Jon Johansen Interviewed 370
wuzfuzzy writes "Depending on your point of view, Jon Lech Johansen is either your hero or adversary. To the copyright industry, Jon Lech Johansen has been a detriment to their policy of control since the advent of DeCSS (Decrypt Content Scrambling System.) To those who cherish freedom, he has been a pillar of hope in an age when DRM (Digital Rights Management) threatens to overtake mainstream media. After two trials, the courts finally ruled in Jon's favor. However, there is much more to Jon Lech Johansen than DeCSS. In this interview, Slyck hopes to bring to light the many facets of Mr. Johansen, and the numerous projects he is involved with."
Reasonable (Score:2, Interesting)
Re:Reasonable (Score:5, Funny)
Sounds like he's not a member of Slashdot.
Ah yes... (Score:4, Insightful)
Re:Ah yes... (Score:3, Insightful)
What we have here is... failure to communicate!
There's some people you just... can't... reach.
Re:Ah yes... (Score:2, Insightful)
Re:Ah yes... (Score:4, Funny)
We talked it over, and we all agree that you don't think as an individual enough.
Thanks Jon, I appreciate your work! (Score:5, Insightful)
Exactly! When I buy a DVD (not rent) I expect to have complete control over how I view that content. My DVD player has no right to restrict me from fastfowarding through any part of that media.
Any DVD I purchase that does not allow me to fastfoward any part is immediately ripped, stripped, and burned. That's my right. Thank you Jon!
Re:Thanks Jon, I appreciate your work! (Score:3, Interesting)
Re:Thanks Jon, I appreciate your work! (Score:2, Insightful)
Re:Thanks Jon, I appreciate your work! (Score:3, Insightful)
You can always skip the intro stuff.... (Score:5, Interesting)
Re:Thanks Jon, I appreciate your work! (Score:4, Insightful)
Re:Thanks Jon, I appreciate your work! (Score:5, Informative)
Re:Thanks Jon, I appreciate your work! (Score:4, Funny)
Re:Thanks Jon, I appreciate your work! (Score:3, Interesting)
Re:Thanks Jon, I appreciate your work! (Score:3, Interesting)
Should be DRRM (Score:2)
Re:Thanks Jon, I appreciate your work! (Score:3, Interesting)
The media tells the player "you *should* not allow FF here", but it's up to the player to comply or not - thou I haven't seen one that allows you not to comply, I know my current sony won't, and it's a PITA!
Re:Thanks Jon, I appreciate your work! (Score:2)
No one is advocating manufacturers be forced (as in, by law) to do anything.
Re:Thanks Jon, I appreciate your work! (Score:5, Insightful)
Wrong. The market isn't the only factor. Just look at the iTunes Music Store. If it was just about what the market wants, there wouldn't be DRM.
It's not just about what the market wants -- it's about what the market wants in the context of world in which technology providers and media providers are struggling to find balance (or, to become dominant).
"No one is advocating manufacturers be forced (as in, by law) to do anything."
Wrong again, just look at the broadcast flag.
Re:Thanks Jon, I appreciate your work! (Score:4, Insightful)
No, you're wrong. The market supports iTunes. Now granted you and I would agree that DRM is bad and unwanted; however, obvisously we are the minority and the market just doesn't care. It's not about what the market WANTS, it's about what the market will bear. In the iTunes case, there is more than enough market willing to put up with the stupid DRM.
"Wrong again, just look at the broadcast flag."
I mispoke, that should have read 'No one HERE, ARGUING,IN THIS DISCUSSION is advocating....'. I don't think any of the Media Giants and others pushing this crap (broadcast flag and DRM) are participating in this discussion. But I could be wrong.
Re:Thanks Jon, I appreciate your work! (Score:5, Informative)
Not true - to manufacture DVD players you need a license from the DVD Copy Control Association [dvdcca.org]. If your player includes features that they don't like, such as skipping commercials, they won't give you a license for CSS.
Re:Thanks Jon, I appreciate your work! (Score:3, Interesting)
The point isn't that they should be required to or not, the point is that MY RIGHT to view the content how I want should be absolute. I shouldn't be committing a crime by not wanting to watch some segment of a video I BOUGHT.
Re:Thanks Jon, I appreciate your work! (Score:3, Insightful)
Before you go off on me, yes they are similar, in that you buy a movie in a format that is chosen by someone else. You can't control the previews, nor can you control the commercials.
