Next-gen Nokia Linux devices will get multitouch and Qt UI (ars technica) [LWN.net]

Next-gen Nokia Linux devices will get multitouch and Qt UI (ars technica)

Posted Oct 14, 2009 14:47 UTC (Wed) by drag (subscriber, #31333)
In reply to: Next-gen Nokia Linux devices will get multitouch and Qt UI (ars technica) by freealter
Parent article: Next-gen Nokia Linux devices will get multitouch and Qt UI (ars technica)

> * on the other end, for copyright holders of content, some have the will
> (that we can not like, but it is their freedom) to protect their content.
> And DRM is the solution corresponding to this will. Do we want Linux
users
> to be cut from these specific copyrighted materials for always ? Starting
> from there, you need to have a chain of trust starting at boot time, till
> the execution of the player application.

"Freedom" to restrict and control others and threaten people with legal
sanctions is NOT freedom. It is oppression.

If you make a MP3 or other digital file you are certainly should be allowed
to encrypt it in any manner they see fit and be allowed to sell it in any
manner they see fit. But that is not what DRM does and that is not how it
works.

DRM, according to the laws of reality and the universe*, is a fundamentally
flawed concept. (*aka math). To play back encrypted media it must be
decrypted. And in order to decrypt it you must have the keys necessary to
decrypt it. So on every DRM using piece of hardware and software out there
exists the means to decrypt it and "pirate" anything that is used with that
software. This is why nobody has created a DRM scheme that actually works
or that is secure in any manner.

Since the goal of DRM is to restrict the users and prevent them from
copying the data then you cannot rely on encryption to prevent that. Your
giving them the media, the keys, the software, and the hardware necessary
to copy your data. The only way you can prevent them from violating the DRM
is just by making sure that they do not know how the DRM works, and if they
do know how then make sure that they cannot tell anybody else how it works.

So how DRM really works is through a combination of legal threats,
blackmail, and pure obfuscation. Without the threat of USA government
behind DRM it would be meaningless and a joke.

That is if you do not obey the DRM requirements they will sue you and if
you do not obey and keep fighting them to the end they eventually will send
armed men into your house, take you away from everything you ever achieved
and loved, and throw you into a cage.

THAT is DRM. That is how technologically enforcemed DRM really works. To
even bring up this "freedom" in that context is a complete nonsense and is
actually somewhat insulting.

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Next-gen Nokia Linux devices will get multitouch and Qt UI (ars technica)

Posted Oct 14, 2009 15:45 UTC (Wed) by foom (subscriber, #14868) [Link]

> That is if you do not obey the DRM requirements they will sue you and if
> you do not obey and keep fighting them to the end they eventually will send
> armed men into your house, take you away from everything you ever achieved
> and loved, and throw you into a cage.

The funny thing, of course, is that this works just as well *even without* the technical measures
they're so fond of inflicting upon people. The technical measures are really just about 100% useless.

Next-gen Nokia Linux devices will get multitouch and Qt UI (ars technica)

Posted Oct 14, 2009 15:57 UTC (Wed) by drag (subscriber, #31333) [Link]

Yes. The technical measures are designed to put the restrictions into the
category of digital copyright restrictions as required by the DMCA laws.

It is still perfectly legal to have the means and discuss cracking _analog_
copyright restrictions (which is why it is legal to sell descrambling cable
boxes). But digital copyright restrictions is a special protected category
were it is illegal to even discuss, in technological details, the means to
circumvent the restrictions.

Next-gen Nokia Linux devices will get multitouch and Qt UI (ars technica)

Posted Oct 14, 2009 17:50 UTC (Wed) by freealter (guest, #4335) [Link]

As long as we do nothing, all people that :
* need a totally legal system,
* need to look at these hated, useless, idiot DRM protected content,
will not be able to use linux.

We can stay between us, nice, clever, honnest geeks. We will stay around 1.2% of the whole desktop offer. Or we can try to give users what they are wishing for and catching up the market share. Then we will have very nice arguments to show that DRM are useless and evil. But we can not exclude us from the market only on ideas, as good as they are.

By the way I find your terms excellent "through a combination of legal threats, blackmail, and pure obfuscation". Very thoughtfull on DRM. Thanks, I will use it on occasions.

I just want you to consider not a "random" user, but anybody that has not any other choice than to respect the law. Somebody from any government for instance. Linux must be vorbidden to them for ever ? Because any illegal code (decss, ...) is impossible for them. There must be a legal option. And philosophy is not going to display a DRM content on a screen ...

Next-gen Nokia Linux devices will get multitouch and Qt UI (ars technica)

Posted Oct 14, 2009 18:08 UTC (Wed) by drag (subscriber, #31333) [Link]

For most forms of legal DRM there is alternatives, actually. Not even iTunes
requires users to purchase DRM'd content anymore. The only serious big block
of users of DRM are the movie industry folks and they will come around
eventually.

The only very troublesome things are going to be things like GSM, which there
isn't any choice in it. Sure its security broken and nobody is allowed to
talk about it or expose it in public, much less fix it, but that is just the
price we pay for having shitastic laws.