Stock Market, not in Marketing.

... and will quickly lead to big disappointments in the eyes of those who fell into the hands of scare drivers. The best part of your statement is actually "onto something new". Scaring w/o an alternative... in the States it may help you to become President Why is it then that so many who have tried "something new" stopped their investments when they realized that it ended up costing much more - money, time, resources and nerves - without delivering anything better?

One thing has significantly changed since Windows XP. Back then people with your great deal of knowledge have actively participated in discussions to make systems better. I find it rather sad that this interest has disappeared - and I doubt it would be related to a sudden reduction in ability. By putting yourself into a victim role you also remove your ability to be part of a solution.

Hey, if you really disagree with the way MS takes and have a better alternative to offer - say it. But this ongoing list of complaints wrapped into pseudo-statements and wrongful conclusions is rather boring and will be called out very soon. Ever thought about what you're gonna write in 6 months time? When hardware vendors are happy about Vista because it helps driving their sales... When DRM was not the nightmare for the vast majority of people legally using digital content... When corporate customers are moving onto a better, more secure and more reliable Windows version... When they're even realizing additional potentials though integrated components that were seperate in the past... Mate, you gotta start building a new chain of arguments, because it will happen and you know it.

Interesting that you should raise this. Unlike the environment we had with XP, we now have the DMCA laws protecting companies against people finding flaws in their products and publishing them. Yeah agreed MS didn't make the DMCA but I'm sure they are going to use its powers just like many other hi-tech companies to bury and hound anyone outside of MS that finds flaws or problems and speaks up too loudly. Mind you the DMCA was never written to operate like this but we all know how black minded lawyers can be and twist anything into a means of protecting the guilty ...... and MS is primarily a legal firm.

DRM at the moment is nothing but annoying, but it is part of a foundation that will be added to in years to come, bit by bit until we are no longer able to complain or do anything about it. Software and content providers really really DO want us to buy the White Album again and again and again every time a new format or medium is brought to market, this is their stated goal. DRM is just a tiny part of the technologies to come that will ensure and enforce this insanity, but lucky for us we are at the moment still able to make comments out loud and voice our protests, write the hacks, and be as big a pain in the arse and wallets of those that would have us served up like fattened brainless consumers.

It must be awful to be so paranoid.

Oz

And ignorance as they say must be bliss. But more seriously wasn't it just recently that a security software firm put out a prize for anyone who could "crack"their software. Then when a university team did they were prosecuted.

Quite the contrary in fact. The funny thing about opinion is that everyone is allowed to posses them. The great thing about forums is that everyone is allowed to express them.

I can understand if you don't agree with mine. I can understand if MS and Vista's success is something that you look forward to and good luck to you.

You say that people with my "great deal of knowledge" participated to make the system better yet are very dismissive of my "great deal of knowledge" when it isn't something you wish to hear.

Whether you like it or not I helped with MCE2005 for the community benefit. As a side affect of that (and the good will of others), MS have a support system for which they do not pay or support in any way shape or form (great for a commercial company if you can get it). That's OK too but when you turn around and bite the hand that feeds you then you can expect some negativity.

My current train of thought about Vista and it's potential impact on the future of this community has nothing to do with being a victim. In fact, that statement is laughable in every conceivable way. Are you saying in order to not be a victim I must comply with anything I don't agree with?

Gee. I dunno, I read it somewhere. Perhaps this google search might show it up.

Now you're telling me that the majority of consumers are well informed? My statements here are only helping to inform, or create enough of an interest that people may go out and research for themselves and become informed. Do I expect in the grand scheme of things that I can change anything. No. But to blindly submit to something you disagree with fosters cowardice and I am neither a coward nor a victim.

As to my ability to be a part of a solution please.. Tell me where I can effect the decisions that have been made regarding DRM. I can't, other than stating my opinion here on a largely pro MS site and offering at least some alternative and perhaps fostering some consumer backlash.

As is your blatant love affair with the company.

Frequently and I am disappointed by the fact that if I buy new hardware I will pay a premium for it due to the decisions made by a software vendor.

Gee. Aren't you just a little ray of Microsoft sunshine. It might happen for you but I'm guessing that for a large number of people. It won't.