Truthfully, your "right" to view SOMEONE ELSE'S movie in the form and fashion you choose has never existed. That fact that technology ALLOWS you to do something doesn't make it a right.
One last thing. You don't own a movie, you own a copy of the movie that you have purchased viewing (and
Re:Thanks Jon, I appreciate your work! (Score:2)
Re:Thanks Jon, I appreciate your work! (Score:5, Interesting)
This is where you are wrong.
I can control them via not purchasing them. If enough of us had the self control/will power to do the same, things WILL change. Especially if you voice your view/position to those that own the theater.
I have not been to a movie theater in around a year because of the forced previews and commercials (well, mainly the commercials -- I like seeing what movies are coming up, but some people may not).
As for your rant about purchasing a license to view a movie, not the movie itself. There is no written agreement in the packaging or displayed on screen (even accessable via the DVD's menu!) that states what my rights are with regards to how I view the movie. The ONLY agreement displayed is that I may not rent it out myself, charge others to see it, or copy and distribute it to anyone. PERIOD.
Re:Thanks Jon, I appreciate your work! (Score:3, Insightful)
This really is interesting...if something is stated long enough, it starts to become 'an accepted fact'.
This sure, to me, seems to be a really new point of view as far as purchased media goes. Back in the
Re:Thanks Jon, I appreciate your work! (Score:3, Insightful)
Huh? Where did you get that idea from.
Copyright specifially grants the general public certain rights for fair use. Viewing the movie in the form and fashion you prefer is one of those rights. Copyright also limits the copyright holder's rights; they don't have the rights you seem to think they do. Here is a list of rights granted by copyright, the list is from bitlaw [bitlaw.com].
Re:Thanks Jon, I appreciate your work! (Score:4, Insightful)
OK, that's an extreme example. But once you've said "no" to that, you've accepted the principle that you should break some laws because you don't like them. So the only remaining questions is: where do you draw the line?
Re:Thanks Jon, I appreciate your work! (Score:3, Insightful)
Most kick in at around 150-155mph. That is double what the very highest legal speed limits in the US are, and any crash at 150mph in most street cars would likely be fatal.
So what's the point at putting the limit at 150mph? If they are trying to control how fast we drive, why not put the limit at 80mph, or not have one at all? Having the limiter at 150mph is only going to piss off people who have bought a high end car, and are likely trying to drive it o
Re:Thanks Jon, I appreciate your work! (Score:5, Informative)
Re:Thanks Jon, I appreciate your work! (Score:4, Informative)
Re:Thanks Jon, I appreciate your work! (Score:3, Informative)
That's because speed governors kick in at 155 mph.
Re:Thanks Jon, I appreciate your work! (Score:3, Informative)
Re:Frank (Score:3, Informative)
Besides, it's not the CSS source code that's copyrighted, Jon was talking about the actual numerical code used by the CSS algorithm to decrypt a DVD. The algorithm might be patentable, and the code for the algorithm may be copyrightable, but the code used to unlock a DVD is not.
It is this last code that I think he was referring to, and no one c
I interviewed him, badly (Score:2, Funny)
Re:I interviewed him, badly (Score:2)
I work in Wisconsin,
I work in a lumbermill there.
The people I meet
when I walk down the street,
They say,
"What's your name?"
And I say,
"My name is Yon Yonsin, I work in Wisconsin..."
-- Slaughterhouse-Five
A pertinent quote! (Score:5, Insightful)
Right On Jon! I already paid for the DVD I don't see why I should be forced to sit though adverts after that.
Just let me navigate the content of my new DVD in the manner I choose thanks very much!
It is just a pity that the studios/player manufacturers are not going to listen to the public on this matter.
Re:A pertinent quote! (Score:5, Insightful)
They aren't going to listen to the minority. The MPAA and RIAA have the power of nearly limitless funding for FUD campaigns against fair-use. Sadly, it's already working.
People accept that DRM will be on digital TV content. "Oh, I don't see why I should be able to timeshift my shows outside of a predetermined timeslot!" "Oh, copying DVDs is wrong!" "Oh, listening to my music on more than three different computers and devices is unncessary!" "I don't need to burn music more than 5 times!"
