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DRM python sets another coil
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 to find content that is not under such a scheme or devices that will work…
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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 the desires of the code “maintainer”. The entire project of marking certain interfaces in Linux…
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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 year beginning in April 2004, more than 100 phones belonging to members of the Greek…
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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 consumers includes both home computer purchasers and business computer purchasers. What I expect the vendors…
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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 all engineering disciplines, but we don’t even have a standard term for it in programming.)…
