[GRLUG] I hate DRM

[Ron Lauzon]

zdennis wrote:
> All the files are wma, no problem, I'll just convert them to mp3. No can do though, none of the wma files will convert using any
> of the windows based tools. So I thought I'd give it a shot on my Kubuntu box. Nope, still won't work.
>   

This is why I will not pay anything for a DRMed anything.

As someone else said, DRM on something that you are only "borrowing" is 
acceptable (like a library eBook), but that's it.  The problem with DRM 
is that unless the reader of the DRMed content is closed and 
proprietary, DRM can't work.  So no matter how "unobtrusive" the DRM may 
be, you are still locked into a closed proprietary reader/device to use 
the content.

So "services" like iTunes and Napster are worthless and if you use it, 
you get what you deserve.

> I know it is illegal to discuss or share the idea of how-to convert a DRM based wma to a non-DRM based non-proprietary format, but
> this is absolutely ritarded. If you purchase music you should be able to play it wherever you want.
>   

But on to more productive topics.

I recently heard of a program that did this - for Windows.   Microsoft 
released a very fast system patch to block it, but days later,  the 
program had been updated to get around the patch.   Check out Slashdot.  
There should be something there.

-- 
Ron Lauzon - rlauzon at acm dot org
   Homepage: http://7lauzon.home.comcast.net/
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Microsoft Free since July 06, 2001
Running Mandriva Linux 2006