This is where the road is leading. People will continue to be told that fair-use doesn't exist and they will continue to accept it because there really is no other way (in their eyes).
So the public is going to listen to them on this matter.
Agreed (Score:5, Insightful)
The music industry survived for years and years with NO copy restrictions at all. Tapes and CD's could be copied at will. And best of all at the height of "Copyright infringement" and P2P, the record companies are making record profits.
Any yet now we are supposed to accept these lockdowns and be grateful at all for their services? Because as the parent pointed out that's already happening. Let's look at what Apple has done with the power of DRM to brainwash users. Restrict from Internet streaming to local streaming. Restrict from unlimited Lan to 5 users a day. Restrict from 10 burns of a playlist to 7(IIRC), and finally as someone else had pointed out disabled features on Itunes and the Ipod to lock out competitors.
And still Apple DRM fanboys and people ignorant of how damaging DRM can be talk about how great it is . Well from here it sure as heck looks like real world DRM implementation suck and are only getting worse. Itunes 5.0 is going to be locked down so tight you can only listen to your songs in a locked room in the presense of an authorized Apple Rep.
btw I should mention I have no problem with Itunes and besides the Ipod being expensive have no problem with it either. This prasing of DRM and accepting your software being locked down has to stop.
Re:A pertinent quote! (Score:2)
Yes and no: you also pay for a magazine, and have to look for the content you WANT in between the advertisemements. Admitted, you aren't FORCED to look at the advertisements, but still...
Would the price of DVDs go up it they had no advertisements (in case of magazines: definitely). Would you be prepared to pay more?
If the page gets Slashdotted.. (Score:4, Informative)
April 4, 2005
Thomas Mennecke [mailto]
Depending on your point of view, Jon Lech Johansen is either your hero or adversary. To the copyright industry, Jon Lech Johansen has been a detriment to their policy of control since the advent of DeCSS (Decrypt Content Scrambling System.) To those who cherish freedom, he has been a pillar of hope in an age when DRM (Digital Rights Management) threatens to overtake mainstream media.
Jon Lech Johansen became well known for his role in the development of DeCSS. Jon spent 3 long years in the Norwegian courts proving his innocence. The American movie industry pressured the Norwegian Economic Crime Unit to press charges against Jon Lech Johansen in 2000 for allegedly bypassing the CSS copy protection on DVDs.
After two trials, the courts finally ruled in Jon's favor. However, there is much more to Jon Lech Johansen than DeCSS. In this interview, Slyck hopes to bring to light the many facets of Mr. Johansen, and the numerous projects he is involved with.
Describe your role in the development of DeCSS. Was is a group effort or were you the mastermind behind it?
DeCSS was written by 3 people: a German developer, a Dutch developer and myself. The reverse engineering was done by the German.
From time to time I see people repeat the claim that DeCSS was only made possible because a DVD player manufacturer forgot to "protect" their DVD player. This is a myth that is perpetuated by people who don't understand how computers work. Code obfuscation only slows down reverse engineering, it doesn't block it.
What was the motivation behind creating DeCSS?
The motivation was being able to play DVDs the way we want to. I don't like being forced to use a specific operating system or a specific player to watch movies (or listen to music.) Nor do I like being forced to watch commercials. When your DVD player tells you "This operation is not allowed" when you try to skip commercials, it becomes pretty clear that DRM really stands for Digital Restrictions Management.
Did you ever expect the level of legal entanglements; and for it to become as popular as it is today?
No and no.
How difficult was it do break the CSS encryption? What did it take to break the encryption?
Technically DeCSS didn't break CSS. Breaking a crypto algorithm requires revealing and/or exploiting a method that's faster than brute force. DeCSS simply implemented CSS the same way as a normal DVD player.
CSS was however broken by Frank Andrew Stevenson: http://www-2.cs.cmu.edu/~dst/DeCSS/FrankStevenson/ index.html [cmu.edu]. Many DVD decryption tools today exploit the weaknesses in CSS that he revealed.
Another myth is that DeCSS is illegal because it uses a "stolen" key. A CSS key is 5 bytes. How anyone can think that it's possible to "steal" 5 bytes is beyond me. 5 bytes do not have any protection under copyright law because it's not an original work. It's probably possible for 5 bytes to be protected under trade secret law, but CSS hasn't been a trade secret since DeCSS was released and mirrored all over the net. Is someone who names their child "Frank" (5 bytes) stealing Frank's name? It's absurd.
