• Tim Berners-Lee gave us an opening to stop DRM in Web standards. Imagine thinking DRM is good LOL
    70 replies, posted
[QUOTE=eirexe;51175639]The concept is cool, but it's impossible to make DRM that works and is not invasive.[/QUOTE] we just listed off spotify and netflix both which aren't invasive [editline]9th October 2016[/editline] [QUOTE=gokiyono;51170298]Yes, and? Spotifys service is also miles better than pirating. [I]Which is why it helps against it. [/I][/QUOTE] as is netflix and anything else that would use EME, so I don't get what point you're trying to make here.
[QUOTE=glitchvid;51179016]Pretty common in high end software like Avid, some CAD software. I know in my highschool graphic design class the software for our vinyl cutter needed one.[/QUOTE] I guess I'm lucky in my field I haven't encountered DRM like that yet. Autodesk does use Akamai net DRM though, makes activating Maya after a windows update/reinstall a bit inconvenient, the newer versions just need to phone home to reacivate themselves so it's relatively painless but older versions (2011 - 2013) are a nightmare to get reactivated, all versions will periodically check in with autodesk to make sure your copy is still legit so Akamai is always running and using resources in the background.
[QUOTE=FurrehFaux;51179204]Got some examples or study sources to back that up?[/QUOTE] Sure, I'll see if I can dig up some sources later- most of my experience with this comes from prior work in the games industry, where the ROI justifications on DRM have historically been solid. [QUOTE=FurrehFaux;51179204]I'm not even gonna mention how studies conducted by billion dollar corporations usually have the truth bent to a right angle or just outright lie.[/QUOTE] This is silly. What [I]possible[/I] motivation could a billion-dollar-corporation have to lie to [I]themselves[/I] about whether DRM is financially viable? There's a whole sub-industry of actuaries who weigh probabilistic outcomes to gauge whether the risk and expense are worth the projected benefits; they have no ideological reason to lie and pretend that DRM works when it doesn't. Their jobs are on the line. Oh, actually, I have read the Vernik article that Tech Dirt is talking about, and it doesn't say what they claim it says. [URL="http://static.arstechnica.net/2011/10/10/2011-10-10-VernikDRM.pdf"]You can read the full paper here[/URL], what it's [I]actually[/I] saying is that bad DRM hurts more than it helps and sometimes removal of bad DRM can result in increased sales and reduced piracy. It's not making the argument that DRM doesn't work altogether. Lastly, the bit about The Witcher is exactly what I meant about anecdotal examples. Sure, The Witcher was wildly successful without DRM. Meanwhile, World of Goo was overwhelmingly pirated more than it was sold and was a commercial failure despite high reviews and player counts. Anyone can seek out isolated examples to support their position, and the fact that a game can be successful without DRM does not intrinsically imply that the inclusion of DRM would make it less profitable. So yeah, DRM can be bad and it can result in reduced, rather than increased sales when implemented poorly. But despite the existence of games doing very well without DRM, the broader statistical trend is that at least decent DRM not only earns more sales than it loses, but earns enough to make up for the cost of implementation. I'm all for less-invasive DRM and stuff like Starforce really pisses me off as a consumer, but my personal preference for less DRM does not prove that DRM isn't financially effective. Like I said before, it's not going to go away unless people stop trying to get stuff without paying, or effective DRM becomes so costly to implement that it's not worth it.
The problem with DRM is that it inherently requires security through obscurity, and because code needs to end up running on the user's system that means the user can manipulate the program, which makes all DRM insecure. We are lucky computers where built as open platforms before greedy companies came into play, imagine if computers where as locked down as consoles or iDevices.
[QUOTE=shad0w440;51180170]I guess I'm lucky in my field I haven't encountered DRM like that yet. Autodesk does use Akamai net DRM though, makes activating Maya after a windows update/reinstall a bit inconvenient, the newer versions just need to phone home to reacivate themselves so it's relatively painless but older versions (2011 - 2013) are a nightmare to get reactivated, all versions will periodically check in with autodesk to make sure your copy is still legit so Akamai is always running and using resources in the background.[/QUOTE] Sounds like a pain. Virtually my whole pipeline (Save Adobe) is based on open-source programs, so I don't have to deal with any DRM.
[QUOTE=Matthew0505;51181281]Sounds like a wet dream for DRM advocates.[/QUOTE] Indeed, locking down the machines that you buy so that they control you instead of you controlling the machine. DRM is not about restricting who has access to content, it's about restricting what they can do with the content, even if law allows them to. For example here in Spain I'm given the freedom to disassemble and study all programs, however I cannot do that with certain games because of their DRM.
[QUOTE=eirexe;51181166]We are lucky computers where built as open platforms before greedy companies came into play, imagine if computers where as locked down as consoles or iDevices.[/QUOTE] Didn't stop Microsoft from trying their hardest about a decade ago. Wouldn't even be that outlandish to say that without the influence of the FSF, your nightmare scenario would be the reality.
[QUOTE=Samiam22;51181840]Didn't stop Microsoft from trying their hardest about a decade ago. Wouldn't even be that outlandish to say that without the influence of the FSF, your nightmare scenario would be the reality.[/QUOTE] Fortunately at least in servers I don't see anyone turning the situation around anytime soon.
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