Russell Linn

Famous for a hacker hacking mutleyshangar.com to edit my signature from an admin account just to reply to my comments on the FSElite post about FSlabs being hacked and misunderstanding the DRM related comments.

DRM costs the user money and hassle.  Many DRM methods increase the needed CPU specs needed to run an application due to how they work requiring the user to purchase better equipment than what would be needed without the DRM.

Sony wormed DRM in to HDMI standards which breaks setups and forces people to upgrade their audio/visual system separates which should work fine with the newer technology bar the DRM forcing 2.2 equipment for example.  They got DRM in our tv's and all our playback equipment.  Have linux or a non-certified media box? DRM stops you playing music or video that you have a paid account for.  NetFlix, Hulu, your local cable or satellite providers own web streams or apps will work only on a few limited devices due to DRM.

Many want to push online DRM methods requiring you to authenticate online every time you load a program, game or start a blu-ray playing.  They will keep pushing for this despite the similar ventures that have gone before and failed, leaving customers without access to what they have paid for.

Developers should be paid. With the exception of the music industry, pirated copies do not have a huge impact on sales and this can be argued for and against depending on who is funding the research.  However, DRM can turn paying customers in to pirates for a more hassle free experience. 

From the early days of cracked games with a NO-CD crack so you did not need the disk out every time you played it, to the DVD rips that cut out the 20 minutes of advertising and FBI warnings you could not fast forward past. 

When protecting a product, do it in a way that does not inconvenience them or cost them more money in hardware just so you feel you have more control.  The combined hive mind of the internet will communicate and overcome any obstacle put in it's way eventually.