Docomo is using Microsoft DRM products in its phones so that customers can move protected “content” between phones and PCs under control of the DRM software. The goal here is to generate a network effect so that it becomes difficult
GPL Interface arguments and proprietary kernel modules
(rewritten for clarity Aug 21, 22, 2007) Changing interfaces of GPL software is permitted under the GPL. The license specifically permits anyone to make any changes in the code. There is no limitation concerning the intentions of the coder or
Easy patent solution: Exponential method
Suppose that we said each year, each person named as an inventor or each company or person named as an assignee on a patent qualified for a rolling fee. Say $200 for the first patent, $1000 for the next, $5000
Notes on unintended security effects
I’ve been complaining about the security implications of DRM and “trusted computing” and “safe boot” for some time now. Susan Landau points out that the expansion of wiretapping has the same effect. Such threats are not theoretical. For almost a
notes on fault tolerance
Patent1 Patent2 Nonstop kernel. Suggestions? Something brilliant must have been discovered in 20 years? No?
Building what customers want
Visting LinuxWorld in San Francisco reminded me that one of the advantages Apple has in the cell-phone market is that it can set design goals to be “what people who buy cell phones want”. While you might think this would
DRM and Trusted Boot: is Sili valley following Detroit?
The trend in standard processor boards is truly an example of the tail wagging the dog. Consumer demand for locking down their PCs to make them slower, more vulnerable to viruses, more expensive, and less capable, is not high. And
Specifying the UNIX file system
The UNIX file system design is one of the most brilliant constructions in programming with a combination of conceptual simplicity, utility, and suitability for implementation that is hard to match. (Note: this last quality is something that is prized in
Formal methods for doing what?
John Regehr’s question below gets to one of the basic problems I see in the field of “formal methods” – the general failure of researchers in the field to look at experimental data and the operation of actual systems. The
Chapter 2: liveness and scheduling
Draft is available http://www.yodaiken.com/papers/rec.html