Was there at any point during the DeCSS trials when you felt you were in serious trouble, or were you confident throughout that you would emerge victorious?
I was confident throughout.
What was the expression(s) on the face of the movie industry when you were finally acquitted?
The MPAA's (or rather, the MPA, which is the international arm of the MPAA) Norwegian lawyer was present for most of the first trial. I don't remember if he was present when the judgment was handed down, but if he was, he was probably wearing his standard grumpy look.
For the acquitt
Turn up the heat gently (Score:5, Interesting)
People who claim that the iTMS DRM is a "good compromise" have naively bought into the impending doom propaganda.
He has a point - the DRM that comes with iTunes is already creeping up in restrictions from the point at which you first agreed to it. Perhaps you should take another look and think again if it is really worth it to you?
I remember all the comments here about how no one would buy anything with DRM attached... but then it turns out that yes, most of Slashdot indeed would buy it willingly. How very dissapointing.
Re:Turn up the heat gently (Score:5, Interesting)
Re:Turn up the heat gently (Score:3, Insightful)
'See? people are accepting our DRM, and if any nasty people manage to buy your music without DRM, or listen to the music they paid for on too many computers, we can lock it down harder and people will still accept it!'
DRM won't get lighter, or less restrictive, only more so. And you buying it under those cond
Re:Turn up the heat gently (Score:2)
Re:Turn up the heat gently (Score:2)
Re:Turn up the heat gently (Score:2, Interesting)
The initial versions of iTunes and iTMS had the barest minimum of DRM required to keep the RIAA happy. It was all trivially breakable and Apple's attitude was essentially "We're trying to make it easy on you, so try to behave, huh?" And every 1337 h4xor like Johansen instantly broke everyt
hmm (Score:5, Interesting)
not to belittle the rest of his accomplishments, but I feel this one has the greatest possible advantage in legitimate terms
Stolen CCS key ? (Score:5, Insightful)
"Another myth is that DeCSS is illegal because it uses a "stolen" key. A CSS key is 5 bytes. How anyone can think that it's possible to "steal" 5 bytes is beyond me. 5 bytes do not have any protection under copyright law because it's not an original work. It's probably possible for 5 bytes to be protected under trade secret law, but CSS hasn't been a trade secret since DeCSS was released and mirrored all over the net. Is someone who names their child "Frank" (5 bytes) stealing Frank's name? It's absurd."
If those 5 bytes are a key to unlock something.. ehm.. I think comparing that to someones first name is a bit weird. If someone has my credit-card code, I would say they stole my code.
For the record, as I do not want this thing to be flooded with "Great , go ahead and support DRM", I'm 100% against DRM. They have been spending a thousand times more on DRM-development than what they claim they have lost by illegal copies. DRM is only good if you want to finance the legal department and throw money out of the window, because no DRM will be 100% safe, and all DRM-schemes that I've seen passing by were broken, sometimes even before their official release. Not to mention they cause enormous headaches with their paying customers, and I don't think paying customers are the kind of people they want to piss off.
Re:Stolen CCS key ? (Score:5, Interesting)
Is the key an invention, that could be covered by a patent? No.
Is the key an expression, that could be covered by copyright? No.
What the key is, is a secret. Unless there is some specific law, secrets can be "stolen" in a vernacular sense but it's not legally theft. Secrets are not property. Trade secerts are sometimes referred to as "intellectual property", but they aren't really treated as property except by those who contractually agree to treat them so.
That said, this is in part because the law hasn't caught up to the last century, much less this one. For example most people believe that individuals have a kind of proprietary interest to confidential information about themselves. The idea of people trafficking in confidential information about them without their knowledge or consent seems to them a violation of privacy rights. But there is, at least in the US, no legal recognition of any such rights, which makes identity "theft" so easy. It's sophistry to say that because something is legally not property, that it cannot be stolen. When people say "stealing" in this situation, they are talking about misappropriating or misusing something that you have no moral right to.
Personally, I think that a person who duly pays for a DVD should be able to play any place he wants and any time he wants. It's like my old leftie uncle Ivan used to say years and years ago: "Kid, nobody really believes in capitalism, nobody believes in socialism. It's socialism for me, capitalism for you." The replace "capitalism" and "socialism" with "free trade", and it's still true. If workers have to compete in the global market for wages, they should benefit from price competition too.