Lets factor the cost alone. I have a $5000 HD plasma TV that doesn't have HDCP but does have 10+ years of life left in it. I have a $2500 HTPC again that has NO HDCP capabililty.

But that's OK. If I actually want to watch something at a slightly better than DVD quality I'll just toss that $7500 worth of gear and go buy it all again while I'm busy buying my movie collection again. Get real..

On top of that we've seen what a nightmare drivers have been in the past. The manufacturers and MS have not been able to coherently keep it together. How many times on this forum have you seen posts suggesting to go to the latest driver, or the previous driver or this codec or that and now, on top of it all, the MPAA have the ability to revoke driver code based on DRM keys. If you think for a minute that this is NOT going to impact the HTPC adversely then you haven't considered it well.

i.e "I could use Nvidia 107.5, it gives me better deinterlacing and stutter free 7 HD but it will no longer let me view my HD-DVD of Aliens since the DMCA revoked the driver that would play it (for whatever lame reason), a new driver is released and installed on your system all by auto update but the decision to tamper with your install was made by a media company. Surely you can see that this is not an ideal situation? What if the new driver still won't play back your legally purchased disc? Who are you going to complain to? Do you think you can take it back to the store where you bought it?
Ok. So you turn off auto update and disconnect it from the net. All is fine and good up until you go and buy the latest HD-DVD that you're after only to find that it won't play on your system until you DO update your drivers and BANG, you're system is buggered. Some movies play, some don't, there's no one to blame and you wish you'd bought that sony standalone Blu-Ray player long ago.

It's just not your computer anymore. You may as well rent a device from them and sign over all rights in the process while expressly agreeing that you as a consumer have no comeback should the device not perform. And sure. The above might be a worse case scenario, that's not the point. The point is that it is a POSSIBLE scenario, that's the scary part. The fact that the code is in all versions of Vista, not just those that support media playback is also an issue. It simply should not be a part of the operating system. I'm not saying the media companies don't have a right to protect their content. It's the underhanded way that it has been done that is at issue. I'd much rather MS spent some time improving the product. Just adding parental protection systems might have been nice so I can lock my kids out of my movie folder under My Videos that contains things like Saw and Hellraiser but no. Sadly, I have to map that drive when I wish to view my movies and unmap it again afterwards to protect the kids from accidental or intentional media snooping.

At any rate I'm certain the whole DRM thing will be a huge waste of time and effort for all companies involved. It'll get cracked (permanently), before it's even off the ground. The unfortunate thing is that we still have to buy faster hardware to support the cancer that's been introduced to Vista in the first place.

Cheers,

Arkay.

Gartner actually stated this here:

http://www.linux-mag.com/id/2837/

Farnold

As others have said, DRM has the potential to significantly add to costs and annoyance of media consumers, by making things that used to be possible no longer possible - like recording TV programming, or playing the content you've paid for on whatever device you own in your house/car, or anyone else's house you want to play it in for that matter.

These are not trivial proposals we should all agree to because it's good for business. Imagine if you were told you couldn't take your legally purchased book with you on holidays, because the license on the back says you can only read in your loungeroom. Would you say, well the publishing industry has decided this is the new way so I'd better enjoy it, or would you say "hey, why are consumers' rights being wound back here"? In the case of DRM you should also be saying "Why is it going to cost me a bomb to deal with this new system"?

Whatever our respective views on the direction of DRM, the debate is inevitable and important. Personally I think we are suckers as consumers to allow things to go so badly against us without expressing our unhappiness. And any industry that goes against the interests of its customers so blatantly runs huge risks. We are doing industry a favour by pointing that out.

Ahm, no, they don't. Just for the record: It's a guy called Bryan Richard stating it in a LINUX Magazine refering to Gartnr w/o giving the full details or any reference.

By the way: Microsoft just stated they will adopt LINUX as their future OS after Vista

Like hell they will.. We've seen what they did to Windows.

and hangon..... I already thought 80% of the code in windows was "adopted" from open source....

The other 20% they wrote is what they used to destroy the first 80.



Cheers,

Arkay.

That would probably be a good idea. It would be nice to see a linux distro with some real money and support behind it. I'd buy.

Don't give me nightmares. MS-XENIX is giving me flashbacks to a previous life.

i.

I remember running 4 machines back in about 93 that has MS Unix on them!

Had forgotten about that

Cheers,

Arkay.