DRM

GOG.com wins points for openness by being a distributor of DRM-free games, but now they're going even further by choosing to protect their customers' data over the convenience of a faster checkout.

After the wide security breach of the Playstation Network, GOG surveyed its users about the issue--"68 percent said they would rather GOG.com not even have the option of storing personal information," wrote Ben Kuchera in the Ars Technica story. » Read more

Digital rights management has a long history of not quite working, failing to stop piracy, and sometimes punishing legitimate users (and owners) of digital media.

But has it ever stopped you from » Read more

There are more than a few reasons digital rights management (DRM) has been largely unsuccessful. But the easiest way to explain to a consumer why DRM doesn't work is to put it in terms he understands: "What happens to the music you paid for if that company changes its mind?" It was one thing when it was a theoretical question. Now it's a historical one. Rhapsody just had the next in a line of DRM music services to go--this week the company told its users than anyone with RAX files has unil November 7 to back them up in another format or lose them the next time they upgrade their systems. » Read more

Last weekend, I rented a movie through YouTube.

In the interest of full disclosure, I suppose I should tell you straight away that I don't own a television. I sold mine seven years ago, after the year 2003 saw the debut of Nashville Star, The O.C., Fame, and some train-wreck reality show starring Jessica Simpson and her then-husband Nick Lachey.

These days, my knowledge of television programming comes from disparate half-hours spent on the treadmill at the gym. I catch bits and pieces of shows like Law & Order, Hannah Montana, The Dr. Oz Show, One Tree Hill, The Doctors, and The Dr. Phil Show. (Who hired all the doctors, and am I the only one who wonders how many drinks the talent scout had when he signed Miley Cyrus?)
» Read more

Building a community is core to all open source projects. In fact, an open source project that lacks a community is likely missing the point of being open source. So what happens when your open project is designed to create communities? » Read more

I'm excited. I mean really excited. Excited to the point that I can hardly think. I'm talking six-year-old trying to go to sleep on Christmas Eve excited. But before I get to why, let's take a trip back to 1999. » Read more