So, I think that breaking CSS is the right thing to do. But not because you can't steal what isn't legally property. It's because accessing something that is completely within your rights isn't stealing in any sense of the word.
Re:Stolen CCS key ? (Score:5, Insightful)
So the number thing is straight. But the grey area is once you have a piece of software or hardware that you have bought, and you use that key to do something with either, is that wrong?
Personally, I would say no. Because I believe in having total and complete access to everything in your possession. And I believe in the individual's ability to reverse-engineer anything that they can understand. A good analogy would be the differential on a RWD vehicle. Let's say all we had was limited-slip differentials on the market (no locking diffs), and someone came around to developing a locking diff and sold it. But they were the only ones that knew how to build a locking diff, so they sealed the diff inside a casing that required a key to open. If the end user found the key, they should be able to use it to open up the diff. Then they can look inside to see how it works, and build their own if they so choose. And they should be able to share that information with whomever they choose.
However, the protection for the company comes with their patent on the locking diff
Tinkering should never be outlawed
Re:Stolen CCS key ? (Score:2)
Hero or adversary? (Score:5, Insightful)
I put Jon into the same category as Linus... someone pushing the boundaries of the electronic world, and our rights therein. Someone has to be the pioneer, if mainstream society is to struggle with the issues brought up by the envelope-pusher.
Eh (Score:4, Insightful)
Or you might think he's just some guy, you know?
Freedom? (Score:5, Funny)
Since when did George Bush's writers start submitting slashdot articles?
Master and Commander (Score:5, Informative)
The best example of this is the DVD of "Master and Commander". It forces you sit through 10 minutes of advertising of other films before you get to the main menu!
I found this requirement to be shockingly obnoxious.
Re:Master and Commander (Score:2, Informative)
Reap what you sow (Score:4, Insightful)
This just shows how the MPAA has brought this on themselves. When DVDs first came out, what was the point of CSS? Average people couldn't make copies of DVDs until pretty recently. Was it forethought regarding the copying capability of the public? Hardly. It was about control. They wanted to be able to control the format. They wanted to be able to sell licenses of their product to DVD player manufacturers. They are still doing this today, but their grip is slipping.
Look at WHY DeCSS was created:
The MPAA and their cronies pushed the boundaries of good business, and got called on it. They thought nobody could do anything about it, so they didn't even consider backing down. I don't know of ANYONE who likes to sit through the crap they are forced to sit through on DVDs. The problem is, people are willing to put up with the inconvenience because there are no other options. Now there are, so MPAA - reap what you sow motherfuckers.
Spin, Spin, Slashdot (Score:2)
Don't mince words, Taco. Tell us how you really feel.
Seriously, though. While I'm not a fan of DRM by any means, I'm a little unhappy with the fact that a lot of anti-DRM advocates use strongly charged statements like this one in their arguments. I think the argument that once I've paid for content I should be able to device-shift it at will is solid enough without regressing into hyperbole and strawman attacks.
Misguided Youth... (Score:3, Insightful)
Ok, this guy may have some valid ideas about DRM, but I feel that a artist/musician/owner/company... whoever, has the right to protect/use/distribute thier product however they see fit and if someone doesn't like it then they have every right not to purchase it. Wresting control of a item away from it's owner is not a nobal pursuit.
BTW normal consumer actions often police the worst sorts of DRM and Meida lock. Example... Disney once released a DVD were you couldn't skip the previews, they did this once, got slammed by the consumers and stopped doing it. If you want to change something you can do it with dollars.
If this guy is so smart about DRM and the finances of Media Companies, then I suggest he start his own media company and see how long it takes for himto go out of business.
"Those who cherish freedom" LOL... Drama queen. (Score:2)
the write-up (Score:4, Insightful)
Okay, this is bad.
Have we degenerated to the level of the government that we must use overblown rhetoric, that we don't question such rhetoric?
This is classic Loyalty Oath type stuff--"You Love Freedom, Yes?" "Um.. yeah..." "Then You Love Senator McCarthy."
I have the highest respect for those whom I can view as "pillars of hope", but I also have the highest respect for our language, and shit like this is, at best, abuse, at worst, propoganda.
