What you don't realize is that the solution you suggest won't work if famous people like TBL publicly support DRM.
People wouldn't care about your opinions much, some would even call them dumb just like you call others opinions dumb. But when a respectable person like TBL says something people tend to take his words seriously.
This is why people were worried about what TBL did. A very few would have cared if you or I did such a thing.
Another pointless analogy. Food with poison in it is illegal to sell. Supporting DRM sends a message that you do no agree with (and that I do not agree with), we can agree that it's not a good message but we are not without power in this: you and I can simply decide never to use that feature and not to support companies that use that feature.
Copyright law is here to stay, rights holders will try to use technology to be able to squeeze every last $ out of their legally backed position and consumers have the collective powers to give those rights holders the finger.
The fact that consumers as a group don't care enough is the main problem, see also: privacy and many other items like this.
Is is not. Only poisoned food that kills you quickly. You have plenty of legal food that harms your body or gives you diseases that are legal. We just call them junk food, alcohol, and other names because they are morally accepted.
You accept DRM as fact of life. We don't. Because it isn't. It's just the next move pulled out by the majors to try to lock in the consumer. It brings zero benefits to society. No culture sharing restriction ever did, and all the stats in the world show that what they claim to protect against is a scam: majors are making more money that ever.
> The fact that consumers as a group don't care enough is the main problem
It can be said about any problem in society. Health, education, whatever. Regulations are not the solution, having people caring is.
Idealism is not going to get you very far in the marketplace. Accepting reality as it is and your place and power within that reality is key to both not feeling continuously frustrated and actually achieving some measurable change.
You are essentially trying to ignore the fact that the Berne convention exists and that it (and not ideals) govern the position of rights holders. TBL is a pragmatist, first and foremost, that is why we have the WWW, not because he is an idealist who has forsaken his idealism.
As such, his benefits to society are such that few people can claim to have changed the course of history to such an extent, if you wish to argue that DRM is not a 'fact of life' then you are out of touch with life.
Major rights holders 'making more money that [sic] ever' is not automatic, they require our cooperation and consent.
And that consent and cooperation are ours to withdraw.
Any other changes are political and likely an uphill battle.
While I agree with your conclusions, I nevertheless don't think we should endorse a bad status quo.
When Firefox came around (as Phoenix), it didn't endorse ActiveX, making a lot of sites unusable. It chose fair standards.
What would have happened if they decided that they were too small and that Microsoft was so big that ActiveX would be inevitable anyway ?
Note that eventually the DRM won't affect me. I'm tech saavy enough, so I will always find ways to get around them. I think they arm society as a whole, and that you should say no.
I had an interview proposal with google some years ago. I refused politely. Google is inevitable, I still do have a few gmail addresses and use the SE. And it pays well. And their projects are cool. But I said no because I believe I should not be part of it.
I'm doing my part.
You don't get a democracy if you are not doing your part. Even if it means you will loose. Strategic vote is just promoting immobility.
I'm all for pragmatism, but it has to be used in conjunction with bigger goals.
Now you don't have to be perfect, I'm certainly not, but I still think that M. Lee decision sent the wrong message.
You were not responding to me, but sorry, it didn't.
> Moreover, a case could be made that EME will make it easier for content distributors to experiment with—and perhaps eventually switch to—DRM-free distribution.
I can't see how the author made this leap.
> It doesn't matter if browsers implement "W3C EME" or "non-W3C EME" if the technology and its capabilities are identical.
It matters as a matter of principle. It would have sent a message. Maybe this would have made the W3C irrelevant, but if it did, so be it, at least they would have gone without compromising.
I see you already discussed with sametmax about this, so I won't go further.
The whole rational behind abandoning the web is a scarecrow. Like saying rich companies are going to abandon a market if we don't do them a favor.
As long as there is a market, they will come.
The web is too big of a pie to let it go.
But even if they decided to go, it wouldn't be a bad thing. Proprietary things on proprietary platforms, and less people trying to destroy the open platform. I'm all for that.
It can be difficult to make those decisions. But I would say TBL is definitely worried about the future of internet.
(Decentralized Web Summit - From The Internet Archive)
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Yth7O6yeZRE
I don't understand the minus points here. Did I piss a bunch of people off?
