Microsoft recently held a get together for a small group of high-profile bloggers ahead of the Mix Conference. The bloggers has full access to Microsoft chairman Bill Gates in an hour-long Q&A session and were able to fire off any question under the sun that they wanted to ask.
With Microsoft's 30GB Zune player having been recently released to go head-to-head with Apple's ever-dominant iPod, a topic of discussion pointed towards Digital Rights Management (DRM).Surprisingly, Gates was quite frank on the situation and expressed his disappointment in the overall situation with DRM.
According to Michael Arrington of TechCrunch, Gates noted that DRM "causes too much pain for legitimate buyers" and overall is not an effective solution. He went on to say that "DRM is not where it should be, but you won’t get me to say that there should be usage models and different payment models for usage. At the end of the day, incentive systems do make a difference, but we don’t have it right with incentives or interoperability."
When it comes to music files, Bill Gates simply had this to say in summary; “People should just buy a CD and rip it. You are legal then.”
News source: DailyTech
With Microsoft's 30GB Zune player having been recently released to go head-to-head with Apple's ever-dominant iPod, a topic of discussion pointed towards Digital Rights Management (DRM).Surprisingly, Gates was quite frank on the situation and expressed his disappointment in the overall situation with DRM.
According to Michael Arrington of TechCrunch, Gates noted that DRM "causes too much pain for legitimate buyers" and overall is not an effective solution. He went on to say that "DRM is not where it should be, but you won’t get me to say that there should be usage models and different payment models for usage. At the end of the day, incentive systems do make a difference, but we don’t have it right with incentives or interoperability."
When it comes to music files, Bill Gates simply had this to say in summary; “People should just buy a CD and rip it. You are legal then.”
News source: DailyTech
Correct, he is a crusader. It's just a pitty that he has to run his ideas and thoughts past the shareholders, the board and the EU/DOJ.
Correct, he is a crusader. It's just a pitty that he has to run his ideas and thoughts past the shareholders, the board and the EU/DOJ.
Hahaha! Yeah, he's not an idiot, but you guys might be, if you believe him! The man is a "crusader" FOR DRM and any other way he can find to lock your machine into HIS company. Remember Palladium?
As for DRM causing "too much pain for legitimate buyers," do you think this is an original thought from Gates??? Hell, his customers have been telling him that for years, even before DRM or Activation, or Palladium, or any other crap Microsoft uses to keep their software from being "stolen" by customers who don't want to pay $1500 - $2000 to run Windows on the five computers owned by their family. How long have you two been using computers; about six months? Or maybe your comments we're just veiled sarcasm?
There are plenty of people who have been using computers for years, and have no idea about what DRM is. Your computer usage shows nothing about what you know about DRM.
Correct, he is a crusader. It's just a pitty that he has to run his ideas and thoughts past the shareholders, the board and the EU/DOJ.
Hahaha! Yeah, he's not an idiot, but you guys might be, if you believe him! The man is a "crusader" FOR DRM and any other way he can find to lock your machine into HIS company. Remember Palladium?
As for DRM causing "too much pain for legitimate buyers," do you think this is an original thought from Gates??? Hell, his customers have been telling him that for years, even before DRM or Activation, or Palladium, or any other crap Microsoft uses to keep their software from being "stolen" by customers who don't want to pay $1500 - $2000 to run Windows on the five computers owned by their family. How long have you two been using computers; about six months? Or maybe your comments we're just veiled sarcasm?
It's clear you have no idea what you're talking about. But nice try anyway.
Correct, he is a crusader. It's just a pitty that he has to run his ideas and thoughts past the shareholders, the board and the EU/DOJ.
Hahaha! Yeah, he's not an idiot, but you guys might be, if you believe him! The man is a "crusader" FOR DRM and any other way he can find to lock your machine into HIS company. Remember Palladium?
As for DRM causing "too much pain for legitimate buyers," do you think this is an original thought from Gates??? Hell, his customers have been telling him that for years, even before DRM or Activation, or Palladium, or any other crap Microsoft uses to keep their software from being "stolen" by customers who don't want to pay $1500 - $2000 to run Windows on the five computers owned by their family. How long have you two been using computers; about six months? Or maybe your comments we're just veiled sarcasm?
It's clear you have no idea what you're talking about. But nice try anyway.
Agreed; the worse part; there are dork features here who fail to realise that DRM is use for more than just music, and more to the point, you can actually dictate the terms and conditions on which the file is licenced under with DRM; it isn't just a one sizes fits all - if people want ot blame someone for restrictive DRM, its the company who placed those restrictions on the music file, not the DRM itself.
Blame the shooter, not the gun.
Only if they are made from locked down .wma files!
Yea, Billy G condoning backups makes me feel better about my backup copy of Office 2007 now.
In other words.. DRM.
In other words.. DRM.
However much you try and tell yourself that they're the same thing, they aren't.
In any case, don't steal.
In other words.. DRM.
However much you try and tell yourself that they're the same thing, they aren't.
In any case, don't steal.
Being a fanboy has got to be embarrassing at moments like this. Bill should write you a check, or at least grant to an extra activation or something.
How was he being a "fanboy"? Jeeze, you can't even support or prefer another company without being a "fanboy".
How was he being a "fanboy"? Jeeze, you can't even support or prefer another company without being a "fanboy".
Well, what is even more stupid, he said nothing to the sort that could be conscrewed as being the slightest bit fanboyish; a statement was made and a correction was issued.
Activation isn't DRM; DRM is digiral rights management, if Microsoft were doing that, each dvd would be locked to the motherboard itself or some other measure that uses a combination of security chips and so forth.
DL0711 noted that WPA/WGA "causes too much pain for legitimate buyers" and overall is not an effective solution.
Also, WPA/WGA is not DRM.
I haven't tried Vista, but I agree that activation for Windows XP is really no big deal.
I haven't tried Vista, but I agree that activation for Windows XP is really no big deal.
True, and when it is EOL: one might actually find a fix released by Microsoft so that there is no longer a need for activation.
In other news, in a move that shocked morons across the globe into violent spasms of tongue-biting agony, scientists and philosophers around the world publicly declared that critical thinking is really good idea.
Exactly. Bill Gates is not Microsoft, and Microsoft is not Bill Gates.
One day people will wake up and realise that companies are more than just the one guy they always see.
Exactly. Bill Gates is not Microsoft, and Microsoft is not Bill Gates.
One day people will wake up and realise that companies are more than just the one guy they always see.
Exactly. Gates is not overload and be all end all of Microsoft. Hell, the shareholders have more power than him.
This is exactly why he is stepping down soon.
I met him in Montreal in 2002, he's extremely intelligent and it's clear why he is this rich.
Businesses will always go with whatever generates the most revenue. Your problem is with capitalism, not Bill Gates.
Yet, he's only telling us what most of us have known all along and what many (including I) have been doing all alone. Buy a CD and rip it. You're legal and there's no DRM on your files.
Hes absolutely right. Thats how i do it. Except for cd's with copy protection, i don't buy those, i won't pay for a useless product.
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