My view on DRM (Score:4, Insightful)
most of you sound something like this, "my entertainment dealer won't let me steal entertainment(drugs) from him for myself or to give to my friends. So, I'm really mad at him and I'm gonna find all sorts of creative ways to steal from him anyway."
Whew, that said, I'm all for the freedom to develop and test new technologies. I just think there are better ways to stop DRM. Don't buy their liscenses. Don't buy anything from them until they sell exactly what you want. Otherwise, don't whine.
Re:My view on DRM (Score:3, Insightful)
In the US, let's start with unenumerated rights, contract under duress (since you go wankin' off on the whole license thing next) and glance for a moment at the right to Life, Liberty, and the Pursuit of Happiness. Of those 3, 2 fit into my doing anything I want on a DVD. In Norway, reverse-engineering for compatibility is also protected, per the article.
Then you lost most of us completely at 'you bought a license.' Nope. We are buying stuff. CD's and DV
Another interesting facet (Score:3, Interesting)
Is this [chscene.ch]. Now what do you think about him? An asshole? That's what I thought.
Joe Connard
Devil's Advocate... (Score:4, Insightful)
Think about how it is when you buy a magazine. The publication is chock full of advertisements. You can cut them out, but probably not without ruining at least one part of text. Fast forwarding a DVD is kind of like flipping past an ad page without reading it, but being as the technologies are different, I'm not quite sure how to compare them. So, what makes the magazine scenario different from the DVD one?
In addition to the comment above, I offer another idea that makes some bit of sense: What would it cost to buy the same magazine without advertisements? I'm thinking quite a bit more, and I doubt I would pay for a magazine that cost $20-$50 (depending on content, of course). There are conflicting ideas about what a DVD "actually" costs to make, but if you think about how it would probably cost more if there were no advertisements, I think you can kind of see why they make you watch those advertisements.
To me, it all boils down to the fact that a business is a business, and the only purpose of a business is to make money. If, in order to make money, a business has to agree that it will make a consumer watch someone else's add, then the business will do it in a heartbeat. It may suck for the user, but as long as they buy it anyway, it doesn't matter.
Anyway, just thoughts. Respond if you wish, but I'd rather hear interesting arguments than rehashed, tired quotes and flames.
arguing with unreasonable people a waste of time?! (Score:3, Funny)
I mean, sure, we knew that to be true... but to put it right out there like that kinda hurts when you realize it's probably the main activity going on around here...
Re:I'm dumb, help me (Score:5, Informative)
It rather depends on how difficult it is to test each possibility.
Re:I'm dumb, help me (Score:2, Funny)
I'm a cretin.
OP
Re:I'm dumb, help me (Score:2, Funny)
I think this would not be a good time to reveal I've a higher degree in Mathematics.
It's not only you... (Score:2)
I generally find it's Maths grads who have the biggest problems with arithmetic.
Re:It's not only you... (Score:2)
Re:Prediction (Score:2)
Re:Prediction (Score:3, Insightful)
Re:Prediction (Score:2)
President Luchenko - "Half of EarthForce wants to give you a kiss on the cheek and the medal of honor. The other half wants you taken out and shot. As a politician, you learn to compromise. Which, by all rights, means I should give you the medal of honor and then have you shot."
Re:Prediction (Score:2, Insightful)
Re:I don't know which Jon I love more (Score:2, Funny)
Re:I have a question... (Score:2)
Re:Melodrama in submission? (Score:4, Insightful)
Why should tracks I buy from an online music store be more restrictive in what I can do with them than ones that come on red book Audio CDs?
Re:Melodrama in submission? (Score:3, Interesting)
That's a good question. Perhaps you would like to start an online business offering just that. Tell us how that negotiation with the RIAA goes.
Re:You're right (Score:2)
You've summed up the problem nicely (Score:5, Insightful)
But DRM like iTunes' is the most liberal there is
And that's the problem. People don't balk at iTunes DRM. They simply say that it's the best out there, so they're happy. Kind of like saying having a brick dropped on your foot is better than having a bowling ball dropped on your head. People keep forgetting the fact that both options suck.
Re:You've summed up the problem nicely (Score:2)
To sidestep fair use [wikipedia.org].
Re:You've summed up the problem nicely (Score:3, Insightful)
So why would they want to sidestep fair use?
Greed. The model where the user controls the media they purchase produces less revenue than the model where the industry controls the media the user purchases.
