[GRLUG] NOT Linux

[eah]

On Tuesday 11 December 2007 05:38:14 am Bob Kline wrote:
> http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/technology/7136069.stm
>
> I'm not sure exactly what's being
> done here here, but do know that
> the RIAA and the MPAA would
> dearly love to control people's
> computer's so that nothing can be
> stored on people's personal hard
> drives that those monopolies don't
> approve of.
>
> **
> Western Digital has blocked users from sharing more than 30 different file
> types, if they are using the company's software, called Anywhere Access.
> **
>
> People like Orin Hatch, R-UT,  point man
> for the MPAA and the RIAA,  contemptuously
> claimed that if people didn't heed the wishes
> of those monopoly groups their PCs would
> be rendered useless.  Never mind that he didn't
> know what he was talking about - the intent
> is clear enough.
>
> The question is whether a company like WD
> will try to implement a hardware solution -
> something that looks for a code in a file?
>
> I doubt the industry will stop looking for a
> way to prevent people from storing things
> on their PCs that it doesn't like.  Failing that,
> it will continue to keep suing everyone in
> sight,  but I suspect it would prefer PC control.
>
>      -Bob

and it's the blanket policies of "that file type/protocol is used for illegal 
sharing" that makes computing less useful. If they had their way, the 
Internet would revert back to nothing but plaintext, information-only, 
no-attachments-allowed and e-commerce would die. 

sorry, that's a hot button for me :-) 

eah