'Commercial Partners'

[Bojan Smojver]

Quoting "Eric S. Raymond" <esr thyrsus com>:

> I think I explained this in some datail earlier.  We need market power
> in order to stave off a future where we get DRMed and EULAed to death
> because hardware manufacturers figure all they have to do is serve the
> Windows & Intel Mac markets.  Down that road lie video cards we can't
> use and on-the-mobo TPM to lock us out.

A little bit too late for that, IMHO. "Content providers" already know that:

1. They can do this legally (ie. patents/DRM are reality)
2. They have widespread platforms to do it (Mac/Win+PC/iPod etc.)
3. They will come up with new patents/laws to prevent us from entering

This is a game of catch-up that we'll never win. Once "content  
providers" tasted consumer blood with patents/DRM, I'm willing to bet  
they'll want more of it, not less. Any attempt to wedge anything  
"free" (in whichever sense of the word) right smack in the middle,  
will be met with (threats of) lawsuits.

It's just a matter of time before we see this happen. And my bet is  
that making it easier to install an MP3 player on Fedora is going make  
about zero difference. I'm afraid most of us don't have access to  
boardrooms in which decisions about the future of copyright, patents,  
"content" and hardware is made. If all desktop/notebook/consumer  
hardware went DRM/TPM tomorrow, hardware manufacturers would stand to  
lose such small percentage of sales that they wouldn't think twice  
about cutting us off. Call me cynical if you wish...

-- 
Bojan