More to the point, would you agree that the primary reason for DRM was to (try to) keep people from copying and distributing their product en masse?
No, I'll still go with greed. These companies exist to make money. All the noise you hear about "protecting artist's rights" is the legislative equi
Re:Melodrama in submission? (Score:2)
Re:Melodrama in submission? (Score:5, Insightful)
Have you even been paying attention to the crap congress is up to?
Sure, no black helicopters and spotlights, but only because it's not as effective as passing laws in congress.
Re:Melodrama in submission? (Score:5, Insightful)
You might have said that sarcastically, but a lot of people think this way. This kind of worldview emerges if you follow the current trend of relentless corporate-goverment culture restrictions policies to their logical conclusion.
Separately, I offer two analogies based on the last sentence in your comment:
1) The fact that record labels will not consider selling music online without onerous restrictions underscores Jons point.
2) Saying that iTMS has the least restrictive DRM scheme is a lot like the difference between the Minimum Security wing of a prison (iTMS), and the Maximum Security wing of a prison (the goal of the labels); in the end, you're still in prison.
Re:Melodrama in submission? (Score:2)
If your freedom is being taken away by a DRM scheme, then don't use that DRM scheme. Don't shop from the iTunes Music Store (and don't ruin it for everyone else by trying to sabotage it).
The only problem with that logic, is that because even the weakest DRM is still given the legal protection of the DMCA it is only a matter of time before all products are released with some weak DRM thus making it illegal for you to enjoy the fair use that you once had legally for analog and paper products. You can have
Re:quit high school (Score:2)
Re:quit high school (Score:5, Insightful)
I have companies like IBM, Sony, BitMover, etc... using my software and yet I'm unfit to work for them... That basically tells you that the people who "do work" and the people who "do hiring" are not the same and don't talk.
Not trying to ride on JJ but if he's trying to be hip by saying "school is useless"
Tom
Re:quit high school (Score:2)
can you blame him? (Score:3, Insightful)
Re:can you blame him? (Score:5, Interesting)
By 2002 [when I hit 20] my LibTomCrypt library had already international attention behind it. I've since traveled the to europe twice, been to california twice on various work related contracts because of the attention I got.
He's not the only kid with "neato hobbies".
What makes him so special is he got sued. I'm sure if RSA or something tried to sue me that would make me "uber slashdot cool" and you know what... I'd still go to college.
Cuz despite all the bitching and moaning you do learn things. Sure a good 30% or so of my teachers were clueless, but you still pick up things you wouldn't on your own in an unstructured environment.
Does JJ know calculus? Alegbra? Chemistry? Literature?
Sure you can teach yourself math [for instance] but the likelyhood of missing key concepts is much higher [and it takes longer to learn the basics in my experience with crypto for instance...].
If anything he should have leveraged his fame to get scholarships or something. At least that would be productive...
Tom
Re:can you blame him? (Score:3, Insightful)
I am 28 and back at school after the
I am glad I gained real world experience and going back to school later teaches maturity and also humility.
Maybe by my age Jon may go back to school and get his degree when he is ready.
We all dont need to go to school fresh out of highschool. I would encourage my future kids to do the same unless they are very driven.
Re:quit high school (Score:2)
Just to play devil's advocate, the fact that one is able to write other useful software doesn't mean that one can be told to write useful software in a corporate environment. For example, such a person may only be productive when working on something he or she really likes, as in a hobby.
Re:quit high school (Score:2)
But I'm fresh out of college and so far I do have a job but it's not from who I would have thought [yes I work in software...].
(perspective)I didn't write my libraries to get jobs. I did think it would help though... (/perspective)
Tom
Re:quit high school (Score:3, Informative)
It plainly states in the interview --> "Actually...I haven't attended university. I quit high school to work in the computer industry. "
I can see how you read into that, but you're possibly incorrect.
too late (Score:2)
Maybe not
1) if he fails at univm that's not going to do him any good
2) now he's the guy who quit school because 'the industry bought him'
Who is going to like him more because he has a university degree?
Re:too late (Score:2)
Because he skipped out on school and college he lacks a formal training [at least background] in
- algebra
- calculus
- algorithms
- data structures
- compiler theory
- literature [which is important sadly]
-
Not every job he gets will amount to "s/jnz/jmp/"'ing some assembler dump t