I genuinely loved OPs comment here (gave it an upvote). So instead of saying "woman" here If I just "assumed" he is a man and said congratulations "man" or "bro" would I get plus points?
Just drop off the woman (or man) part and you are fine. What's weird, as a native speaker, is your use of woman in this context. It's just odd: it's unnecessary and it adds gender where it isn't appropriate.
Thank you very much! in that case I'd be ok with the down votes. But the first reply I got here from someone I assume who is in charge of HN was "OP is a man" so I can't help but wonder what's really going on in the minds of these down voters.
1) Your comment added nothing, but then this wasn't a high-value thread anyway.
2) Any pronoun in that case would be superfluous. "Holy crap! Congratulations!" would be far more intuitive to native english speakers. Choosing to add a gendered pronoun without knowing the correct gender is just... odd. That's exactly the type of situation most would avoid where possible: you omit gendered pronouns unless you know.
Ha, yeah, I'm a man. I think if people knew you're not a native speaker they'd have cut you more slack. While "man" can be used in an informal and friendly way ("congratulations man!" wouldn't have raised any eyebrows), "woman" doesn't work that way. Instead, it comes across as sexist, since the only time you hear it is a chauvinistic man bossing a woman around ("dammit, woman, get over here!"). I admit it doesn't make sense, but there's English for ya.
Haha first of all. Let me apologize to you. And I truly admire how you took it very lightly as oppose to the reactions I got from some police officers (Not the nice human beings who kindly explained things) here in HN.
And I think I owe you an explanation of what happened.
1) I read your super awesome story. (nerdgasm).
2) Upvotes instantly but fuck this is some really good storytelling so just adding an upvote without a smart comment on your achievement would be almost rude!
3) Adds a pun intended "holy crap" (It's TBL people, if that ain't holy crap I don't know what it is!)
4) Genuinely wanting to congratulate you, ends my "smart" comment with a "Congratulations man!".
5) Realizes that I just "assumed" you were a gentleman, which I (we, most people) do a little too much.
6) Knowing I would have gotten away with calling you "man" without looking rude for assuming you were a gentleman, decides if I should do it the other way. (Story of my life)
Happy indeed we live, friendly amidst the hostile. Amidst hostile men we dwell free from hatred.
Happy indeed we live, friendly amidst the afflicted (by craving). Amidst afflicted men we dwell free from affliction.
Happy indeed we live, free from avarice amidst the avaricious. Amidst the avaricious men we dwell free from avarice.
Happy indeed we live, we who possess nothing. Feeders on joy we shall be, like the Radiant Gods.
Victory begets enmity; the defeated dwell in pain. Happily the peaceful live, discarding both victory and defeat.
There is no fire like lust and no crime like hatred. There is no ill like the aggregates (of existence) and no bliss higher than the peace (of Nibbana). [17]
Hunger is the worst disease, conditioned things the worst suffering. Knowing this as it really is, the wise realize Nibbana, the highest bliss.
Health is the most precious gain and contentment the greatest wealth. A trustworthy person is the best kinsman, Nibbana the highest bliss.
Having savored the taste of solitude and peace (of Nibbana), pain-free and stainless he becomes, drinking deep the taste of the bliss of the Truth.
Good is it to see the Noble Ones; to live with them is ever blissful. One will always be happy by not encountering fools.
Indeed, he who moves in the company of fools grieves for longing. Association with fools is ever painful, like partnership with an enemy. But association with the wise is happy, like meeting one's own kinsmen.
Therefore, follow the Noble One, who is steadfast, wise, learned, dutiful and devout. One should follow only such a man, who is truly good and discerning, even as the moon follows the path of the stars.
It could be intentional, but every time I click "More" I expect to see more news items, the rank of any of those items in that specific moment in time doesn't really matter to me. I think it'd be more "natural" to show items ranked from 31 to 60 or something similar to that approach...
People wouldn't care about your opinions much, some would even call them dumb just like you call others opinions dumb. But when a respectable person like TBL says something people tend to take his words seriously.
This is why people were worried about what TBL did. A very few would have cared if you or I did such a thing.